CTEC in the News: October 30, 2020

Boogaloo Movement

First: CTEC Director and Middlebury Institute professor Jason Blazakis was interviewed on KION News Channel 5 46 after suspected member of the Boogaloo movement Ivan Hunter was arrested and charged with rioting last week. He described the methodology used by individuals who identify with this movement, and noted that government lockdowns due to COVID had provided them momentum. He stated that to mitigate the threat from this extremist group, law enforcement will need to take extra steps to keep tabs on affiliated individuals.

National Recognition

Second: The Middlebury Institute published a piece on their website highlighting the increased attention CTEC has received in recent months for our research into white supremacist movements. The piece highlighted our projects with notable clients studying far-right extremism messaging online, and listed several examples of our experts’ media appearances in the last two months.

QAnon

Finally, Alex Newhouse was featured in an article by Coda Story analyzing the factors that play into the large number of QAnon supporters from military backgrounds. He commented on the historical targeting of veterans by extremist and conspiratorial  movements for radicalization, noting the social alienation that many veterans face after returning to civilian life as a major factor. He concluded by emphasizing the need for engagement between veterans and their peers.

That’s all for now, folks! Stay tuned for next week’s edition.