Another Mass Shooting: Can We Talk About Far-Right Extremism Now?

CONTENT WARNING: This article contains graphic content related to the Minneapolis shooter. Due to its content, this article is exclusive to Substack

Screenshot of the shooter’s gun with an anti-Jewish slogan

After the recent shooting at the Annunciation School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that left two children dead and many more injured, the conversation across cable news has been focused on how we can’t predict these before they happen. The shooter’s manifesto and social media posts reek of the discourse on social media. If they were outwardly expressing themselves in this manner, anyone around them should have addressed the problem with them.

But as violent as this country tends to be, and with our current leadership expressing blatant Latinophobia, anti-Blackness, and outright bigotry, we can expect more shootings like this, just as we witnessed during Trump’s first administration. The explosion of hate has gone relatively unnoticed as lawmakers and news media personalities have been focused on campus protests and cynically equating them with anti-Jewish hate, while actual racists and bigots have free rein.

A monthly analysis from the International Observatory for Terrorism Studies, or the “Observatorio Internacional De Estudios Sobre Terrorismo” (OIET), in July listed the United States as one of the worst countries for domestic terrorism and right-wing violence. Of the 18 right-wing terrorism related incidents in June, the highest total this year thus far, 8 occurred in the U.S. The rest were in Europe, with one exception listed as “international.”

The international case is related to “764,” a group founded in Texas, which has grown quickly across much of Europe. I previously covered the group here and here.

According to the OIET, the uptick signals “an alarming intensification of activity, reversing the slight downward trend observed in May.” It’s an issue that garners little attention from the legacy media ecosystem and among lawmakers in Congress and across every state who are more intently focused on anti-genocide protesters instead of the biggest perpetrators of hate crimes from coast to coast: neo-Nazis and white nationalists.

Despite the attack on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, in the midst of an escalation in violent attacks, which include two neo-Nazis being arrested with a cache of weapons, the neo-Nazi group “The Base” making a comeback, and a Black man being assaulted by white supremacists in an Indiana bar, the lack of coverage has not gone unnoticed. Now, with another school shooting at the hands of a far-right maniac, one has to wonder if the coverage will now focus less on cynicism and more on the predominantly white problem this country faces.

While the far-right tries to claim the shooter is “a Democrat,” as they usually try to do, the reality is much different. The shooter had writing on his weapons that said, “kick a spic” and “fart ni**a” along with the words “6 million wasn’t enough,” referencing World War 2 and how the death of millions of Jews wasn’t enough, a common refrain among neo-Nazis and white nationalists in recent years. His political and social motivations were more than clear.

Screenshots taken of the shooter's weapons with racist slogans

I have obtained two out of several videos from the Minneapolis shooter’s social media accounts that further bolster his ideologies and beliefs. While mainstream media won’t mention his words or show you any of this, society must know what motivates these people to best address the problem. If anyone in someone’s proximity even sounds remotely like these far-right goons, it’s up to everyone in society to address the problem and talk them back to reality.

It may appear that the shooter acted alone, but it’s abundantly clear based on his rhetoric that he was radicalized online. The racial slurs against specific groups, the terminology used, and his actions, while celebrating two other mass shooters, were highlighted by his displaying a message that said, "Hail Breivik. Hail Brenton."

Anders Breivik is a neo-Nazi who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011. Brenton Tarrant killed 51 people in shootings at 2 mosques in New Zealand in 2019.

All of this combined makes his ideologies similar to the precise language we see and hear online, and oftentimes, by political leaders. The screenshots of his manifesto and photos of the shooter’s weaponry, which have been shared online after YouTube removed the shooter’s videos, also make his motivations and frustrations relatively clear.

“I just want to escape from this world. Escape from the constant bills, shitty jobs, shitty people, and injustice of America,” reads part of his manifesto left for his parents. “I am done with this. I will not bow. I will be selfish and leave you to pick up the pieces. It’s my fault. Blame me, but move on.”

We can not look away from incidents like this and instead analyze all we can about them and the perpetrators. Otherwise, we may never be able to appropriately address the problem. If anyone around you remotely talks like these far-right goons do, it behooves everyone in society to address it. The next mass shooter could be someone you know.

Video Clips

Below are two video clips I obtained before YouTube took them down. In the videos, he repeats much of what was in the manifesto, while also describing his plans to shoot children.

CONTENT MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWERS

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I’m an independent investigative journalist who enjoys digging deeper into the stories you see on the news. Find my work at Unicorn Riot, The Antagonist Magazine, Latino Rebels, and more. I’m also on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, and Threads. To support my work, become a paid subscriber or donate via Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App.