Among the most visible ideological adherents at state capitol protests after Jan. 6 and in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 18 for pro-Second Amendment rallies were people involved with the boogaloo movement, easily recognizable in most cases because of Hawaiian-themed shirts and masks along with their weapons, signatures of boogaloo followers. The shirts are a reference to “big luau,” which is an adaptation of the word “boogaloo.”
Researchers studying the far right have sounded the alarm over the threat posed by the rapid proliferation of conspiracy theories, disinformation and misinformation for years, noting that shifts in the extreme right’s mobilization tactics could present new challenges to stemming a tide of violence.