Social media fuelling rise of 'new generation of extremism' in Alberta, report says

[applegrove]

Social media fuelling rise of 'new generation of extremism' in Alberta, report says

Josee St-Onge · CBC News · 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-study-extremism-radicalism-online-hate-terrorism-1.5108262

"SNIP.....


Ideologies are easily disseminated online, making social media a hotbed of recruitment, said McCoy, who also teaches terrorism studies at the University of Alberta. 

"It's been a game-changer," he said. "This is a new generation of extremism, and those communities are more accessible than ever."

Fringe members of groups — those who operate mostly online and lack a physical connection to the group they identify with — are the most at-risk of committing violence, McCoy said.

Social media giants join to combat online extremist content

"We believe that most of the potential threats of violence are coming from the margins of these movements, and hypothetically, they could come from any ideological group."


......SNIP"

[Saviolo]

1. Sort of a terrible article, honestly.

It goes goes to pains to say that both sides are equally capable or likely to harbour extremists that are possible of violence, and then goes through naming a bunch of exclusively right-wing groups that are either white supremacist or incels, and all right-wing. I'm getting so sick of media trying to bend over backwards to try and "balance" the coverage by saying "Oh yeah, those lefties are dangerous, too!!" when white male right wing extremism has been the biggest cause of terrorist violence. The Quebec Mosque shooter sure wasn't a leftist, I'll tell you that.

[applegrove]

2. I know. But I thought the fact the meat in the article was right that it was on the right was

important. It is not just talking amongst themselves that worries me. The right in Alberta go after female politicians and journalits online. I hope that gets highlighted in news articles too. Kenny and Scheer need to step up and denounce these people and not pull a Trump by being silent on right wing extremism and talk. Everyone denounces radical Islam. Time for all the political parties to denounce right wing nuts causing mayhem online.

[Saviolo]

3. Scheer can't denounce them, they're his base!

He's done rallies with Faith Goldy in front of the Yellow Vests:

https://north99.org/2019/02/19/andrew-scheer-joins-white-nationalist-faith-goldy-hate-group-members-to-endorse-yellow-vests-convoy/

He was super buddy-buddy with Ezra Levant and Rebel Media:

https://thewalrus.ca/andrew-scheers-ties-to-rebel-media-are-now-impossible-to-deny/

Scheer's not -quite- as overtly racist and stupid as Maxime Bernier, but it's a narrow line between them.

[applegrove]

4. Well then Trudeau should hammer him on it until he does denounce

white wing extremism.

[Saviolo]

5. I'd love to see it.

I'd love to see Scheer hammered from the left for being a white supremacist. I'd love to also see him hammered from Maxime Bernier and his followers for not being white supremacist enough. Bernier will never get elected, but if he starts attacking Scheer from the right, he might just split off a bunch of white "identarians" who are worried that Scheer is not fascist enough.