MAGAReport for 4/23/2024
Today: Threats and planned action from the Proud Boys, plus summaries of the forums.
Let’s talk about the Proud Boys and some concerning things going on with them.
The forums I typically report on in the MAGAReport are the ones where a lot of J6 participants organized. They are hardcore Trump supporters who believe the election was stolen, and some are QAnon-adherents who believe Trump is going to bring down a liberal cabal. They are certainly not average Republicans but they are the more “normal” of the risky far-right.
But there are a lot more extreme groups who I also monitor. Among these are the public channels of the Proud Boys, who received some of the harshest prison sentences for the violence on J6. And I want to give a glimpse into them today.
The Cape Fear Proud Boys have a Telegram channel where they describe a lot of their activities. Here are some posts from the last day or two. First, is this message explaining that they are going to start showing up and demonstrating at drag shows in Raleigh-Durham.
At the Trump Rally in North Carolina a couple days ago, they deployed some intimidation tactics against the media who was there covering it:
And over the last week, they have engaged in an extremely intimidating doxxing campaign against a retired professor named Karen who runs a progressive Twitter account. . In a tweet, she mentioned that she organized a pro-LGBTQ demonstration that the Proud Boys showed up at, and that there was a bomb threat against the Durham Library that canceled drag story hour. The Proud Boys denied responsibility for the bomb threat and began a week of targeting Karen in their posts. I’ve put a few excerpts below but these are not the only posts they made:
Law enforcement is (obviously) monitoring the Proud Boys, but for average citizens concerned about democracy and the forces operating against it, there is a two-sided concern. On one hand, tactics like the above are extremely intimidating. On the other, not all of the PB chapters are so public about their plans. While their silence means there is less of an observable threat, it does not mean they are not organizing and acting; it just means we can’t see it.
From the .win Forums
This is an automated summary of discussions on pro-Trump forums
Topics being discussed: Political corruption and government cover-ups, including allegations of sexual misconduct and media bias. Potential involvement of the Biden White House and Judge Aileen Cannon in a cover-up, as well as a poll regarding Labour's stance on Brexit and potential rejoining of the EU. Suspicion of corruption or wrongdoing, concern for Taiwan, increase in suicide rates, support for Donald Trump, religious beliefs and prayer, mental and physical health, criticism of President Biden and his supporters, and a call for repentance and salvation.
There do not appear to be any specific threats against individuals or groups. However, there is a general sense of suspicion and criticism towards certain political figures and groups.
There is no mention of any plans for political or violent action.
From Telegram
This is an automated summary of discussions on pro-Trump Telegram channels
1. The main topics being discussed in this social media community include support for President Trump, criticism of Biden and Democrats, conspiracy theories, political division and polarization, and faith and prayer.
2. There are several instances of personal attacks and insults towards political opponents, as well as criticism of specific individuals such as Mike Pence, Bill Gates, and Nikki Haley. There are also mentions of threats against illegal immigrants and concerns about government surveillance and social media.
3. There are calls for action and support for Trump's reelection, as well as discussions about financial scams and investments. There are also mentions of potential plans for Trump to run for president again in 2024. There are no explicit mentions of violent action, but the divisive and polarizing language used in some posts could potentially incite violence.