Notorious White Supremacist Books Remain While Lesser-Known Works Quietly Removed

(New York, N.Y.) – The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports weekly on the methods used by extremists to exploit the Internet and social media platforms to recruit followers and incite violence. This week, CEP finds that Amazon continues to sell notorious neo-Nazi books, including The Turner Diaries, despite a company policy statement that it would halt the sales of several neo-Nazi and white supremacist books. Additionally, white supremacist accelerationist Telegram channels continue to encourage violence in Virginia in response to legislature’s proposed assault weapon ban. Also, CEP researchers located a website and social media accounts for a new extreme right group, Revolt Through Tradition (RTT). A pro-ISIS account urged ISIS supporters to end their use of the application TamTam and instead utilize alternate options such as Telegram, Riot and RocketChat. Also, the neo-Nazi group, Feuerkrieg Division (FKD), announced on their Telegram channel that the group was disbanding. Finally, CEP researchers found a pro-ISIS blog on the Blogspot platform.

Amazon Continues Selling Notorious Neo-Nazi Books

Amazon continues to sell the notorious neo-Nazi book The Turner Diaries. A February 9 New York Times article about the multi-billion dollar company “quietly canceling its Nazis” stated that Amazon was halting sales of several neo-Nazi and white supremacist books, however there are numerous examples on Amazon of egregious works that encourage violence.

The Turner Diaries describes a white supremacist revolution in the U.S. and eventual genocide. The book has helped inspire several terrorists and extremists, including Timothy McVeigh, who perpetrated the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and Anders Breivik, who murdered 77 people in two terror attacks in Norway on July 22, 2011.

“Amazon recently stated its commitment to end the sales of a select few neo-Nazi and white supremacist books on its platform, but they continue to allow books like The Turner Diaries to be sold in multiple languages despite its notorious reputation for helping to inspire extremists in North America and Europe to commit acts of violence,” said CEP Researcher Joshua Fisher-Birch. “CEP has noted for months that physical copies of the book have been sold by third party sellers, and this week we located copies of the book sold directly via Amazon and available with shipping through Amazon Prime. If Amazon is truly committed to halting sales of violent racist, anti-Semitic, and neo-Nazi content, The Turner Diaries is a great place to start.”

On February 13, The Turner Diaries was widely available on Amazon, including copies in English, Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese. The Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese versions of the book were available with free shipping via Amazon Prime directly from the company. English and French versions of the sequel were also available on Amazon. The book is banned in Germany and Austria. In July 2019, YouTube removed audio copies of the book from its platform.

Pro-ISIS Account Urges Group’s Supporters to Stop Using TamTam

On Thursday, February 13, a pro-ISIS account that uses multiple communication platforms urged the group’s supporters to stop using the TamTam application. The account claimed that TamTam collects user information and shares it with governments. The user urged ISIS supporters to use Telegram, Riot, and RocketChat instead. TamTam was one of the communication platforms that ISIS supporters began using with greater frequency after the joint Telegram-Europol anti-ISIS operation in late November 2019 that removed thousands of channels, chats, accounts, and bots that supported or were affiliated with the terror group.

Pro-ISIS Blog Located

On Thursday, February 13, CEP researchers located a pro-ISIS blog on the Blogspot platform. The site is identical to a website located on the .ga domain in November 2019. The blog includes ISIS Amaq news content, essays, audio files, propaganda photos, and videos, including those showing executions. Several other versions of the website have previously been removed from the internet, including another site on the .ga domain.

White Supremacist Accelerationist Telegram Channels Continue to Encourage Violence in Virginia in Response to Assault Weapon Ban

On Tuesday, February 11, white supremacist accelerationist Telegram channels encouraged violence in response to the Virginia House passing an assault weapons ban. Approximately five channels, representing some of the most radical sectors of white supremacist Telegram urged a violent response in two messages viewed 1,100+ times and 730+ times, respectively.

The bill would have banned certain semi-automatic firearms and made it a crime to possess or transfer magazines that hold over 12 rounds. Firearms purchased before the ban would be grandfathered in. While the bill was passed by the Virginia House, a committee in the state’s Senate refused to allow the bill to proceed.

Similar Telegram channels previously endorsed violence in January 2020 in response to potential gun control legislation. Three alleged members of the neo-Nazi group The Base were arrested prior to a January 20, 2020 anti-gun control rally in Richmond, where federal prosecutors allege they were planning to commit shootings in an attempt to start a civil war.

Website and Social Media Accounts for New Extreme Right Group Located

CEP researchers located the website and social media accounts for a new U.S. based extreme right-wing group, Revolt Through Tradition (RTT). The group, which professes to want to create a “culture” for the “New American Right,” claims to be a youth organization focused on physical training, promoting ideas conducive to the long-term creation of a political movement, and making international connections. RTT is ideologically couched in the writing of Julius Evola, who promoted traditionalism, anti-democratic views, and authoritarianism. The group promotes a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle, although neither are asked about in the recruitment form. RTT also advocates physical training, including boxing and martial arts. RTT claims to have begun in New England and has posted photos from members in Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Florida, Colorado, and New York.

The group’s focus on boxing and physical training, fondness for mixed martial arts (MMA), and their stylistic choices are similar to the Rise Above Movement (RAM), a white supremacist street fighting crew from southern California whose members were involved in physical assaults at protests in California and Charlottesville, Virginia. In July 2019, three RAM members were given prison sentences of 27, 33, and 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to attacking counter-protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.

RTT has accounts or pages on Facebook (approximately 100 likes), Instagram (approximately 480 followers), Twitter (approximately 225 followers), YouTube, and Telegram, in addition to a website that uses Dreamhost as its name server. Propaganda videos released by the group show masked members participating in a banner drop over a highway, boxing and practicing other martial arts, and attending an MMA event and putting up stickers in Kyiv, Ukraine. RTT asks for cryptocurrency donations in the Monero currency on their website. It is unclear when the group was formed, however their Twitter account was created in May 2019.

Neo-Nazi Group Feuerkrieg Division Announces Disbandment

On Saturday, February 8, the Feuerkrieg Division (FKD) announced on their Telegram channel that the group was disbanding. FKD is a neo-Nazi group inspired by the book Siege that has encouraged acts of terrorism against Muslims, Jews, the government, and people of color. The message concluded by praising similar neo-Nazi groups. The message about the group disbanding was deleted later in the week, leaving the possibility open that the individual in control of the Telegram account changed his mind, or that ownership of the account changed hands.

On Monday February 10, Conor Climo pleaded guilty in Las Vegas to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm consisting of bomb components. Climo had considered attacking the Anti-Defamation League, a synagogue, or an LGBT bar. Climo had communicated with members of FKD, and the group claimed that they offered to help him build an explosive device. Climo faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison, he will be sentenced in May 2020.