Audit of the sourcing at Boogaloo movement, as of the 16:20, 26 June 2020 revision.
Conclusion
editJust for raw numbers, I found that 23 of the 59 sources here specifically describe the group as far-right. This is not counting a few sources where it's a little unclear (for example in the case of this source where it's not clear if they're calling the movement far-right, or a singular person) nor is it counting two sources that use "right-wing" descriptors but not "far-right" (Associated Press, Fox News). It's also interesting to note that 19 sources describe the movement as anti-government. These sources are not mutually exclusive; 11 sources use both descriptors.
To move past the numerical discussion, I only found two instances in which anyone seemed to directly refute the far-right characterization: the DHS tweet, which has already been mentioned here, and in a quote from Facebook in the Reuters source. In my opinion, both of these groups seek to benefit from minimizing the group being far-right: the DHS because Trump and others have been criticized (for example, by Politico) for blaming violence on left-wing protesters while much of it has been committed by right-wing people, and Facebook because they have been criticized for being light on right-wing extremism on the platform. I was also interested to find a handful of cases in which the movement is described as "far-right", but other descriptors are also used, including libertarian (SPLC) and anarchist ([1]). I was also very interested to see Al Jazeera directly refute some of the claims made here and elsewhere that because some members or groups in the movement support BLM, they can't be far right: the article describes the boogaloo movement in no uncertain terms as far right, and then later says Purported members have been seen at protests bearing signs saying "The Boogaloo stands with George Floyd". While many far-right groups have a supremacist element, it isn't always the case.
As for MWise12's three sources which he claims contradict the "far-right" descriptor, one is the DHS tweet which I've mentioned above. Another is Katie Paul of the Tech Transparency Project, who is quoted in VOANews as saying "These individuals made an effort to capitalize on both, which shows that it's not really a right or left mentality for these guys so much as anti-government"
. To me this appears to mean that she believes they are more focused on the anti-government themes than the left–right political spectrum, not that she believes there are members throughout the spectrum. The Tech Transparency Project's report on the subject does associate the boogaloo with the far-right, though it mostly discusses "boogaloo" as a term used among far-right groups, rather than as a movement itself. As for Robert Evans, his Bellingcat piece clearly describes the group as: a largely white, and far right movement
. A link and a timestamp to the podcast would be useful so I could more easily review that.
My conclusion based on this review of the sources is that the far-right descriptor still belongs in the lead without couching it in any kind of "sometimes described as" language. I have no objection to "anti-government" also being added to the lead sentence if it can be done in a readable way, but I do object to it replacing the "far-right" descriptor. GorillaWarfare (talk) 00:04, 27 June 2020 (UTC)
Notes
edit| Source | URL | Ref # | Source date | Source type | Far-right? | Anti-government? | Other descriptor | Quotes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBC News | [2] | 1 | 2020-02-19 | Media | FALSE | TRUE | An anti-government movement that advocates for a violent uprising targeting liberal political opponents and law enforcement... "Boogaloo extremists have used social media..." |
Descriptor based on NCRI report | |
| Network Contagion Research Institute | [3] | 2 | 2020-02 | Research group | FALSE | FALSE | As adopted by meme culture, the term is often used by libertarians, gun enthusiasts, and anarchists to describe an uprising against the government or left-wing political opponents that is a near-mirror copy, or sequel to, the American Civil War | Mostly examines the meme rather than the movement, and discusses its use among various communities | |
| The Times | [4] | 3 | 2020-05-16 | Media | FALSE | TRUE | Hawaiian shirts have become the unlikely uniform of a growing movement of armed anti-government extremists who are preparing for a second US civil war under the name “Boogaloo”. | ||
| The Economist | [5] | 4 | 2020-05-23 | Media | TRUE | FALSE | Some among the far-right style themselves as “Boogaloo Boys” or “Boojahdeen”. | ||
| National Public Radio | [6] | 5 | 2020-01-10 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | Also discusses the meme's use among other communities, rather than the boogaloo as a movement | ||
| Middlebury Institute of International Studies | [7] | 6 | 2020-05-30 | Research group | TRUE | TRUE | Right-wing | the so-called Boogaloo Movement, a right-wing militia-style movement "The Boogaloo Movement has tried, to varying levels of success, to distinguish itself from other far-right groups." "Though the group is unified by anti-government sentiments" |
|
| Bellingcat | [8] | 7 | 2020-05-27 | Media | TRUE | TRUE | On the internet, meanwhile, a largely white, and far right movement... "Like many other novel extremist movements" |
