These guys also have connections to Nazis in Ukraine (not just The Base - also Atomwaffen and more).
American White Power movements’ transnational connections, however, predate The Base by a long, long time.
Gross — but true: one of those ways?
The United States military.
1979 anti-KKK rally: Klansmen and neo-Nazis murdered five people. Among them? Vietnam vets.
Motivation?
“I shot communists in Vietnam, why wouldn’t I shoot communists in the United States?’”
This phenomenon predates Vietnam.
Post-Civil War: Klan
Post-World War I: Klan rises
Post-World War II: Klan surges
According to Belew, Vietnam marks a Nazi turning point.
At this point, many emergent White Power figures conceptualised Vietnam as a government betrayal that used soldiers as canon fodder.
Not exactly a sentiment restricts to Nazis, but....
Other things about Vietnam useful to the American Nazi movement:
Insurgency, counterinsurgency, leeway for war crimes...
Oh, and Operation Phoenix (look it up).
Ever heard “lone wolves” and “leaderless jihad?”
Oh, did you think that was Al Qaeda? Wrong.
Beam coined “leaderless resistance” in the 1980s. Well before the existence of Al Qaeda.
Beam headed up a group in the 80s (taken down by SPLC) responsible for attacks on Vietnamese fishermen in the States.
For Beam and his KKK “maritime” group (I shit you not)...
These attacks were continuation and fulfillment of the Vietnam War’s lost promise.
Louis Beam alsooooo trained child militias in the lessons of Vietnam’s guerrilla warfare (8 year olds, guys) at Camp Puller (Houston, Texas)...
And tried to draw in Boy Scouts.
Tom Metzger:
— founder of the White Aryan Resistance (WAR).
— former Grand Wizard of the KKK
— US Army (1961-1964)
Randy Weaver (of Ruby Ridge)
— Christian Identity
— ties to Aryan Nation
— wanted to work for FBI
— joined US Military (peak of Vietnam era)
— Green Béret, Spécial Forces — stationed at Fort Bragg
Timothy McVeigh
— absolutely influenced by Christian Identity
— US Army Infantry, Fort Benning, GA
— Operation Desert Storm (Iraq)
— wanted to join Army Special Forces... he failed.
Now is a great time to remind you that...
Membership in Nazi groups doesn’t disqualify you from joining the military.
I’m going to tell you what I told FBI— because this is what we currently face: accelerationist groups like Atomwaffen Division and The Base aren’t just issues of domestic terrorism. They’re increasingly transnational.
Check out where The Base’s founder (alias “Norman Spear”) enjoys safe harbor (hi, Putin!) — there’s a reason for that.
Global Nazi coalition networks are going to become very prominent in law enforcement circles and public consciousness very soon — the dots already connect.
The Base purposefully mirrors al-Qaeda.
They share the same goals, often same members, the same strategies, and read the same military theorists ... and praise one another’s attacks.
Like Al Qaeda? Transnational networks ate increasingly key to The Base’s objectives.
Yeah, The Base didn’t choose their name by accident, nor is it a coincidence.
“Al-Qaeda” literally means ... “The Base.”
I’ll pick this thread back up later.
I’ll finish off the Nazis tonight when I get home from campus.
(this thread, at least)
Okay, Nazis. You’ve already taken up way too much energy today. Nap time.
Keep yelling away in the @‘s, ya skullmask anime avatar angryboïz.
Something something valhalla. Etc.
@threadreaderapp unroll and I will love you 4-eva
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Internal Wix messages “encouraged staff to support Israel’s ‘narrative’ in Hamas conflict,” specifically advising them to “‘show Westernity’ in social media posts backing Israel, as ‘unlike the Gazans, we look and live like Europeans or Americans.’” irishtimes.com/ireland/2023/1…
I’m just going to repeat a key point here.
Wix employees were specifically encouraged to “show Westernity” in pro-Israel social media posts, underscoring that Israelis “unlike the Gazans, look and live like Europeans and Americans.”
There’s an apt adjective for this: racist.
I’ll go ahead and be a bit more blunt with my translation:
“Make sure your pro-Israel posts are as white as possible and emphasize that people in Gaza are brown so we have to kill them if we want a Disneyland in the Middle East”
Extremely brief thread and then I’m eating sleeping pills and praying for a few hours of unconsciousness.
Here goes: on #Gaza, amplifying Palestinian voices, and interview requests.
If you’re already here, you’re no doubt aware that while I fail relentlessly in all things, I do like to try to live up to the ethical standards I set for myself.
I’ve publicly stated here and on other platforms that I won’t be doing any media interviews on Gaza, and request that Palestinians be contacted instead.
Regardless of one’s political stance on this conflict, it is a fact that Palestinian voices are far less covered.
If I’m quiet for a few more days, please understand that I’m completely drained from everything going on offline — especially from people I haven’t heard from in literal decades hitting me up “because you have a PhD” for “your perspective” on all of this.
I can’t say I’m familiar with this person’s work (apologies), but this is accurate, and it sucks that such a statement is controversial.
For now, what I will say is that I guarantee 99.9% of the commentary you’re consuming — especially on here — is shit, and the loudest voices (as per usual) are generally those who know the least about historical and geopolitical contexts that ABSOLUTELY matter.
I’m not about to get sucked into any debates on Palestine / Israel right now, but what I will tell you as a geopolitical analyst vis-a-vis the hawks calling for war with Iran:
Iranian nationalism is nothing to take lightly - any such scenario would be disastrous for ALL parties.
The other thing that I will say (and believe me it gives me less than zero joy) concerns Hamas’ latest statement concerning the potential execution of civilian hostages.
Hamas’ desperation in laying out this ultimatum - that Israel stop bombing Gaza civilians or Hamas will execute Israeli civilian hostages because “that’s the only language Israel understands” (paraphrased) is a very bad sign.
And Muslims, y’all know more than anyone what it’s like to be expected to apologize or explain the actions of someone in a diverse community to which you happen to belong.
Empathy, support, and solidarity — now, more than ever.
It doesn’t matter if you “don’t understand being trans.”
I don’t either — because it’s not my struggle.
But I know this: Ramadan is about compassion, mercy, and fighting base impulses like judgment. Don’t forget that.
I'm on day 2 of an all-nighter trying to finish writing this case study / profile of Dylann Roof --
-- whose actions were not considered representative of an entire community.
Before that, I wrote about Tres Genco.
Before that, James Reardon.
Before that, Patrick Crusius.