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Jon Lewis

@jonlewis27.bsky.social

Research Fellow, Program on Extremism

14 Posts1500 Follower816 Folgt
Jeff Tischauser@jtischauser.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Always great to talk to the amazing @philinvestigates.com about the violent white nationalists who join Active Clubs and what they are planning for our communities. Members of Active Clubs want more race riots in our world and they're learning that GOP officials want them too.

A screenshot of the article that quotes me. “Members of Active Clubs have a few key reasons to paying attention to what is going on in Belfast. First, white nationalists spend a lot of their time trying to make White people afraid of non-White groups. White nationalists do this by claiming non-White groups are more prone to act violently, which is what I’ve seen from Active Club channels on Telegram responding to the race riots in Belfast. White nationalists in Active Clubs connect individual acts of violence against White people that occur anywhere in the world to a perceived anti-White system. It’s all lies and bigotry. In reality, white-on-white violence is a bigger threat to White people. For example, I know of several Active Club members who are currently in jail for domestic violence in which they beat their partners, all of whom were White women. Leaders of Active Clubs don’t want anybody to know this because it will destroy their narrative about who commits violence.”
Phil Williams@philinvestigates.com · 2mo ago

A warning for America: White nationalist groups—including one recently platformed in a light-handed 60 Minutes report—are openly celebrating the violent attacks on immigrants in Belfast and suggesting their followers can learn from the rioters’ tactics. (Link below.)

steven monacelli@stevanzetti.bsky.social · 2mo ago

For @texasobserver.org, I did a deep dive into Brandon Herrera, a gunfluencer and now Republican congressional nominee who has spread memes associated the extremist Boogaloo movement and rationalized lethal violence against people with certain political beliefs. www.texasobserver.org/brandon-herr...

How a Gun-Rights Extremist Could Soon Represent Uvalde in Congress

On his YouTube channel, Brandon Herrera has discussed the relative merits of weapons used in mass shootings and made light of political violence. He’s now on a glide path to the U.S. House.

texasobserver.org

Jared Holt@jaredlholt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Some thought-provoking reflections from JM Berger on the inherent difficulties in defining "extremism" and the issues with some of the most-common approaches for doing so. The "intergroup-conflict approach" he proposes is the best I've found to date, and what I use to guide my own work.

J.M. Berger@jmberger.com · 2mo ago

New* post from me: You've heard me talk about the importance of clearly defining extremism. Here's a deep dive into why it matters, and why many existing definitions fall short, especially in These Times. medium.com/p/2dd6a5fc21... * Adapted from my dissertation

Christopher Mathias@letsgomathias.bsky.social · 2mo ago

New for @talkingpointsmemo.com: My look at how a recently-retired top immigration official getting celebrity treatment at a conference of outright fascists, and admitting to a friendship with a Nazi like Martin Sellner, should be a giant giant giant scandal talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/greg-bo...

Greg Bovino’s Retirement Plan? Go Full Fascist

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis....

talkingpointsmemo.com

Tyler King@tyleraking.com · 2mo ago

The Pentagon has appointed a former Citadel cadet and J6 convict to one of the most sensitive top-secret posts in the DoD. He has none of the relevant experience that would make him eligible for the 40-person team. wapo.st/437arYG

Pentagon hires convicted Jan. 6 rioter for sensitive counterterrorism job

The Trump administration’s appointment of Elias Irizarry, who was 19 at the time of the Capitol attack, has alarmed some in the Defense Department.

wapo.st

The Provost / سيدة الفتنة@msentropy.bsky.social · 3mo ago

As a single post (I’ll draft and post tomorrow on Substack as well, for ease of reference): The San Diego Islamic Center attackers’ manifesto is neither “novel,” nor “nihilistic violent extremism.” Rather, it is a clear (and uncreative) re-articulation (ad finitum) of Neo-Nazi accelerationism.

