The insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol building on January 6 confirms what extremism researchers have warned for years: The rhetoric and activity of radical online communities and the actions they inspire are inseparable. Too many people treat these internet groups as fringe and inconsequential. It’s beyond time for that to change.
As a professional researcher of extremist political movements, I observed as these groups — particularly those affiliated with militia movements — discussed wielding the unruliness of large crowds against law enforcement to violate laws and enter federal buildings in the days leading up to Wednesday’s riot at the Capitol. They shared maps of entry points into the Capitol, encouraged violence against their perceived political enemies in Black Lives Matter and anti-fascist political movements, advised each other on weapon carrying, and plotted ways to communicate with each other that would avoid detection by police. The revolutionary and violent rhetoric seen online poured out of the mouths of protesters on the ground.
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