Following last week’s report on Patreon-funded violent extremism, another group of violent extremists has been discovered on the platform. Dubbed the “Red Guards of Austin,” the group calls for armed conflict inside the United States.
The Red Guards of Austin’s Patreon account was discovered by Far Left Watch, an anti-extremist monitoring organization that has been tracking the group’s activities.
Images collected by Far Left Watch also show members of the group posing with firearms, burning effigies of President Trump, and wearing hammer-and-sickle face masks.
Excerpts from the group’s blog feature multiple calls for violence. For example, one post calls for “small-scale street battles.”
The war is not coming—it is here and now. We must take our historic task seriously. We must accumulate forces and steel them in small-scale street battles. We must respond accordingly to the apocalyptic reality that capitalism-imperialism has forced on us.”
Another calls for “physical confrontation” against anyone the group believes to be a “fascist.” (So-called “Antifa” groups typically extend the definition of “fascist” to include Trump supporters and Republicans).
It is time for Austin to stand up, to shake off bad leadership trying to impose itself on antifascism and come together under a better model of actual resistance and not token performance. When we organize and lead actions the fascists do not march every step they take is met with physical confrontation and they are bombarded from all sides.
Another calls for the creation of a “red army” armed with lethal weaponry.
We encourage the formation of paramilitary organizations on two levels. The first being those who are mainly unarmed but are prepared and trained to carry out fist fighting or using blunt weapons like axe handles or flagpoles as well as shields and basic armoring. The second level is the more advanced embryo of a Red Army, which is trained militarily and operates as soldiers all the time.
The Red Guards also for anyone they consider “fascists” to be “beaten bloody” and even “annihilated.”
On the basis of our principled united front work, fascists and their collaborators can be drowned out, run out, routed, beaten bloody, and even annihilated. These are our principles and we aim to hold them to the very finish.
In March this year, a leader of Red Guards Austin was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm, and could face up to 30 years in prison.
Both Breitbart News and Far Left Watch have documented numerous examples of violent extremism on Patreon. So far, Patreon has not responded to Breitbart’s request for comment nor taken action against any of the pages identified.
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter, Gab.ai and add him on Facebook. Email tips and suggestions to allumbokhari@protonmail.com.