In sum, analysis: The Islamic Center attack here in San Diego is most clearly categorized as Neo-Nazi accelerationist in orientation, albeit with nods to contemporary neo-fascist inside referenced from the contemporary social media ecosystem. This excerpt from the San Diego shooters’ manifesto 100% originates from Tom Metzger’s post-1980s ideological synthesis (here in San Diego, no less): Eco-fascism, National Socialism, accelerationalism, and Third Positionism — all the way down to Metzger’s slogan, “race is my religion.” I’ve been working on my book about Metzger (right here in San Diego, in fact) for 6 years, and his particular worldview and imprint are unmistakeable. That is not, in fact, “NVE.” And, again, the ideological influence of Tom Metzger evident in the San Diego attackers’ manifesto (and consistently throughout the genre of Neo-Nazi accelerationist copycat manifestos) is also crystal clear in the shooters’ invocation of Atomwaffen, James Mason, and SIEGE. Further: When Brandon Russell wanted to found AWD back in the Iron March days, he reached out Metzger first, in order to track down Mason. Why? Because Metzger was the *sole* white supremacist underground movement leader that kept Mason’s ideas in circulation. Case in point: Once, again, the San Diego Islamic Center attack is a relatively clear-cut case of Neo-Nazi accelerationism, and the manifesto’s plagiarism / citations of others in the genre display a consistent, genealogical ‘through line” of ideology — back to the OG himself: Tom Metzger. This attack is neither new, nor “nihilistic violent extremism” in character. I am pushing no other “agenda” than the result of well over a decade of professional specialization on this movement, over six of that in San Diego County — where I’m more than familiar with Metzger’s continuing, posthumous influence on a local and regional level. Feel free to disagree. We all have opinions.In sum, analysis: The Islamic Center attack here in San Diego is most clearly categorized as Neo-Nazi accelerationist in orientation, albeit with nods to contemporary neo-fascist inside referenced from the contemporary social media ecosystem. This excerpt from the San Diego shooters’ manifesto 100% originates from Tom Metzger’s post-1980s ideological synthesis (here in San Diego, no less): Eco-fascism, National Socialism, accelerationalism, and Third Positionism — all the way down to Metzger’s slogan, “race is my religion.” I’ve been working on my book about Metzger (right here in San Diego, in fact) for 6 years, and his particular worldview and imprint are unmistakeable. That is not, in fact, “NVE.” And, again, the ideological influence of Tom Metzger evident in the San Diego attackers’ manifesto (and consistently throughout the genre of Neo-Nazi accelerationist copycat manifestos) is also crystal clear in the shooters’ invocation of Atomwaffen, James Mason, and SIEGE. Further: When Brandon Russell wanted to found AWD back in the Iron March days, he reached out Metzger first, in order to track down Mason. Why? Because Metzger was the *sole* white supremacist underground movement leader that kept Mason’s ideas in circulation. Case in point: Once, again, the San Diego Islamic Center attack is a relatively clear-cut case of Neo-Nazi accelerationism, and the manifesto’s plagiarism / citations of others in the genre display a consistent, genealogical ‘through line” of ideology — back to the OG himself: Tom Metzger. This attack is neither new, nor “nihilistic violent extremism” in character. I am pushing no other “agenda” than the result of well over a decade of professional specialization on this movement, over six of that in San Diego County — where I’m more than familiar with Metzger’s continuing, posthumous influence on a local and regional level. Feel free to disagree. We all have opinions.
Luke Baumgartner@lbaum94.bsky.social · 6mo ago

I can't help but think that the attack on Ilhan Omar is an extension of redbaiting and the age-old strategy of using the fear of leftists as a way to scapegoat minorities. More recently, redbaiting has been used as a way to shift the focus from Jews to Muslims, creating a new flavor of Islamophobia.

Andrew Couts@couts.bsky.social · 6mo ago

NEW: Within minutes of Alex Pretti being killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, the Trump administration, backed by right-wing influencers, launched a smear campaign against the victim, labelling him a ”terrorist” and a “lunatic.” @davidgilbert.bsky.social reports:

The Instant Smear Campaign Against Border Patrol Shooting Victim Alex Pretti

Within minutes of the shooting, the Trump administration and right-wing influencers began disparaged the man shot by a federal immigration officer on Saturday in Minneapolis.

wired.com

Ryan J. Reilly “paints a vivid and urgent portrait of… disarray”@ryanjreilly.com · 7mo ago

“These are no longer dog whistles,” Jon Lewis, a research fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, said. “They’re bullhorns.” www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...

Some Trump administration social media posts mirror extremist rhetoric

While the posts are a small part of the administration’s overall social media presence, experts say they are clear references to white supremacist messaging.

nbcnews.com

Program On Extremism@gwupoe.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Research Fellow @jonlewis27.bsky.social was recently featured in an article from The Guardian that explores why some of the most recent acts of political violence exhibit the characteristic of leaving behind written messages on their weapons and ammunition.

‘It’s all performative’: why are shooters leaving messages on shell casings?

The use of markings on ammunition is a new trend of shooters trying to ensure their messages are disseminated publicly, experts say

theguardian.com

dell cameron@dell.bsky.social · 11mo ago

FBI has been steadily diverting resources away from domestic terrorism investigations, decimating specialized units & discontinuing tools used to track extremism. the admin also gutted millions in federal terrorism-prevention grants. it's effectively abandoned the fight against homegrown violence.

Gabe Ortíz@tusk81.bsky.social · 11mo ago

“FBI agents reassigned to round up immigrants have had to walk away from investigations into violent predators who target and exploit children online, MSNBC has learned.” www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...

Michael "Fallen Coffee Pot of Shadows" Senters the Sigillite:ABD@mikesenters.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Spoke with @drewharwell.com over @washingtonpost.com about Internet culture, memes and how the rush to pin an ideology on Robinson was foolish. Happy to be quoted alongside other experts like @jaredlholt.bsky.social and @jmberger.com in this! They really know their stuff.

The internet culture behind the Kirk shooting suspect’s ‘big meme’

The Charlie Kirk shooter’s engravings have been mined for clues of a motive. For those steeped in meme culture, they show only that he was “terminally online.”

washingtonpost.com

Bellingcat@bellingcat.com · 11mo ago

Far-right fight nights are events bringing together combat fighting, extremist bands and merch, in an attempt to bring in new recruits and solidify existing relationships. @colborne.bsky.social locates the latest event for a California-based group: www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/09...

Geolocating an Active Club 'Fight Night' in San Diego

An orange wall helped Bellingcat identify the location of an annual far-right event attended by neo-Nazis and white nationalists.

bellingcat.com