Religious/Extremist Terrorism: Non-Muslim edition

[Brad Sallows]

By all means let's take counsel of the irrational fears of a few to stir up a tempest of anxiety.

 

[dimsum]

Leaked Chats Reveal Evidence of Hate Crimes by U.S. Fascists

Patriot Front members confessed to destroying numerous works of art in private messages.

gizmodo.com

 

[OceanBonfire]

RCMP seize firearms in B.C. following probe into video by self-described militia | Globalnews.ca

The charges stem from an investigation that began on Sept. 14 'as a result of several videos posted to social media, in the interest of public safety,' the RCMP said.

globalnews.ca

Man who attended Ottawa protest convoy arrested on firearms charges | Globalnews.ca

The investigation began Jan. 10 after a video was posted on social media showing a man pointing a gun at another man's head.

globalnews.ca

 

[The Bread Guy]

Odd bedfellows????

Russian neofascist groups have attempted to recruit and provide paramilitary training to North American and European extremists in order to “expand their reach into the West, increase membership, and raise money,” according to the unclassified July 2021 intelligence report.

The support of Western neofascists by Russian extremists “poses a potential threat to Western security by encouraging and enabling attacks on ethnic minorities and government facilities,” states the report, which is titled “Russian Federation Support of Racially and Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists.”

But the report, which was prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence with input from the CIA and the FBI, also says the U.S. government lacks “indications of direct Russian government support” for foreign white nationalist groups ...

ODNI report attached

 

[Brad Sallows]

And sometimes, "let's you and him fight" is backed by governments once you get past all the cut-outs.

 

[OceanBonfire]

“The people who organized -that protest, and there were several factions there, there’s no doubt (they) came to overthrow the government,” Thomas said.

“Whether their ability to do that was there, whether their intent, an understanding of how to do that was realistic is actually irrelevant to what they wanted to do.”

...

A strong mistrust — if not outright anger — toward mainstream media was evident among the protesters that occupied downtown for weeks, along with widespread anti-government sentiment. Conspiracy theories, including one about the World Economic Forum think tank “infiltrating” governments around the world, were referenced by some protest organizers.

“If you live in this echo chamber you believe this is true, you believe that the government is restricting your freedom in a way that probably is not quite valid or accurate,” Thomas said.

Global News’ Rachel Gilmore reported this week that some users on the online platforms used to organize the convoy protests and push their message — predominantly encrypted messaging app Telegram — have moved on to push Russian propaganda about the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Domestic extremism ‘here to stay’ in Canada, Trudeau’s security advisor says - National | Globalnews.ca

Jody Thomas, Trudeau’s national security advisor, said the 'Freedom Convoy' meant to overthrow the federal government and warranted emergency measures.

globalnews.ca

 

[Kirkhill]

Domestic extremism ‘here to stay’ in Canada, Trudeau’s security advisor says - National | Globalnews.ca

Jody Thomas, Trudeau’s national security advisor, said the 'Freedom Convoy' meant to overthrow the federal government and warranted emergency measures.

globalnews.ca

Canadians have lived in a “splendid, naïve sort of superiority” that domestic extremism is not an issue in the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security advisor says.

Not only is that “simply not true,” Jody Thomas told an Ottawa security conference Thursday, the issue is also “here, and it is here to stay.”

It has always been here.

“We have a lot to unpack in this country in terms of understanding what’s going on and its impact on democracy, our institutions and our society,” Thomas said during a panel of the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence.

“This is a problem that is not going away,” Thomas said, and it will require “significant” effort to “try and understand and resolve.”

Agreed. Good plan.

Thomas, who moved from the Department of National Defence to the National Security and Intelligence Advisor role in January, was responding to questions about the government’s use of emergency powers to address the convoy protests that paralyzed Ottawa and blockaded border crossings in February.

Even if international border crossings — and the billions in cross-border trade that depends on them — were not blocked, Thomas said she believed the Ottawa protest was significant enough to warrant the use of the Emergencies Act.

I will choose to disagree. One might say "dissent".

