'On fringe social media sites, Buffalo mass shooting becomes rallying call for white supremacists'

[Nevilledog]

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https://buffalonews.com/news/local/on-fringe-social-media-sites-buffalo-mass-shooting-becomes-rallying-call-for-white-supremacists/article_74a55388-f61b-11ec-812a-97d8f2646d45.html


While most of the world reacted with horror to the racist May 14 massacre at a Buffalo supermarket, one shadowy corner of the internet – the corner frequented by the accused gunman in the lead-up to his attack – continues to celebrate the murder of 10 Black people and goad each other to similar acts.

One meme, a mock-up of the front page of the New York Daily News, shows a photo of Payton Gendron beside a series of bold-faced headlines, including “the mass shooter we’ve been waiting for” and “could you be next?”

Another image imposes jokes over a still frame from the gunman's livestream of the attack, showing the moment one woman was shot in the head.

Yet another takes the form of a “help wanted” poster addressed to white men.

“You already live for our people. Would you KILL for them?” it asks.

According to his online diary, Payton Gendron and Cory Clark – the customer service lead for the Iowa-based body armor manufacturer RMA Armament – interacted over a period of months on both the public social media site Reddit and in a private chatroom for hardcore weapons enthusiasts.

The reaction does not surprise counterterrorism researchers, who have repeatedly warned that a network of anonymous message boards and encrypted messaging channels are incubating the next generation of white supremacist terror. But the challenge, they say, is interrupting these networks before they can inspire the next shooter.

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