Also notes the group is "not monolithically racist/neo-Nazi" Discusses how "members of existing radical right or “patriot movement” organizations" affiliate with the boogaloo movement "Recent reporting has touched on the fact that explicitly far-right and even neo-Nazi groups are attempting to co-opt both the anti-lockdown protests and the broader Boogaloo movement" | |
| Anti-Defamation League | [9] | 9 | 2019-11-26 | Advocacy group | FALSE | FALSE | Also mostly discusses the meme's use among other communities, ex. "The boogaloo meme soon spread from angry gun-rights activists to the militia movement and survivalists.", "The boogaloo meme has spread to other movements with anti-government beliefs, primarily minarchists and anarcho-capitalists, which are essentially conservative alternatives to anarchism, as well as a few apparent anarchists", "White supremacists have also adopted the boogaloo concept." | ||
| Vox | [10] | 10 | 2020-06-08 | Media | FALSE | TRUE | is a loosely connected anti-government movement that has included some white nationalists who believe in an “accelerationist” ideology "Their main political ideology, and the guiding sentiment of the movement more widely, appears to be anti-government sentiment with a general focus on gun confiscation as a major concern." |
Discusses ties to white nationalism Discusses the fact that some are racist and some are not (this mostly refers back to Bellingcat) | |
| New York Times | [11] | 11 | 2020-06-16 | Media | FALSE | TRUE | An Air Force sergeant linked to an anti-government movement "the boogaloo, an extremist ideology that seeks to bring about a second civil war to overthrow the United States government." |
||
| Southern Poverty Law Center | [12] | 12 | 2020-05-15 | Advocacy group | TRUE | FALSE | The term “Boogaloo,” which began to predominate in far-right web spaces in early 2019, began as a shorthand for civil unrest following potential local or federal firearms confiscation, and has been embraced by antigovernment and white nationalist communities. "Social media companies, particularly Facebook and Twitter, have repeatedly failed to substantively address the presence of far-right groups and messaging on their platforms. The “Boogaloo” community, in particular is prolific on both Facebook and Twitter." |
Starts by discussing the meme as used in far-right communities; later describes the boogaloo movement as a far-right group | |
| The Guardian | [13] | 13 | 2020-06-09 | Media | FALSE | TRUE | So-called “boogaloo bois” are members of a loose-knit, pro-gun, anti-government movement, which is preoccupied with what they believe to be a looming second American civil war. | ||
| Business Insider | [14] | 14 | 2020-06-03 | Media | TRUE | TRUE | Libertarian | Title: "Far-right civil war accelerationists called the Boogaloo Bois are appearing at protests around the country with guns and Hawaiian shirts" "Known as the 'Boogaloo Bois,' named after the title of a cult 1980s film, these people are a part of a loosely organized and largely libertarian militia group that is centered on anti-government rhetoric." "Started on forums and organized in private groups online, often associated with far-right extremist politics, the group has created confusion by attending recent protests." "The far-right group, born from 4chan's /k/ board, which is dedicated to gun worship, has no firm central organization," |
|
| Vice | [15] | 16 | 2020-05-29 | Media | TRUE | FALSE | Far-right extremists are showing up, with guns, to the protests against police brutality that have exploded across the country. | Also supports that they self-identify as libertarian | |
| Salon | [16] | 17 | 2020-05-30 | Media | TRUE | FALSE | There are unconfirmed reports that far-right boogaloo" agents provocateurs have embedded themselves among the protesters in Minneapolis." | ||
| Al Jazeera | [17] | 18 | 2020-06-05 | Media | TRUE | TRUE | A new movement of armed, far-right adherents is gaining attention in the United States "Adherents of the loosely organised "Boogaloo" movement appear to believe in armed, anti-government actions that could lead to a second US civil war." |
Interestingly, supports that they may be far-right and also support BLM: "While many far-right groups have a supremacist element, it isn't always the case." | |
| The Verge | [18] | 19 | 2020-06-05 | Media | FALSE | TRUE | The boogaloo term has more recently evolved into a disjointed anti-government movement with various and at times conflicting views. | Describes the word as used among far-right communities, does not describe the movement as far right: "Facebook is limiting the spread of pages and groups linked with the word “boogaloo,” an internet slang term used in some far-right extremist circles to refer to the idea of an impending second American Civil War, as first reported by Reuters." | |
| Reuters | [19] | 20 | 2020-06-04 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | Facebook said the politics of Boogaloo members it looked into “ran the gamut” from right to left. | ||
| Oxford University Press Blog | [20] | 21 | 2007-08-09 | Blog | FALSE | FALSE | Not about the movement at all, just discusses the "Electric Boogaloo" meme | ||
| The Independent | [21] | 22 | 2020-05-30 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | Title: "Why far-right protesters are wearing Hawaiian print" "Armed militia members and far-right demonstrators appeared wearing floral-print shirts..." |
