There is a fascist movement growing in the dark corners of the Internet. Often hiding behind the label ‘troll’, right-wing reactionaries are finding solidarity and community in anonymous comment sections across the web. Some manifestations of this movement, such as GamerGate, have gained enough traction to be visible in the public eye, but really these pockets of hate that we see are just the tip of a burgeoning political movement that must be stopped. The left has failed to deal with this crisis. Their ideological view that fascist organizing is a sacred/protected right, and their faith in the state institutions and social stratification will protect us. A radical challenge to the online hate movement must be made if we are to prevent the rise of a fascist political bloc going mainstream.

Fascists (I mean this literally) have found a welcoming place on the Internet. The culture in the west has swayed quite against right-wing reactionaries in recent years, and pretty much everyone operates under the pretense that saying bigoted things is not okay to do in polite company let alone in public spaces. This cultural phenomena has gone a long way in making it very hard for reactionary groups to organize. Individuals who do proclaim bigoted beliefs are usually socially ostracized to the point that their political aspirations are laughable. Today, these remote beacons of hate are finding each other on the Internet.

Silicon Valley, ruled by white-cis-het-male-liberal tech elites, fetishizes the ideals of western ideology. The tech community believes that all people are created equally, and an individuals success is easily measured by the merit of their work. Worshiping at the alter of this meritocracy, Silicon Valley companies have erected shrines to this belief in the form of meeting rooms that are replicas of the oval office complete with rugs that say “In the Meritocracy We Trust”. This vision is obviously completely blind to the economic and social oppression that many groups face that greatly alters ones ability to create merit in the first place. This ideology of tech views the privileged white-cis-het-male who has the free time and disposable income to work on fun side projects as an inherently more valuable member of society than a member of a marginalized group who never saw the same opportunities.

This Silicon Valley ideology, has given reactionaries back a power that our society had been stomping out for the past decade. These ‘trolls’ now have platforms where they can organize and speak publicly without fear of being ostracized. All of the social mechanisms that anti-fascists have built have suddenly been undermined by these companies creating a way for individuals to have ‘free speech’ without taking any responsibility for their actions. Reactionaries are handed platforms to organize harassment campaigns, release personal info about vulnerable individuals (aka doxxing), push consumer boycotts against companies that dare stand against fascism, organize a political base around an ideology of hate, and exploit state power in a way that endanger their targets.

One such exploit is know as SWATing, and entails a fake call to police local to the individual targeted. A hostage situation is reported at the home of the target. The intent of this action is to have a SWAT team violently enter the persons residence possibly killing the the person targeted in the process. This expression of “free speech” isthe digital equivalent of yelling “FIRE” in a crowded theater while your friends bolt the doors shut and set off smoke bombs.

The response from the left has been extremely disappointing. Instead of making a call to arms to fight the rising wave of fascism, liberals have condemned specific actions while retreating to an ideologically moral high ground that defends the fascists. The party line is that doxxing is bad, and “we don’t want to stoop to their level”. However, the very nature of holding people to account involves identifying them and calling them out. We can see reactionaries using the tactic of doxxing as way to hold the left accountable to their fascist ideology. The problem here is the fascist ideology and not the chosen tactic. If one doxxes a Nazi war criminal hiding out in Latin America we can see that that action is justifiable in a framework of fighting for liberation, but if a member of a marginalized group is doxxed by a literal neo-nazi group the action is not justifiable as the framework to hold the person accountable is a framework of oppression. The liberal left’s reaction to the right stepping up their game has been to take away the community power to unmask villains, and hold them to account. The fascist ideology underpinning the hate groups motives is not only left alone, but praised as evidence of a free society.

The other way that the left has utterly failed in dealing with this menace is the reliance on the state for protection. I can’t critique any individual who has been targeted by a hate mob and was left with no other option but to involve police. Our communities don’t have the resources currently to handle situations like this. I can however critique the view that the left in general has been pushing a reliance on police as preferable to any possible alternative. Current efforts by the liberals are to redefine the scope of state granted rights like free speech, and empower state authorities to deal with those that are outside of this scope. The faith in the state to take care of the issue is problematic for many reasons, but a core issue is that only the symptoms of the problem are being addressed. We are slapping bandages on every person on the Internet hoping it will force the right-wing reactionaries to change tactics, but at the same time we also hinder the ability of everyone else to use the Internet. Even if these changes stopped the current tactics being used by these groups the problem of fascists gaining traction on the Internet is left unaddressed.

GamerGate was only the first very visual appearance of this sleeping giant. Fascist groups such as Stormfront and reactionary rags like BreitBart have found a willing audience to whip into a frenzy, and a ripe recruiting ground for the next generation of shit-heads. With major political battles on the horizon we must be mindful that big money interests could see this group as a younger Tea Party and significant voting bloc. With the infusion of some cash, these ‘trolls’ could be turned into a fascist political power over night. It is the responsibility of every anti-fascist to take action. Unmask those that hide behind digital curtains and organize hate. Send the message that there is no safe space for fascists, even on the Internet.