Terrorgram (sometimes stylised as TERRORGRAM) is a portmanteau neologism created by the advocacy group Hope not Hate[1] to refer to a set of Telegram channels and accounts that subscribe to or promote militant accelerationism. Terrorgram channels are neo-fascist in ideology, and regularly share instructions and manuals on how to carry out acts of racially-motivated violence and anti-government, anti-authority terrorism. Terrorgram is a key communications forum for individuals and networks attached to Atomwaffen Division, The Base, and other explicit militant accelerationist groups.[2]

In 2021, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), an international think-tank, exposed more than 200 neo-Nazi pro-terrorism Telegram channels that make up the Terrorgram network, many of which contained instructions to build weapons and bombs.[1][3][4]

Origins

A major influence on Terrorgram is the neo-Nazi web forum Iron March, linked to both the proscribed UK-based group National Action, and the US-founded Atomwaffen Division. Despite having little over 1,200 users when it shut down in November 2017, Iron March, as a forum, has had an outsized influence on modern neo-Nazism. It popularised the book Siege by American neo-Nazi James Mason, a work promoting the establishment of underground, leaderless terrorist cells, working towards destabilising society and ushering in revolution. Iron March was also key in the development of the “terrorwave” aesthetic, a distinctive form of visual propaganda that communicates a message of terrorist violence. Rendered in red, white and black, the style often incorporates images of historical fascists, terrorists or paramilitaries wearing skull masks, with esoteric far-right symbols and simplistic slogans, such as "TRAITORS WILL HANG" and "RAPE THE POLICE". There is also a strong strain of esotericism and occultism woven into Terrorgram propaganda, lending a mystic sheen to the movement. Esoteric Hitlerism is frequently referenced.[5][6]

Sanctification

The Global Network on Extremism and Technology refers to Terrorgram and the broader ecosystem that it belongs to as "a 'dark fandom' that venerates and valorizes extreme-right terrorists as 'saints' and 'martyrs' in a manner similar to the heroization of school shooters and serial killers."[2] In the event of an accelerationist, supremacist or neo-Nazi attack, Terrorgram sees the members of the collective engaged in the search for signs attesting to the ideological closeness in order to sanctify the attacker. The sanctification of a terrorist leads to their entry into the pantheon of terrorist-saints that are taken as models by Terrorgram. Among these, some can be identified who can be considered as founders of the ideological core, so-called founding saints: Brenton Tarrant, Theodore Kaczynski, Anders Breivik, Timothy McVeigh, and Dylann Roof.[1] The five criteria required to become a saint include being of white race, conducting a deliberate attack, having motive to kill those who "threaten the white race," a "score" of killing at least one, and sharing the ideology of white supremacy.[7][8][9][10]

Publications

Following the ideological standard of Siege and The Turner Diaries, detailed instructions for attacking critical infrastructure are found in white supremacist manuals and propaganda distributed over Terrorgram channels. Terrorgram issued the third instalment of a digital magazine series called Hard Reset which glorifies white supremacist attacks and gives explanations for sector-specific critical infrastructure targeting.[11]

In June 2021, the collective published a guide online with incitements for attacks on infrastructure and violence against minorities, police, public figures, journalists and other perceived enemies. In December 2021, they published a second document containing ideological sections on accelerationism, white supremacy, and ecofascism, together with practical instructions.[12][13][7]

A 24-minute video titled White Terror, made by Terrorgram, was originally released on October 14, 2022. It celebrates dozens of individuals who committed acts of violence and terrorism from 1968 to the present against the government, police officers, women, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ people, leftists, journalists, and medical professionals. In addition to praising the perpetrators and referring to them as "saints," the video encourages further acts of terrorism, stating that future attacks will be honored. The video contains footage taken from the 2019 Christchurch shooting and 2022 Buffalo attack videos in addition to news clips.[14]

In March 2023, Erin Dallas Humber was unmasked as the narrator of the Terrorgram videos.[15] On December 8, 2023, two Ontario men were charged with making propaganda for Terrorgram and for terrorism offenses.[16]

See also

References

Notes

    Citations

    1. 1 2 3 "TERRORGRAM: from Buffalo to Bratislava". Italian Team for Security, Terroristic Issues & Managing Emergencies. 23 November 2022.
    2. 1 2 "Analysing Terrorgram Publications: A New Digital Zine". Global Network on Extremism and Technology. 23 November 2022.
    3. ↑ "Telegram Is Leaving a Terrorist Bomb-Making Channel Online". Vice News. 23 November 2022.
    4. ↑ "Telegram blocks 'dozens' of hardcore hate channels". TechCrunch. 23 November 2022.
    5. ↑ "THE TERRORGRAM NETWORK: A SPIRAL TOWARDS BLOODSHED". Hope Not Hate. 23 November 2022.
    6. ↑ "How Telegram became a safe haven for pro-terror Nazis". Wired. 23 November 2022.
    7. 1 2 "Flash Alert: High Risk of Violence With the Publication of "The Hard Reset: A Terrorgram Publication". The Counterterrorism Group, Inc. 7 July 2022. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
    8. ↑ "Militant Accelerationist Coalitions" (PDF). Tech Against Terrorism. 23 November 2022.
    9. ↑ "BRATISLAVA TERRORIST RADICALIZED ON TERRORGRAM, ITS MEMBERS TAKE CREDIT". Vsquare. 23 November 2022.
    10. ↑ "How an Encrypted Messaging Platform is Changing Extremist Movements". Southern Poverty Law Centre. 23 November 2022.
    11. ↑ "Mayhem, Murder, and Misdirection: Violent Extremist Attack Plots Against Critical Infrastructure in the United States, 2016-2022" (PDF). Program on Extremism - THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY. 23 November 2022.
    12. ↑ "EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2022" (PDF). Europol. 23 November 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2022.
    13. ↑ Carless, Will (5 July 2022). "The extremist watchers: How a network of researchers is searching for the next hate-fueled attack". Phys.org. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
    14. ↑ "Extremist Content Online: Bratislava Attacker's Manifesto Removed From The Internet Archive". Counter Extremism Project. 23 November 2022.
    15. ↑ "Exposed: Dallas Humber, Narrator Of Neo-Nazi 'Terrorgram,' Promoter Of Mass Shootings". Huffington Post. 3 May 2023.
    16. ↑ "Two Ontario men arrested on Terrorism charges". Yahoo. 8 December 2023.
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