Ana AguileraDrone Use by Violent Extremist Organisations in Africa: The Case of Al-Shabaab
Introduction The widespread adoption of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, commonly referred to as drones, has had a significant impact…
Bàrbara MolasFalling Through the Cracks: Gender Bias in Online Counter-Terrorism and Prevention
Introduction In Orientalism (1978), the book that shaped post-colonial studies, Edward Said tried to understand how and why colonised countries…
Zelly MartinHow Gen Z is Changing Anti-Abortion Extremism Through ‘Queering’
I follow lots of feminist pages. I’m in lots of feminist and leftist groups. I’m in different agnostic and atheist…
Logan MacnairUnderstanding Fashwave: The Alt-Right’s Ever-Evolving Media Strategy
Introduction While far-right extremists have a history of attempting to co-opt musical genres and spaces (including punk rock and heavy…
Diana WallensMoms for Liberty: The Use of Facebook to Spread Far-Right Propaganda and Change Public School Curriculum
Who Are Moms for Liberty? Over the past two years, numerous American headlines have referenced a new, so-called ‘parental rights’…
Scott N RomaniukTerrorist Platform Migration: The Move to Smaller, Less Regulated Online Spaces
Introduction and Background The internet provides terrorists and violent extremist organisations (VEOs) with novel and useful means of achieving their…
Devika Shanker-GrandpierreUnderstanding Love Jihad: Historical Context, Impact, and Strategies of Dissemination
Introduction The Love Jihad conspiracy theory, primarily propagated in India, alleges that Muslim men aim to convert Hindu women through…
Manfredi PozzoliBreak the Chain: Manifestos, Lone Wolf Terrorism, and the Nashville Shooting
Introduction In March 2023, six people were killed in a shooting at a Nashville elementary school. Three of the victims…
Kye Allen‘Arktos 2.0’: Deplatforming and Digital Innovation in Far-Right Publishing
Introduction Founded in 2009, Artkos has since emerged as one of the leading English-language publishers of Eurasian, identitarian, and New…
Katarina RistićRemove Kebab: The Transnational Circulation of Far-Right Memes and The Memory of the Yugoslav Wars
Introduction The 2019 terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand revealed the importance of the transnational circulation of memes for online…
Danny MorrisDoes Artificial Intelligence Dream of Antisemitism?
Content warning: this Insight contains antisemitic language and imagery Introduction It’s probably been the topic of conversation at a dinner…
Abbie RichardsHow ‘Gnome Hunting’ Became TikTok’s Latest Antisemitic Dog Whistle
Introduction In April 2023, a concerning trend emerged on TikTok called ‘gnome hunting’. While at face value, the trend depicted…
Daniel Siegel‘RedPilled AI’: A New Weapon for Online Radicalisation on 4chan
Introduction Recently, the world of artificial intelligence large language models (LLMs) has witnessed a surge in competition between major tech…
Lucas WebberFursan al-Tarjuma Carries the Torch of Islamic State’s Media Jihad
Introduction In 2014, Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the establishment of the caliphate and himself as caliph.…
Sam AndrewsFirst-Person Propaganda, First-Person Shooters, and Gamification: A Different View
Introduction In the 1990s, debates raged about whether first-person shooter (FPS) games could cause violence. Following the 1999 Columbine shooting,…
Petra RegeniAccelerationism Meets Gamification: A Look at the Convergence in the Framing of Online Narratives
Petra Regeni is a member of the Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN). EGRN brings together world-leading counter-extremism organisations to develop insights…
Dr. Gerard GillOnline Incitement and Small-Scale Terrorism: Violent Rhetoric from the Freedom Movement on Facebook
Introduction Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director-General Mike Burgess recently warned that the next terrorist attack in Australia is likely…
Mona ThakkarThe State of Play: Islamic State Khorasan Province’s Anti-India Propaganda Efforts
Introduction The Islamic State in Khorasan province (ISKP), operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has emerged as Islamic State’s (IS) most…
Robin O'LuanaighCo-opting Cottagecore: Pastoral Aesthetics in Reactionary and Extremist Movements
A young woman wearing a modest gingham dress sits in an apple orchard reading a book. A woven basket is…
