(New York, N.Y.) — The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports on the methods used by extremists and terrorist groups on the Internet to spread propaganda and incite violence. In this week’s issue:

• ISIS Activity Roundup
• ISIS Al-Naba Editorial Warns of Divine Punishment for Those Not Following Religious Law
• Pro-ISIS Tech Group Recommends Using Proton Lumo AI
• White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis Celebrate Platforming of Extreme Right Ideology at Orlando, Florida Kia Center
• United Youth Clubs Announce Joint New Jersey Rally with Active Clubs
• White Supremacist MMA Network Announces First West Coast Event

ISIS Activity Roundup

Between August 30 and September 5, ISIS claimed credit for 16 attacks. The terrorist group claimed responsibility for seven attacks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, seven attacks in Nigeria, one attack in Iraq, and one in Pakistan.

ISIS Al-Naba Editorial Warns of Divine Punishment for Those Not Following Religious Law

ISIS, via the editorial in al-Naba issue 563, released on September 3, claimed that societies that do not follow religious law will face divine punishment and chaos. The editorial asserted that the legalization of what the authors consider immoral acts, such as same sex relationships and adultery, leads to punishments, including earthquakes and upheaval. The editorial specifically noted that earthquakes are a form of divine retribution against wrongdoers. 

Image from ISIS al-Naba editorial 563, featuring a photo of recent flooding in Nepal. Screenshot taken on September 3.

Pro-ISIS Tech Group Recommends Using Proton Lumo AI

In a September 1 post on RocketChat, a user representing a pro-ISIS tech group recommended using the Proton Lumo AI assistant in response to another user's query. The pro-ISIS tech group account stated that asking an AI chatbot questions was not a substitute for reading and understanding books and articles. Still, it noted that from their perspective, Proton Lumo AI had the best privacy and security features. The account recommended using AI to translate texts and online conversations. Proton claims that all conversations with Lumo AI are confidential and encrypted, and that the company itself does not have access to interactions with the AI chatbot.

White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis Celebrate Platforming of Extreme Right Ideology at Orlando, Florida Kia Center

White supremacists and neo-Nazis celebrated the August 29 kickboxing event held at the Orlando, Florida, Kia Center, which featured white supremacist internet personality Paul Miller, a.k.a. Gypsy Crusader, competing and winning against a Jewish opponent, Ben “King” Azoulay, a manosphere influencer previously convicted of the sexual assault of a minor. Miller’s two cornermen during the fight were MMA fighter and podcaster Jake Shields, who promotes white supremacism, antisemitism, and Holocaust denial, and Christopher Pohlhaus, a.k.a. Hammer, the founder and leader of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe.

Miller has previously been a polarizing figure within the online extreme right due to his Roma and Mexican ancestry, and fears that he shared the personal information of his followers with law enforcement following a 2021 arrest.

In a video blog posted on the Rumble platform after the fight, Pohlhaus marveled at the large platform given to neo-Nazi ideology. Pohlhaus claimed that he was partly responsible for helping Miller’s politics shift from a far-right liberation perspective to National Socialism. Pohlhaus also noted with satisfaction that he was able to give a Nazi salute in a major sports arena to a large crowd during a livestreamed event, after previously having been kicked off of mainstream social media services.

Users of Telegram and other platforms were mostly supportive. Telegram channels connected to a Polish Active Club, a neo-Nazi channel that promotes the Active Club movement, and users of a white supremacist chat that shares songs glorifying acts of terrorism expressed support for Miller. The administrator of a channel and chat that promotes neo-Nazi accelerationism remarked that he was not “a super fan” of Miller, “but a win is a win,” and that seeing Nazi symbols on a main stage was “pretty cool.” Users of a Telegram chat connected to a neo-Nazi channel that shares information on 3D-printed firearms posted footage of the fight. Others were less supportive, including several channels that pointed out that the fight was entertainment and not a true ideological event, and two channels and additional forum posts stating that Miller was not white and was cosplaying as a neo-Nazi. Users of a neo-fascist accelerationist forum expressed disapproval of Miller, calling his ethnicity and ideological commitment into question, but noted their satisfaction that he defeated a Jewish opponent and that neo-Nazism was getting mainstream attention.

United Youth Clubs Announce Joint New Jersey Rally with Active Clubs

On August 30, the main United Youth Club (UYC) Telegram account announced that members of the under-18 white supremacist youth club for the states of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania had “organized and led” a demonstration in Princeton, New Jersey. The post noted that the march included members of adult Active Clubs from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as members of Northeast Action, a neo-Nazi group with members from nine states in the Atlantic region and New England. The post also claimed that the approximately 12-member demonstration was the first white supremacist demonstration of its size “led by teenagers.”

A video of the demonstration, posted on the UYC Telegram channel, contained a speech copied from a notorious propaganda video from the British neo-Nazi group National Action, and adapted for an American audience, which contained white supremacist and antisemitic rhetoric. The video had over 16,000 views on Telegram four days after it was posted. Over 130 channels shared the video, including several main Active Club channels. The video also received over 2,200 views on X four days after the main UYC account posted it, which the platform has verified with a blue check. The video also had over 5,000 views four days after the New Jersey Active Club chapter posted it. 

Local police monitored the unpermitted event on August 29.

United Youth Club (UYC) video on X, posted by the group’s verified account. Screenshot taken on September 3.

White Supremacist MMA Network Announces First West Coast Event

On August 25, the white supremacist mixed martial arts (MMA) network “Forest Fights” announced that it had held its first West Coast event. In total, the video showed approximately 22 fighters, featuring members of the Southern California Active Club chapter, facing off against a team that included individuals from the Pennsylvania Active Club, individuals affiliated with the neopagan hate group Wolves of Vinland, and a group identified as Block88. On September 2, Forest Fights announced that it would open signups for individuals and clubs who wanted to participate. The group released an almost 17-minute video on June 30, showing a fight between several teams, including Active Club members.

The event coincided with the fifth annual Active Club MMA and networking event Frontier held in Southern California.

In addition to advertising on Telegram, the event was shared on the Forest Fights Instagram account, which has over 18,000 followers. CEP reported the account to Meta-owned Instagram on February 26, but it was still active as of September 8.

Forest Fights video on Meta-owned Instagram with over 14,500 views, featuring a member of the Southern California Active Club. Screenshot taken on September 3.