In December 2018, a man named Rinaldo Nazzaro purchased 30 acres of remote land in Republic, Washington, a city of roughly 1,000 people about an hour’s drive south of the Canadian border. The tract was meant to serve as a training ground for a terroristic white power group he founded earlier that year called The Base.
At the protests that have broken out across the country after George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, so-called boogaloo bois have been a conspicuous presence. Members of the overwhelmingly white online subculture have shown up to protests heavily armed and clad in Hawaiian shirts – a reference to the “big luau,” an adaptation of the word “boogaloo.”
After days of tense and sometimes violent protests in cities across the country, President Trump continued to use coded language, political division and threats to quell the activities.
“Boogaloo Boys” – individuals associated with an online community characterized by calls for civil strife and ownership of firearms and tactical gear – have advocated for an armed revolution online and at public rallies for months. On April 11, one self-proclaimed “Boogaloo Boy” allegedly used Facebook Live to show himself attempting to murder police.
Matthew Heimbach had stardom and icon status in the racist movement ahead of him.
White supremacists have harassed people through the video conferencing app Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic, part of a broader trend in which they exploit emerging online platforms to promote hate before companies can sufficiently adapt to their presence.
Invictus' father, John Gillespie, was arrested days earlier and charged with human trafficking of children under 18 years old.
Hate groups and racist pundits have pushed misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic on mainstream social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube throughout the crisis, despite companies pledging to fight fake news about the virus.
At “Unite the Right” in Charlottesville, Virginia, Azzmador appeared to be everywhere.
Far-right extremists believe the intense uncertainty surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19 will aid their ability to recruit new members into their movement.