Mostly discusses the shirts/memes usage among groups | |
| Tech Transparency Project | [22] | 23 | 2020-04-22 | Research group | TRUE | FALSE | A review by TTP found 125 Facebook groups devoted to the “boogaloo,” the term that far-right extremists use to describe a coming civil war. | Describes the groups as far-right, as well as describes the meme's usage among far-right groups | |
| The Washington Post | [23] | 24 | 2020-06-04 | Media | TRUE | TRUE | The incident was one of a growing number in which far-right extremists who once organized mainly online... "signals adherence to a violent, divisive, anti-government ideology." |
||
| CBC Radio | [24] | 25 | 2020-06-05 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | Doesn't really give them a general description of any kind, discusses the conflicting ideologies among groups | ||
| Newsweek | [25] | 26 | 2020-06-04 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | What is the Boogaloo Movement? Far-Right Extremists are Showing Up at Protests "Thus the Boogaloos, Friedfeld said, could range from the run-of-the-mill anti-government types to white supremacist groups bent on igniting a race war in the hopes of creating a white ethnostate." |
Despite the title it describes the groups as varied | |
| Southern Poverty Law Center | [26] | 28 | 2020-06-05 | Advocacy group | TRUE | TRUE | are bound together predominantly by their desire to mount an armed insurrection against the government "In other words, the boogaloo remains a right-wing fantasy." "An armed member of the far-right militia, Boogaloo Boys," |
Supports that some self-describe as libertarian Describes varied opinions on race but also concludes that it's a rightwing ideology | |
| Rolling Stone | [27] | 29 | 2020-06-05 | Media | TRUE | FALSE | Title: "Far-Right ‘Boogaloo Boys’ Are Trying to Incite Violence at Protests" | Talks about how boogaloo adherents try to downplay violence and racism in the movement | |
| CNN | [28] | 30 | 2020-06-04 | Media | FALSE | TRUE | the Boogaloo movement, a loosely knit group of heavily armed, anti-government extremists. | Discusses conflicting ideologies, talks about person who self-identifies as anarchist | |
| Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | [29] | 32 | 2020-06-04 | Media | TRUE | FALSE | Title: "Those young white men with guns at protests are likely affiliated with far-right group the Boogaloo" | Discusses various ideologies, including libertarianism, but broadly describes them as far right | |
| Raw Story | [30] | 33 | 2020-05-28 | Media | TRUE | FALSE | Right-wing | The nascent boogaloo movement is not monolithic, Friedfeld said, and it draws from spectrum of groups from the right wing to the far right, from militias and anarcho-capitalists to white supremacists. Title: ‘They want their civil war’: Far-right ‘boogaloo’ militants are embedded in the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis |
|
| Associated Press | [31] | 34 | 2020-05-13 | Media | FALSE | TRUE | the “boogaloo” anti-government movement | Only mention of right/left ideology talks about groups adopting the meme: "Far-right gun activists and militia groups first embraced the term before white supremacist groups adopted it last year. " | |
| Vice | [32] | 35 | 2020-05-08 | Media | TRUE | FALSE | The younger, shitposting face of the armed far-right — often called “boogaloo bois",Talks about the meme being anti-government but not so much the groups | ||
| Vice | [33] | 36 | 2020-06-24 | Media | FALSE | TRUE | the anti-government movement "it isn’t a formal group. Rather, it’s an ideological umbrella that’s pulled in a range of identities, from hardline libertarians, anti-government extremists, online shitposters, and some white nationalists." |
||
| Wired | [34] | 37 | 2020-06-18 | Media | TRUE | TRUE | Title: "The Meme-Fueled Rise of a Dangerous, Far-Right Militia" "the Boogaloo movement, a vague and amorphous far-right militia loosely bound together by anti-government and pro-gun sentiment and memes." |
||
| Bloomberg | [35] | 38 | 2020-05-12 | Media | TRUE | FALSE | a fringe movement that the “boogaloo” and other far-right groups have leveraged as a recruiting tool, experts say | A little unclear if they're describing the boogaloo movement as anti-government or are describing anti-government groups in general | |
| The Daily Beast | [36] | 39 | 2020-05-11 | Media | FALSE | TRUE | Boogaloos are the latest strain of anti-government ideology whose adherents are convinced the United States is heading towards civil war. | Vaguely describes the movement as far-right: "Far-right activists’ interest in Lemp’s case have even allegedly prompted threats of violence. On April 11, “Boogaloo” activist Aaron Swenson began broadcasting live on Facebook, allegedly claiming that he was trying to find a police officer to kill." | |
| ABC News | [37] | 40 | 2020-03-13 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | Only describes the meme, not the movement: "included the term “boogaloo,” slang used by militia members and other extremists to describe a future civil war in the U.S." | ||
| Vox | [38] | 41 | 2020-01-17 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | Describes the meme, not the movement: "And so will a host of militia groups, conspiracy theorists, and far-right extremists, some of whom believe the rally in Richmond will represent the first shot of a new civil war, or as some users of the /pol/ forum term it, “boogaloo.”" | ||