Ninian FrenguelliMy Wish to be a #Tradwife: An Introduction to #tradwife Memes on Whisper
Introduction Research into online extremist behaviour is centred around Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, 4chan, Telegram, and Gab. Studies focusing on platforms…
Daniël JurgInside the Cult of Stefan Molyneux: A Historical Exploration of Far-Right Radicalisation on YouTube
Introduction On June 29, 2020, YouTube removed 25,000 channels, including several prominent white supremacist figures such as David Duke, Richard…
Meili CriezisThe Allen, Texas Mass Shooting: An Examination of Misogyny, Anti-Asian Racism, and Internalised Racism
Introduction Following the mass shooting in Allen, Texas on 6 May, rumours quickly began circulating about the shooter’s background and…
Ye Bin WonAnalysing Harmful and Supremacist Narratives on Gab Homeschooling Groups
Introduction In January 2023, VICE news reported on a Telegram channel dedicated to sharing white supremacist homeschooling curricula with other…
Eliza MarksThe Revitalisation of Christian Identity Content on YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok
Introduction The last five years have witnessed the revitalisation of the Christian Identity (CI) movement in the modern extremist landscape.…
Jakob GuhlChristgram: White Christian Extremism on Telegram
This Insight focuses on white Christian extremist communities on Telegram, which have been growing in the context of a renewed…
Jon DeedmanThe Internet Consortium for Online Safety: How Collaborative Tech, Not Legislation, Could Prevent Harmful Content Proliferation
Introduction Countering violent extremism (CVE) in a digital context sees practitioners grappling with the enterprise of removing terrorist and violent…
Linda SchlegelAri’s Mission: Educating Young Audiences on Conspiracy Theories Through Fictional Narratives
Introduction Narrative campaigns against extremism and conspiracy theories are popular and widely used tools to prevent and/or counter (violent) extremism…
Jonathan LewisThe Lineage of Violence: Saints Culture and Militant Accelerationist Terrorism
In the aftermath of the March 2019 Christchurch attack in New Zealand, shooter Brenton Tarrant was quickly ‘sainted’ by militant accelerationist…
Meili CriezisWilayat Facebook and Instagram: An Exploration of Pro-IS Activities on Mainstream Platforms
Introduction Previous research has greatly contributed to establishing and building our understanding of IS spaces on Telegram, Twitter, Facebook, and…
Miron LakomyThe Return of the Virtual ‘Caliphate’? Mapping the Evolution of the Islamic State’s Information Ecosystem
Introduction The Islamic State’s (IS) shock and awe campaign launched at the turn of 2014 proved to be one of…
Archie MacfarlaneTehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP): Operating with Impunity Online
This entry is part of a series of monthly blogs dedicated to TCAP expansion, explaining the reasons for the inclusion…
Dr. Chamila LiyanageExtremist NFTs: How Does Blockchain Immortalise Extremism?
Introduction Blockchain allows users to preserve unique art, games, and photographs. One of the famous examples is the art collection…
Manfredi PozzoliViolent Assemblages: Rethinking Screens, Media, and Lone Wolf Terrorism
Introduction Terrorist acts often confront the public with gruesome images and unthinkable suffering. Understanding the motivations of terrorist attacks is…
Kit Rickard25 Years After the Good Friday Agreement: Persistent Violence and the Role of Digital Platforms in Northern Ireland Today
Introduction 10 April marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement, the peace deal that brought…
- Dr. Matteo Vergani
From Blaming China to Attacking Domestic Elites: The Evolution of Hate Speech in a Telegram Channel during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Introduction Prior research has found that the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a wave of online hate speech against targets such as…
Joshua MolloyTerrorwave: The Aesthetics of Violence and Terrorist Imagery in Militant Accelerationist Subcultures
Joshua Farrell Molloy is a research fellow of the Accelerationism Research Consortium (ARC). ARC is dedicated to a collaborative, empirical…
Click here to read our latest report “Transmisogyny, Colonialism and Online Anti‐Trans Activism Following Violent Extremist Attacks in the US and EU”