While styled as a protest against mandatory vaccinations for cross-border truckers, protest organizers’ overriding goal — stated publicly — was to force democratically elected governments to remove all COVID-19 public health measures or be replaced.

If not that issue then another issue.

“The people who organized -that protest, and there were several factions there, there’s no doubt (they) came to overthrow the government,” Thomas said.

“Whether their ability to do that was there, whether their intent, an understanding of how to do that was realistic is actually irrelevant to what they wanted to do.”

Remove the government

By election
By appeal to the Courts
By petition of the Crown
By publicity campaign
By civil disobedience

By recall legislation?

A lot of routes available to "overthrow the government". And they are all perfectly legitimate.

Our system is predicated on the ability of the people to "overthrow the government".
The people are always right, even when they are wrong.

Armed Insurrection? In Canada? Why bother?

Online ‘echo chambers’ fueling extremism​

Thomas suggested that online “echo chambers” (dissenting churches) — where people can find whatever information source that suits their existing or desired worldview — (have historically) partially fueled the events (like those) in Ottawa last month.

A strong mistrust — if not outright anger — toward mainstream media (establishment pulpits) was evident among the protesters that occupied downtown for weeks, along with widespread anti-government sentiment. Conspiracy theories, including one about the World Economic Forum think tank (naming the church of your choice) “infiltrating” governments around the world, were referenced by some protest organizers.

“If you live in this echo chamber (your church) you believe this is true, you believe that the government (other) is restricting your freedom in a way that probably is not quite valid or accurate (to your taste),” Thomas said.
....

We've been here before.

We got here because of it.

That is both the good news and the bad news.

We're still here and I believe we will still be here tomorrow.

 

[OceanBonfire]

“Ideologically” motivated violent extremism (IMVE) — the service’s catch-all term, which includes far-right and white supremacist-motivated violence — is “fast approaching parity with the threat from religiously-motivated violent extremism in terms of investigative resources deployed” in Canada, CSIS Director David Vigneault wrote in late 2021.

...

Despite the renewed attention to right-wing extremism — in the past CSIS devoted resources to tracking far-right groups before the 9/11 attacks dramatically shifted Western intelligence priorities — Vigneault warned Mendicino the agency’s ability to keep up with the “evolving” threat is at risk.

...

Barbara Perry, one of Canada’s foremost researchers on far-right and white supremacist movements, questioned whether CSIS truly needs new powers to track domestic extremism — something an increasingly large group of open source researchers have had little trouble doing in recent years without the resources of a modern intelligence service.

...

Carvin agreed with Perry’s broader point, but argued the nature of the threat from modern far-right extremism, and their methods of organization, are different than the kind of extremism that previously preoccupied the service.

...

Threats Within: Canada’s spy service boosts attention to ‘ideological’ domestic extremism - National | Globalnews.ca

In 2016, CSIS shut down its investigation into right-wing extremism. In 2022, they spent almost as much watching domestic extremists as religiously-motivated terror.

globalnews.ca

 

[OldSolduer]

Are we worrying about the far left?.....

Or are they already here.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

They already control .....and don't want to lose any of that.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Today's radical is tomorrow's elder activist/academic/lobbyist/influencer.

 

[FJAG]

Today's radical is tomorrow's elder activist/academic/lobbyist/influencer.

Nah. The Baader-Meinhoff gang are still criminals.

Its a matter of degree.

 

[dimsum]

Today's radical is tomorrow's elder activist/academic/lobbyist/influencer.

MLK Jr. was considered a radical back then...

 

[OceanBonfire]

... the Windsor case was the first time prosecutors had charged an alleged right wing extremist with participating in terrorist group activity.

“That is a big deal for a few reasons. Perhaps most importantly, our criminal terrorism offences were intended first and foremost to be preventive, that is to capture activity before a serious attack occurs,” said Nesbitt, a University of Calgary law professor.

“This is what was intended by our legislation, yet for whatever reason, we had not seen the preemption of far-right activity with terrorism charges until now,” he said.

