A glance at claimed illegal actions on US anarchist blogs
from isdglobal.org by Jared Holt
19 July 2024
ISD analyzed six notable radical anarchist[1]movement blogs in hopes of offering an evidence-based review of the broader scene they represent, where sober analysis is often lacking. A review of posts published between January 1 and June 1, 2024, included a grab-bag of anonymously–claimed illegal activities against property including arson, vandalism and property destruction. None claimed direct violence against individuals. Researchers also found that the six analyzed blogs heavily focused their messaging on issues surrounding law enforcement, environmental destruction, the Israel-Hamas War, and corporate interests in those issues.
Introduction
A review of blog posts on six selected anarchist movement blogs found that of the 59 unique self-reported instances of illegal activity in a five-month window, nearly all were disruptive and destructive but did not pose immediate dangers of violence or harm to the public. Fifty-one of those instances involved permanent damage of property or acts of vandalism, such as graffiti. Nine unique claims of arson were self-reported on the blogs.
The six websites analyzed were a curated sample representing a broader digital landscape of ideologically aligned blogs serving as de facto bulletin boards for otherwise regionalized US anarchist and antifascist scenes. These blogs solicit and publish anonymous submissions from sympathetic authors, which are often sent over email or via encrypted messaging services. It is unclear what, if any, vetting occurs from blog operators.
The six sources for this study were chosen because they regularly published during the research window, uploaded original content, and shared anonymous reports of criminal activity taken in furtherance of ideological goals. At least three additional blogs were considered and were rejected for this report because researchers found most of their contents was reposted from sources already included in this study. Others were considered but not counted due to infrequent posting. However, all blogs in this report shared at least some duplicative posts from other blogs — and only sometimes were those posts attributed to their original source.
ISD researchers manually counted and coded all posts from the five-month research period, including duplicative posts. Totals presented in this report do not represent unique pieces of content. For example, a post claiming illegal activity shared across two blogs would appear in the total counts as two posts. For this reason, the findings presented in this report show numbers larger than the numbers of individual instances would provide.
The exception to this caveat relates to ISD’s count of unique claims of unlawful activity shared on the blogs assessed. In eight cases, claims of unlawful activities were reposted from their original source to another blog in this study. Researchers identified and removed these duplicative posts from their counts to create a more accurate count of unique instances reflected in the blog posts.
An analysis of claimed illegal actions
Sixty-seven of the 212 posts analyzed from the six blogs included explicit claims of criminal activity taken to further the anarchist movement’s broader ideological goals, representing 59 unique alleged events. These actions largely comprised of attacks on property, such as setting vehicles on fire, vandalizing buildings and damaging property, and were primarily motivated by animus toward police, Israel, corporations, and entities that attackers believed contributed to environmental destruction.
Analysts observed no clear flashpoints or spikes in claimed criminal actions in the five-month observation window, with a steady increase in the total number of posts and those containing claims of criminal activities over the analysis period. The count of total posts included duplicative posts and were restricted to posts where clear claims of responsibility were made.
The 59 self-reported instances of illegal activity overwhelmingly targeted material property, which was reportedly damaged and vandalized, with just a few exceptions. One post contained claims of an attack on web infrastructure, in which the authors stated they compromised the website of a private company. Another claimed responsibility for tree-spiking – the hammering of a metal rod or nail into a tree – which is meant to damage logging equipment and can seriously harm or kill logging industry workers who cut into a tree that is spiked (the reported tree-spiking incident was coded as an attack against “people” for its known lethal risk[2]) A third post claimed responsibility for disrupting a police recruiting event using unlawful methods. No posts claimed direct violent attacks against people.
Analysts observed copies of literature and collections of commentary about tactics for creating disruptions in furtherance of ideological goals, as well as debates over the efficacy of tactics including energy infrastructure sabotage, collective organizing, and traditional protests. One post shared advice for constructing homemade incendiary devices; several suggested methods of sabotaging critical infrastructure like railways and powerlines. Some posts encouraged others to engage in illegal activities or to emulate self-reported illegal activities that appeared on the blogs.
All Content
Apart from reports of illegal activities, the anarchist blogs also existed as repositories for information-sharing, community discourse, and event advertisement. Though posts that staked claims to illegal actions made up the plurality of total posts on the blogs, assortments of topical posts covered a more diverse set of subjects and advocated for broader issue sets.
Topics of blog posts included discussions of tactics, copies of literature and propaganda materials, advertisements for events, and general commentary on the state of anarchist movements. Some posts recounted historical and international organization efforts as potential sources of inspiration for current activists.
Researchers found that nearly half of the counted posts attempted to compel readers into some kind of action — such as joining a protest, donating to prisoner support efforts, or repeating and engaging in illegal activities — but most calls to action were non-specific. Of the calls that were specific, many were for events and protests.
In a handful of instances, analysts observed posts that included “doxxing” — the publication of individuals’ information with the intention to cause harm to them in some way — typically via loss of employment or general intimidation. Those targeted by doxxing posts included law enforcement members, individuals identified as far-right extremists, and business figures. In no cases did analysts observe doxxing posts which also encouraged physical harm to the people mentioned.
Of posts that discussed issues and incidents specific to a state, more than half concerned Illinois, Georgia and Oregon. Similarly, those states also saw the highest volumes of self-reported illegal activities. The regional tailoring of the six observed blogs is evident in the mentions of state-specific incidents and issues. Thirteen posts concerned incidents and events occurring internationally. Issues discussed in 55 posts were not location specific.
Conclusion
Political discourse and media coverage of radical anarchist movements is often rife with speculation, false equivalence and hyperbole. The findings of this Dispatch intend to better inform these discussions by illustrating what members of these radical fringes claim about their own actions and the nature of discourse when they share information among themselves.
ISD’s findings concluded that the radical movement blogs observed do not pedal supremacist or violent ideologies but do encourage radical political actions in furtherance of their more abstract causes. Submissions to these blogs most frequently took claim to disruptive or destructive illegal activities but did not make explicit claims of harming individuals or encourage such actions. While still concerning and unlawful, they stand in stark contrast to right-wing extremist movements’ bloody track records.
Simona Neupauerova contributed research to this Dispatch.
End notes
[1] ISD uses “radical anarchist” to refer to political movements that advocate largely left-wing causes with radical methods apart from electoralism and traditional political activism. These movements often seek to weaken or destabilize the powers of Western governments in the name of anti-capitalism and anti-imperialism. ISD does not classify radical anarchists as extremists, since it is rare they conduct actions motivated by supremacist ideologies..
[2] Instances of arson were not coded as attacks against people since the criminal activity is often conducted with the goal of sabotaging property beyond repair. ISD does note, however, that larger acts of arson can pose lethal risks to others, even if unintentional.