| The Atlantic | [39] | 42 | 2020-01-21 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | Does not mention boogaloo | ||
| Anti-Defamation League | [40] | 43 | 2020-05-22 | Advocacy group | FALSE | FALSE | While boogaloo supporters hail from a variety of movements, and include some white supremacists who advocate for race war, the lockdown protests have largely featured the anti-government version of the boogaloo favored by the militia, gun rights, and anarcho-capitalist movements. | ||
| NBC News | [41] | 44 | 2020-05-31 | Media | TRUE | TRUE | Some fringe groups, most notably anti-government “Boogaloo” members with guns, were seen in numerous cities "On the far right, members of the “Boogaloo” movement, a loosely knit online collective of firearm enthusiasts, were seen at protests" |
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| Associated Press | [42] | 45 | 2020-06-09 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | Does not mention boogaloo | ||
| Associated Press | [43] | 46 | 2020-06-03 | Media | FALSE | TRUE | Right-wing | Three Nevada men with ties to a loose movement of right-wing extremists advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government "part of the “boogaloo” movement, which U.S. prosecutors said in the document is “a term used by extremists to signify coming civil war and/or fall of civilization.”" "The anti-government “boogaloo” movement is a loose network of gun enthusiasts who often express support for overthrowing the U.S. government." |
|
| WLTX | [44] | 47 | 2020-06-05 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | Only briefly mentions movement, doesn't make any claims about ideology | ||
| Vice | [45] | 48 | 2020-06-16 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | It’s code for impending civil war, which is the foundation of a new ideology that’s drawn in hard-line libertarians and anti-government extremists. "loose ideology: On one end, you have white nationalists and violent “accelerationists” who are plotting large-scale violence with the hope of starting a civil war — even a “race war.” On the other end, you have Libertarian shitposters who think that the boogaloo aesthetic is cool and funny." |
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| NBC News | [46] | 49 | 2020-06-11 | Media | TRUE | TRUE | Steven Carrillo, a California man who was charged with murder after he ambushed two Santa Cruz County deputies, scrawled phrases tied to an online far-right extremist movement in blood on a car shortly before he was detained. " “Boog” is short for boogaloo, a far-right anti-government movement" |
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| Politico | [47] | 50 | 2020-06-01 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | Only briefly mentions boogaloo, and as a term rather than a movement | ||
| Politico | [48] | 51 | 2020-06-19 | Media | TRUE | FALSE | Title: "Intel report warns that far-right extremists may target Washington, D.C." " a far-right extremist movement known as “boogaloo” " |
Mentions that they sometimes self-identify as anarchist | |
| Business Insider | [49] | 52 | 2020-06-20 | Media | TRUE | FALSE | Title: "Far-right 'boogaloo' extremists may 'target' Washington, DC, intelligence assessments say" | ||
| The Mercury News | [50] | 53 | 2020-06-16 | Media | FALSE | TRUE | extremist anti-government “Boogaloo” movement, whose self-described libertarian, tropical-shirt-wearing adherents anticipate a second civil war. | ||
| Media Matters for America | [51] | 54 | 2020-06-17 | Advocacy group | TRUE | TRUE | Title: "A far-right “boogaloo” supporter allegedly killed a Black federal police officer — and right-wing media blamed it on protests" " the anti-government “boogaloo” movement " |
Title is unclear -- is it describing Carrillo as far-right or the group? | |
| San Francisco Chronicle | [52] | 55 | 2020-06-08 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | Does not mention boogaloo | ||
| The Daily Beast | [53] | 56 | 2019-11-29 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | In one post, Booth claimed that the incident could set off the “boogaloo”—a term widely used by far-right groups, including white supremacists, militia members, and extreme libertarians to refer to the kind of societal collapse or civil war that they’re anticipating. | Refers to the meme, not the group | |
| BuzzFeed News | [54] | 57 | 2020-04-23 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | In this internet subculture, boogaloo is slang for an upcoming second civil war, and members share anti-government, anti-law enforcement, and pro-gun messages. "In far-right meme culture, the boogaloo is a reference to an uprising similar to the Civil War, the so-called "Civil War 2: Electric Boogaloo."" |
Mostly discusses the meme, not the group | |
| The Post and Courier | [55] | 58 | 2020-06-05 | Media | TRUE | FALSE | Alt-right, anarchist | “Boogaloo boys,” an alt-right group that wanted to foment violence during demonstrations. "“Boogaloo boys,” a right-wing or anarchist group that wanted to infiltrate peaceful protests and spur violence, according to media reports." |
Interesting that this describes the group as alt-right and sometimes anarchist |
| Fox News | [56] | 59 | 2020-06-06 | Media | FALSE | FALSE | Right-wing | Authorities say the boogaloos are right-wing extremists bent on starting a civil war. |