“This is an indication that the RCMP is indeed putting resources towards the investigation of far-right actors and that they believe, along with Canadian prosecutors, that Canadian terrorism laws are equally capable of capturing activities of the far right that they believe rises to the level of terrorism”

RCMP lay terrorism charge against Ontario man over alleged links to Atomwaffen neo-Nazi group | Globalnews.ca

Seth Bertrand faces a charge of participating in the activity of a terrorist group.

globalnews.ca

Extremism, hateful rhetoric becoming ‘normalized’ in Canada, spy agency head warns - National | Globalnews.ca

Canadian Security Intelligence Service director David Vigneault said the spread of disinformation, misinformation, propaganda and hate continues to increase and accelerate.

globalnews.ca

 

[brihard]

RCMP lay terrorism charge against Ontario man over alleged links to Atomwaffen neo-Nazi group | Globalnews.ca

Seth Bertrand faces a charge of participating in the activity of a terrorist group.

globalnews.ca

Extremism, hateful rhetoric becoming ‘normalized’ in Canada, spy agency head warns - National | Globalnews.ca

Canadian Security Intelligence Service director David Vigneault said the spread of disinformation, misinformation, propaganda and hate continues to increase and accelerate.

globalnews.ca

According to reporting on this, it sounds like he literally filled out an application form on their website. He applied to join a listen terrorist entity. That’s magnificent.

 

[OldSolduer]

According to reporting on this, it sounds like he literally filled out an application form on their website. He applied to join a listen terrorist entity. That’s magnificent.

You failed to mention the obvious - not a very smart boy is he?

 

[The Bread Guy]

Odd bedfellows????

ODNI report attached

A bit of a variation on the "Team USSR 2.0 links to the extreme right elsewhere" theme. Not so much terrorist activity, but an interesting potential channel for #TheOtherRadicalization ...

Why White Nationalists Identify With A Russian Church — And Vladimir Putin : Consider This from NPR

The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia is gaining followers in the U.S. — not Russian immigrants, but American converts drawn to its emphasis on "traditional values." NPR's Odette Yousef reports some new converts are using the religion to spread white nationalist views. More from her...

www.npr.org

Orthodox Christian churches are drawing in far-right American converts

When Sarah Riccardi-Swartz moved from New York City to a small Appalachian town in West Virginia in the fall of 2017, she was searching for an answer to a puzzling question. Why had a group of conservative American Christians converted to Russian Orthodoxy?

www.wgbh.org

The American far-right and the Orthodox Church | eKathimerini.com

Dr. Sarah Riccardi-Swartz and Dr. Aram Sariksian join Thanos Davelis to look at why far-right Americans are joining Orthodox churches in the US, and explore what the broader implications are not only for these churches and communities, but also for US democracy.

www.ekathimerini.com

 

[The Bread Guy]

Just to show how some see the categories, here's how New Jersey's DHS "pigeonholes" types of domestic terrorism ...

... versus the "usual suspect rogue's gallery" variety

I'm guessing Antifa'll end up in the "Anarchist Extremists" pigeonhole, but we'll see what happens.

 

[brihard]

Just to show how some see the categories, here's how New Jersey's DHS "pigeonholes" types of domestic terrorism ...
View attachment 70743
... versus the "usual suspect rogue's gallery" variety

I'm guessing Antifa'll end up in the "Anarchist Extremists" pigeonhole, but we'll see what happens.

I don’t think ‘Antifa’ (which as always is more an ideological label than any coherent organization) should be pidgeonholed as ‘anarchist’. There’s overlap, but ‘antifa’ types are not necessarily anti-government as a whole, which anarchists by definition must be. Rather they tend to be against conservative governments, or other essentially mainstream neoliberal parties.

 

[The Bread Guy]

I don’t think ‘Antifa’ (which as always is more an ideological label than any coherent organization) should be pidgeonholed as ‘anarchist’. There’s overlap, but ‘antifa’ types are not necessarily anti-government as a whole, which anarchists by definition must be. Rather they tend to be against conservative governments, or other essentially mainstream neoliberal parties.

I was leaning in that direction mostly because of the bit in yellow.