Q&A of the Day – Radical groups stoking violence in George Floyd protests
Each day I’ll feature a listener question that’s been submitted by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
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Today’s entry: Hey Brian can you find any proof to the claims the riots are infiltrated by white supremacists and others who are causing the violence? Keep up the good work!
Bottom Line: The saying“Never let a good crisis go to waste”, was advanced in Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals”. It was the road map for extremists to use major events as opportunities to exact radical change in society. What we have occurring right now is straight out of Alinsky’s book. As a result, numerous groups of varying backgrounds and intent have been active attempting to take advantage of protests nationwide. Regarding the evidence of specific groups, there’s a lot we’ve learned. Here’s a breakout of some of what’s been monitored and observed.
According to the Defense Department, Antifa sent a message via a Telegram channel on Saturday encouraging violence against the deployed National Guard. In the intercepted messaging they said the Guard were easy targets and to steal their “kits (equipment)”. Related,Minnesota’s Governor stated the state’s computer systems were targeted for sophisticated DNS attacks to attempt to disrupt the coordinated response to the riots. Arrest records in Minnesota show just over 20% of arrests have come from people outside of the state, in New York it’s been 14% of arrests. In South Florida, nearly two-thirds of early arrests were outsiders. Clearly there are many outside factions looking to exploit the protests. Related to white supremacists...George Washington University’s Program on Extremism picked up on dozens of private social media groups who are members of the “Boogaloo” movement. They’re anarchist movement desirous of a 2nd civil war. They want armed conflict with law enforcement in an effort to overthrow the system. This organization appears to be the most direct connection to white supremacists activating during the riots.
The Boogaloo movement isn’t based on white supremacy, in fact on the Facebook page Big Igloo Bois, they put out this message in the immediate aftermath of the protests in Minneapolis: This is not a race issue. For far too long we have allowed them to murder us in our homes, and in the streets. We need to stand with the people of Minneapolis. We need to support them in this protest against a system that allows police brutality to go unchecked. I’m looking for fellow Minneapolis residents to join me in forming a private, Constitutionally-authorized militia to protect people from the MPD, which has killed too many people within the last two years. But while this group isn’t rooted in white supremacy, it’s attracted many to ranks. Some members of the white supremacist group Proud Boys, for example, have joined the Boogaloo movement. Elon University documented Proud Boys members active in protests/violence over the weekend. For those who wonder why white supremacists would join a movement rooted in concerns over police treatment of minorities, consider how many minority owned businesses have been looted and destroyed. If you review video and pictures of fires being set – you'll commonly see young white males setting them.
Whether it’s Antifa, Boogaloo, Proud Boys – whoever, we know Saul Alinsky’s tactics are being used. It’s true in Minneapolis, New York, and D.C., but it’s also true right here in South Florida. It's an uncomfortable thought but it’s also reality. Long gone are the days from Saul’s time when groups would meet in private. Due to technology, especially social media, people are radicalized and organized all around the world. In that regard it’s a bigger risk than times previous. When numerous radical factions band together to create chaos and destruction at the same time, it tests the limits of our society. Thank you to those in law enforcement who’ve done incredible work to help minimize the threat here at home. While the catalyst for all of this was a rogue cop, it’s the good cops all around us who are holding our society together and keeping us safe.