Morning Briefing: Proud Boys Target LGBTIQ Events in Maryland and Oregon
Morning Briefing: Proud Boys Target LGBTIQ Events in Maryland and Oregon
Members of the Proud Boys, the far right street gang, targeted LGBTIQ events in Silver Spring, Maryland and Portland, Oregon, part of the ongoing targeting of the LGBTIQ community by the far right.
Morning Briefing: Brick Road Coffee, coffee shop which hosts LGBTIQ events in Tempe, Arizona, “temporarily shut down a drag storytelling event” over the weekend “due to a reported bomb threat.”
Members of the Proud Boys targeted an LGBTIQ events in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the group reportedly “arrived and tried to scare families and children away from attending the Drag Story Hour at Loyalty Books,” and some of the supporters of the event were allegedly “kicked and had their feet stomped by the Proud Boys members.”
Protesters reportedly “shouted through bullhorns and a counter-protester hurled tomatoes,” during an altercation in Congress Square in Portland, Oregon, which was sparked by Richard Ward, former candidate for School Board, who has previously flown a banner with the White Supremacist slogan, “It’s OK to be White.”
White supremacists propaganda was distributed in neighborhoods in Nashville, Tennessee, and the flyers reportedly “make antisemitic claims about Disney, gun control, mass immigration, the media and the slave trade.”
The New Mexico Supreme Court rejected the final appeal by Couy Griffin, the founder of Cowboys for Trump and former County Commissioner, who was “was removed and barred from elected office for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot.”
Must Reads
Katherine Stewart writes that “as Trump made clear throughout his troubled presidency and his failed coup attempt, authoritarianism may come to America on three wheels: a style of politics that emphasizes grievance and performative cruelty, the support of a critical number of self-interested and hyperwealthy individuals, and an alliance with the Christian nationalist movement. DeSantis’s commitment to the raging style of Trumpist politics—his mastery of the first wheel—hardly needs comment at this point. The manipulation of migrants at taxpayer expense, the public shaming of alleged perpetrators of ‘voter fraud,’ and the slanderous attacks on LGBT Americans aren’t cruel ways to achieve policy objectives. The cruelty is the point.” [The New Republic]
Candice Bernd writes that “LGBTQ organizers and drag performers in Texas and across the U.S. are quickly adapting to this new reality, upping their operational security and forming new coalitions with armed community defense groups. Princeton Texas Diverse President John Kusterbeck, who organized the drag bingo event at the community center last month, told Truthout he and other Princeton Diverse organizers vetted every name who bought a ticket to their event. He turned away two far right influencers affiliated with BlazeTV and the ‘KGB Show’ who attempted to gain entry.” [TruthOut]
Peter Guest writes that “the 15-minute city conspiracy theory has become entrenched in the UK’s political fringe, referenced in interviews on GB News, a free-to-air TV channel that has periodically promoted conspiracy theories. On February 9, Nick Fletcher, a member of parliament in the ruling Conservative Party, referenced the conspiracy while asking a question about 15-minute cities in the House of Commons, calling it an ‘international socialist concept’ that would ‘take away our personal freedom.’ Fletcher’s question was met with laughter in the Commons. The conspiracy is entirely baseless.” [Wired]
This Week in Extremism: White Supremacist Movement & White Power Music
Discussion with Kim Kelly, freelance journalists and author of Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor, about the intersection of the White Supremacist movement and music. Join the discussion in Twitter Spaces on Friday, February 24th at 12:00pm EST (11:00am CST / 9:00am PST).
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links offers a weekly round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Narratives of the Right delivers weekly analysis of the current narratives in far right online spaces and promoted by right-wing media; and Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right.
