CLARION PROJECT 06/01/2021

 

The Extremism Roundup Promoting Civil Discourse and Marginalizing the Extremes A weekly compilation of the most important developments in the struggle against radical ideologies

Islamist & Anti-Muslim Extremism  PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images   LAW ENFORCEMENT Wave of Attacks on Jews Across the U.S. Approximately 250 incidents of antisemitic violence and harassment have been reported since the fighting between Israel and Hamas began.  In New York City, two pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas extremists have been arrested for brutally beating a Jewish man who was walking alone on his way to a pro-Israel demonstration. One of the extremists said, “If I could do it again, I would do it again.”  An extremist was arrested for setting fire to a building that housed a synagogue and Jewish school in Brooklyn, N.Y. and assaulting a Jewish man without provocation. He was found to be the same person who vandalized a Catholic church in Brooklyn by breaking a statue depicting the crucifixion of Jesus and then burning the church’s American flag. Also in Brooklyn, two Jewish teenagers were attacked by two extremists who ordered them to recite antisemitic statements. When they refused, one teen was physically assaulted and the other was chased with a baseball bat. The apparent Facebook page of one of those arrested ridiculed those who speak against Hamas’ rocket attacks on Israel.  Extremists were seen assaulting pro-Israel demonstrators in New York City, injuring at least two people, including a woman burned by powerful fireworks they set off. The police arrested 27 perpetrators. In Los Angeles, Jews dining at a restaurant were assaulted and harassed. One perpetrator was arrested.  Pro-Palestinian activists also chased a man while shouting “Allahu Akbar” and attempted to run him over.  Synagogues have been vandalized in Florida, Utah, Arizona, and Illinois. The synagogue in Salt Lake City had a swastika carved into its door.  In Hallandale Beach, Fla. a synagogue was vandalized twice with feces by a man who earlier harassed the rabbi and said, “Jews should die.” In Miami, a group of pro-Palestinian extremists harassed a Jewish mother, father and their 16-year-old daughter as they walked home from synagogue. They threw garbage at them while shouting, “Die, Jew” and “I’m going to rape your wife.”  LAW ENFORCEMENT Latest Islamist Attacks & Investigations An imam in Michigan preached that Muslim husbands can physically beat their wives in order to discipline them. Imam Al-Qazwini leads the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights and is known for his antisemitism and affinity for the Iranian regime.   A Hamas terrorist killed by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, Osama al-Zebda, is an American citizen. He was born in the U.S. while his father, who was also killed in the airstrike and was an engineer for Hamas, studied at Virginia Tech. The father and son were significant players in Hamas’ rocket program. LAW ENFORCEMENT Connecticut Corrections Officer Fired for Anti-Muslim Behavior A prison guard at Garner Correctional Institute in Connecticut has been fired after public reporting on a Facebook post he made in 2018 that depicted five Muslims hanging from nooses with the caption, “Islamic wind chimes.”  He was previously suspended from work for five days in December due to his confrontation with a Muslim correctional officer.  Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism  KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Daughter Embraces Communist Symbol Often Used by Antifa The 18-year-old daughter of Minn. Rep. Ilhan Omar has added the communist hammer and sickle to her Twitter profile. The symbol is also commonly adopted by the communist and anarchist extremists in the Antifa movement and other similar militants and insurrectionists.  Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, also called for a “revolution” with the hashtag “RIPCapitalism.”  Rep. Omar identifies as a “Democratic Socialist.” The Democratic Socialists of America organization is closely tied to Antifa and other Alt-Left militant activity. .  INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Latest Alt-Right Attacks & Prosecutions An American neo-Nazi terrorist group named The Base has renewed its operations after it was devastated by a series of arrests by the FBI. The group has been able to survive because its leader, Rinaldo Nazzaro, has safe harbor in Russia. He used to work for the Department of Homeland Security and may have spied for Russian intelligence. In California, a white supremacist has been arrested for murdering a man on April 13. He has also been charged with kidnapping in relation to another incident. The suspect is a member of the “Fresneck” gang that has close ties to the Aryan Brotherhood.  Propaganda from the white supremacist group Patriot Front is showing up at Liberty University in Virginia with language crafted for potential Christian recruits.   LAW ENFORCEMENT Racist Vehicular Attack on Black Protestors in North Carolina A racist committed a vehicular attack on black protestors in North Carolina who were demonstrating after police killed a black suspect. Two victims were hospitalized. Witnesses say the attacker drove up to the demonstrators, verbally confronted them and threatened their safety. She then struck the black protestors with her car and was later arrested.  The attacker has an alleged history of making racist posts on Facebook. She has previously been arrested for making violent threats, ethnic intimidation and illegally possessing a firearm. Vehicular attacks on protestors are an increasingly common occurrence. One think-tank that monitors such incidents counted approximately 70 incidents in 2020.   Hostile Foreign Influence Operations Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Think-Tank Staff, Politicians Participate in Event Organized by Chinese Gov’t An event coordinated by an organization with close ties to the Communist Chinese government booked guest speakers that included California state Senate’s majority leader and staff from influential U.S. think-tanks like the Brookings Institute, the Wilson Center, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Harvard University’s Belfer Center. The event organizer, the China Public Diplomacy Association, was created by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. One of the association’s members is the Confucius Institute, a known CCP front that donates to U.S. colleges and universities to spread propaganda and facilitate China’s intelligence operations. Other Ideological Extremism Spencer Platt/Getty Images LAW ENFORCEMENT Unprovoked Stabbing Attack on New York Police Officer A police officer in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. was suddenly attacked with a knife and seriously injured. The suspect immediately fled and was found hiding in a dumpster. The police say they have not determined a motive, but the suspect obviously desired to kill law enforcement. LAW ENFORCEMENT London: Rabbi Hospitalized After Unprovoked Attack; 2 Arrested A rabbi in London was hospitalized after he was attacked outside of his synagogue by two teenagers shouting antisemitic slurs.  After the two attackers were arrested, the police said they believed it was motivated by antisemitism but was not sparked by the recent fighting between Israel and Hamas.  LAW ENFORCEMENT Exodus of Police in Areas with Anti-Police Bigotry Almost 200 police officers in Minnesota have quit since the death of George Floyd one year ago, with a significant number reporting symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome due to incidents linked to the subsequent Alt-Left rioting and anti-police bigotry. In Washington D.C., over 70 police officers have left since the January 6 attack by Alt-Right extremists that included anti-police elements. An Islamist extremist from the Nation of Islam also committed a vehicular attack on the U.S. Capitol Police in April, killing one. The department’s union believes hundreds more will opt to retire earlier than expected.   In Portland, Ore. an  "unprecedented" number of officers have quit in the middle of their careers over the past year, with 31 of 115 departed officers citing low morale as the reason for their decision. One detective said he was leaving because there is “zero support” from the local community.  QUOTABLE “Above all, we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. It is a weapon that we as Americans do have. Let that be understood by those who practice terrorism and prey upon their neighbors.” --Ronald Reagan’s First Inaugural Address, 1981     NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked.

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