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4) Take the Proud Boys, for instance.
They've been declared a hate group by the @splcenter on the basis of their Islamophobia and transphobia, but they *do* accept non-white members, so long as those members profess a belief in Western cultural supremacy.
5) Their commonality with white nationalists is their fierce beliefs in nationalism. A racist discriminates based on the color of someone's skin. A nationalist discriminates based on where someone was born. In practice, not a lot of difference. But in optics, it means a *lot*.
6) So groups like the Proud Boys spend a lot of time with openly racist groups. Proud Boy Levi Romero has long been a supporter of the white supremacist Rise Above Movement, rallying with them on multiple occasions, as well as the neo-Nazi Atomwaffen:https://twitter.com/RoseCityAntifa/status/1054574726289350656 …
7) And alongside the Proud Boys who attacked protesters on 10/12 in NYC were Joe Bola and Dennis Davila, two longtime members of the 211 Bootboys, a white nationalist skinhead crew. (Shoutout to the anti-fascists who ID'd these jabronis while the cops were sitting on the hands.)pic.twitter.com/DG922MRABV
8) But within those associations, they're careful to maintain optics. Here's Gavin McInnes pronouncing the "14 words" with white nationalist Emily Youcis. But he carefully changes "white" to "Western." https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=kH6xYP7zkXg …
9) The current of nationalism is *very* strong, and creates *very* strange allies. Antisemite Richard Spencer cites Israel as a model of nationalist ethnostate he wants to create:https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/richard-spencer-gives-israel-as-example-of-ethno-state-he-wants-in-u-s-1.5459154 …
10) Example: Yair Netanyahu, the son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, posts antisemitic memes attacking "globalists":https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Netanyahus-son-lashes-out-via-internet-again-504620 …
11) And raging antisemite David Duke tweets his approval:https://twitter.com/DrDavidDuke/status/906524949665415174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E906524949665415174&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2FIsrael-News%2FNetanyahus-son-lashes-out-via-internet-again-504620 …
12) In addition to nationalism, groups like the Proud Boys reify gender roles, and frequently attack both feminists and trans people. (And *especially* feminist trans folx. Love and solidarity to you all.) And they're not the only group to do so.
13) As Matthew Lyons notes in "Insurgent Supremacists,": "Because alt-rightists were explicitly white nationalist, many observers didn’t notice that they also promoted a misogyny so extreme that even many neonazis criticized it." But this is an absolutely critical dynamic.
14) It's how the alt-right was able to grow so quickly.
They recruited from the message boards of MRAs, incels, #GamerGaters, and pickup artists.
15) And there's a healthy crossover between these groups.
Here's Sargon of Akkad, an anti-feminist vlogger who rose to prominence during #GamerGate, discussing his "race realism," the current dogwhistle term for being a racist: http://www.rockingphilosophy.com/2018/01/sargon-of-akkad-discusses-race-realism-liberalism.html …
16) "Pickup artist" and rape advocate Roosh V even supports white nationalist Richard Spencer: https://web.archive.org/web/20170315233507/www.rooshv.com/i-do-not-disavow-richard-spencer … And Roosh isn't even white.
17) Roosh: "Donald Trump had not advocated for a white ethno-state, but the alt-right felt that his immigration policies bring that one step to fruition, while I supported Trump because I believed his policies would be beneficial to heterosexual men, regardless of their race."pic.twitter.com/vOYkkkSQTq
18) They both fundamentally support gender inequality, and organize together along those terms.pic.twitter.com/SzcsPNvgvj
19) We see the same thing happening with nationalism. That's how groups like the Proud Boys are able to recruit non-white members while still organizing alongside open white nationalists like the 211 Bootboys, Identity Evropa, and Emily Youcis.
20) Race is a powerful organizing platform for the far right, but it's not the only one. However, when racist groups are allowed in spaces unchecked, their philosophy spreads.
21) So while the Proud Boys-- as an organization-- are not explicitly white nationalist, their members aren't opposed to it. This is "Daily Shoah" host Mike Peinovich talking about his friendship with Gavin McInnes and the membership of the Proud Boys.pic.twitter.com/RIi9ZhHMXK
22) This is how fascism creeps in, folks. You refuse to call the Proud Boys dangerous because they don't wear swastikas. But they're still fascists.
23) They hate trans people, Muslims, and immigrants just as much as the 1930s fascists ever hated Jewish folks, Romani people, disabled people, and LGBTQIA people. They just call themselves "Western chauvinists" instead of "white supremacists."
24) We can beat them back, people, but it's going to take all of us working together. I'll be dropping the names and employment information of more Proud Boys starting next week, and I need your help. Call their employers. Show them that hate has consequences.
25) Not everyone can be in the streets, literally fighting fascists. But almost all of us can reach out to get a fascist fired. A successful anti-fascist movement needs a broad base. You are part of it. Getting fascists fired is self-defense. ¡No pasarán! </thread>
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