![]() ![]() My background, combined with the research skills of my team, has allowed us to monitor and track right-wing groups across a wide array of platforms. I’ve been a criminal lawyer for almost three decades, first as a federal and state prosecutor and now as a defense attorney. Two researchers offered to help me anonymously. ![]() ![]() The only thing we will do that’s us! Is think like us! Jan 6th is gonna be epic.” 30, a week before the “wild” protest, a leading figure of the Proud Boys, Joe Biggs, posted his group’s intent on Parler: “Attn: DC ANTIFA. They began planning, and I began documenting how these groups were organizing, preparing for, threatening and intending to engage in violence. They viewed it as an order, a call to arms. 19 tweet, the reaction of those I was monitoring cannot be understated. After the election, however, it became clear that much of the MAGA movement was not going to accept the outcome - not with all of the conspiracy theories and the constant sentiment of mistrust in our institutions coming from its leaders.Īt first, the most commonly expressed views were that the courts, local election officials loyal to the cause, the military or Trump himself would keep the president in power. I wanted to show them that what was once a fringe element of the party was now on full display and spreading. My goal at first was to share what I observed with moderate Republicans who may have been persuaded to vote for Joe Biden and not Trump. I began using social media several months before the election to monitor the extremist elements that were taking control of the Republican Party - a party I had spent my life in but no longer recognized. Now, they have taken their disparate causes and motives to the local level, refocusing on softer, more vulnerable targets such as local government agencies, because, according to the new motto of one of their ubiquitous leaders, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, “ Local action has a national impact.” Then, they were charting a course to “ stop the steal” on a national stage. 6 were born on social media - which makes it a good place to discover what the activists, influencers and organizers of the MAGA movement are up to on the ground. No one can draw a straight line from Trump’s tweet to the storming of the U.S. “ Be there, will be wild!” That night, on the social network Parler, a user posted, “ Build the gallows.” He served on Florida’s Judicial Nominating Commission from 2009 to 2020. Ron Filipkowski, a former Marine and state and federal prosecutor, is a criminal defense attorney in private practice. Updated: DecemPublished: December 12, 2021 ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |