The dozens of Americans arrested and charged so far for offenses related to the Capitol riot are mostly unaffiliated with existing racist or anti-government extremist groups, a new study has found.
“most were simply violent Trump supporters who have repeatedly told investigators that they came to D.C. at Trump’s request.”
How Randall Flagg-ish of Trump.
Flat Earthers with rocks for brains.
“Chicago researchers found that a full 89% were unaffiliated with existing right-wing extremist groups.”
I thought they were Republicans.
Their being unaffiliated suggests that they could be more dangerous and lethal because they cannot be identified with a known group, i.e. their motivations for future violence is hard, if not impossible, to trace.
Beat me to it!
So the GOP is clearly a radical organization, now.
FIFY!
Well, let’s face it. What self-respecting extremist group is going to want to affiliate themselves with these pants?
… and because they’re prone to being co-opted by any group.
Let’s be clear here. These folks were NOT unaffiliated. They may not be members of the Oath Keepers or Proud Boys or go-to-meeting NAZI’s. But they were clearly affiliated with a group. They didn’t show up at random. They were collectively listening to folks they identified with and felt connect to. They were invited to attend and the behaviors they exhibited were behaviors they were encouraged to exhibit. This was an orchestrated insurrection of folks with a common goal.
They were all affiliated.
I’d like to know how many were QAnon followers.
Was it 50%? Or less?
That is a very important point and I agree with it.
My view is key parties understood the dynamics of these people and exploited them, pushing them into the behavior we saw. Most are very marginal personalities, easily manipulated. I never underestimate the cold blooded nature of the leaders of all of this to abuse people like that.
unaffilited folks who got on the 70 rented buses
This shows what the sociologists call “the strength of weak ties” for linking and motivating people across a social network in the absence of other linkages.
https://towardsdatascience.com/the-power-of-weak-ties-f1049c93f3a3
Reminds me of my brother in law who always wore Zubaz. The patterns were atrocious.
Hmm. Having grown up in the era of Jams, I must claim ignorance of Zubaz. Now I have to look…
ETA: Okay, I looked. I’m gonna need a minute to retreat to my safe place.
Thank you! They may not be paying dues to these organizations or may not be card carrying members but they seek out and watch/listen to the same materiel and “news” sources. That at least connects them to these groups.
If it is centered around T***p, then it will take care of itself to a certain extent - he’s disappearing.
Unaffiliated, or as Fox calls them the 6-10pm prime-time audience.