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Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

You may have mocked claims about the existence of paid protesters as just another lie from the right. As it turns out, at least on this one issue, theyre actually telling the truth. The problem is, the right neglected to mention those paid protesters are part of the right wing apparatus.

The story starts last week, when the right wing decided to aim its collective outrage at a free staging of Shakespeares play Julius Caesar held in New York Citys Central Park. Mike Cernovich, a self-described member of the alt-right whothinksthe U.S. should give immigrants IQ tests, put up a YouTube video in which he offered cash to any protesters willing to disrupt the play for pay.

Ill give up to 10 people $1,000, Cernovich says in thefootage. I need you to get up with either a CNN is ISIS or Bill Clintons a rapist or The media is terrorism [sign]. And if youre able to get up and be escorted out by security, then I will give you $1,000.

In other words, Cernovich was actively and openly looking to recruit paid protesters. You know how conservatives made up that ridiculous myth about George Soros sending checks to liberals who march in protests? This is the real version of that, only sponsored by Cernovich.

The story actually gets richer, so to speak, as it continues. The night after Cernovichs offer, two protesters went to see Julius Caesar in the park. Semi-notorious right-wing media figure Laura Loomer snagged a ticket for a second-row seat that definitely should have gone to someone who actually wanted to see the play. Alt-right provocateur Jack Posobiec, whose greatest hits includepizzagateand the Seth Richconspiracy lie, also showed up. The two Trumpites told theNew Yorkerthey hadnt planned to meetwhich may or may not be trueand once they spotted each other, they sat apart so as not to arouse suspicion. Are you here for the Cernovich contest? Posobiec reportedly texted Loomer, according to the New Yorker. She responded, Just stay tuned.

In the middle of the production, Loomer stormed the stage, briefly halting the action and earning a chorus of boos from an audience that just wanted to see some Shakespeare. Theresfootageof the whole thing, including Loomer being removed from the stage as she shouts CNN is ISISthe exact phrase Cernovich suggestedover and over. As Loomer was escorted out, Posobiec stood up and began yelling Nazis and Goebbels at the audience, until he was removed. He alsorecordedhis outburst, possibly because Cernovich wants proof before hell pay out.

Loomer continued yelling even once she was put outside the venue, and police finally showed up at some point to arrest her. She was then led away, upright and intact, like a human being who does not also happen to be an unarmed black kid.

Its important to note that Loomer works for right-wing Canadian media outlet Rebel Media, and untillate May, so did Posobiec. The blogCanadalanddescribes it as a Breitbart-esque site filled with contributors who have called for a new Crusade to expel Muslims from the Holy Land, outlined what they hate about the Jews, and most recently, said thatBritish Muslims are enemy combatants, at least some of whom should beplaced into camps.

Loomer was released hours after her arrest. Rebel Media put up a Free Laura page on its website, including a link to afundraising sectionfor her legal defense fund. Loomer herself alsotweeted a request to support [her] legal defense fund. The link in the message leads to a campaign on WeSearchr, a crowdfunding site thats like a Go Fund Me for hard-right causes. As of this writing, Loomers page has banked more than $12,000. Josh Jordan, whos written for both Forbes and the conservative National Review, poined out that Loomers page previously noted she had a fundraising goal of $25,000, complete with screengrab. That target number has been erased, but the total intake keeps climbing. And presumably, while the Rebel Media Free Laura page doesnt display tallies, thereve been contributions via that site as well.

There are a few things that are curious here, that brought out the social media detectives. The first is that Rebel Media creator Ezra Levant made the Free Laura page at 6pm UTC or 2pm Eastern time, a fullfour hoursbefore Loomer was actually arrested. Its safe to assume that Levant doesnt have the power to see into the future, but that he and the team at Rebel hoped shed get arrested and planned to use the fabricated injustice to raise funds.

Theres also the matter of Loomers hefty request for donations. She faces charges of disorderly conduct and criminal trespass in the third degree. The latter is a class B misdemeanor, while the former is merely a violation, meaning its even less serious. I spoke to Matthew Galluzzo, a New York City criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor for the Manhattan District Attorneys office. He isnt representing Loomer, so he cant speak specifically to her case.

Most people charged with trespass with no criminal record are unlikely to be convicted of a crime or serve jail time, he noted, or have to pay a fine in excess of $120.

In fact, based on the charges she faces, theres no outcome that could account for the funds being requested, unless Loomer has a rap sheet as a serial killer thats been kept hush-hush. So why is Loomer raising so much money? Its unclear, and no one aside from Loomer and Rebel Media know. However, it is worth noting that Levant recently lost a libel case on appeal, which keeps him on the hook foran $80,000fine. Its also true that a company that targeted Breitbart for a boycott has done the same with Rebel Media, which has resulted in the loss of at least one majorcompanypulling ads from the site.

If it seemed incongruous that the new rightwhose members have declared themselves the defenders of free speech and conservationists of Western cultureclaimed to be so outraged by the recent staging of a Shakespeare play, this might explain why. And when the right talks about paid protesters, just assume they personally know whence they speak.

KaliHolloway is a senior writer and the associate editor of media and culture at AlterNet.

This article was made possible by the readers and supporters of AlterNet.

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Paid Protesters? Yes, Sent By The 'Alt-Right' - The National Memo (blog)

Police said the altercation began at a pay station inside a Santa Monica parking garage Saturday night.

Edgar Khodzhasaryan and Arsen Bekverdyan sat in one vehicle. Behind them, Antonio Foreman a bodyguard for an alt-right figure with ties to the Oath Keepers sat in another. At some point, as the men attempted to exit the garage, an argument began, which was followed by a minor traffic collision, a Santa Monica Police Department spokesman said.

The vehicles continued down the street near each other until Foremans vehicle stopped abruptly in front of the other vehicle, police said.

The victim and suspects exited their vehicles and confront[ed] each other in the roadway, police said. One of the suspects stabbed the victim and a fight ensued during which the victim [was] stabbed multiple times. The suspects returned to their vehicle and fled the location.

[The unhinged Oregon protester that the FBI has been tracking for months]

Just after 11 p.m., police discovered Foreman lying on the sidewalk. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment and remains in stable condition, police said.

Minutes later, about 11:23 p.m., police received a report that suspects involved in the stabbing may be at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica. Police found the suspects vehicle in an Emergency Room parking area and located Khodzhasaryan, 30, of Glendale, andBekverdyan, 31, of Burbank, at the hospital.

Both men have been accused of attempted murder and remain in custody on $1 million bail, Lt. Saul Rodriguez, a Santa Monica police spokesman, told The Washington Post. Information about each mans legal representation was not immediately available, and there have been no public comments from either man or an attorney.

Police declined to release Foremans name and offered an account that included no details to suggest that the attack was motivated by the victims connections to the alt-right. Rodriguez said police have no reason to think at this point that the stabbing was a hate crime.

ButTim Gionet a well-known alt-right figure who is known as Baked Alaska on Twitter and calls Foreman one of his best friends suggested on social media that Foremans race played a role in the attack. He also said that Foreman was leaving a Trump event when the incident occurred and that he was stabbed nine times.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Foreman sometimes works for the alt-right figure as his bodyguard. At the time of the attack, Foreman was not working as a bodyguard he was alone, police said.

Foreman has no health insurance, and a crowdfunding effort to help him pay for his medical bills has raised more than $8,000. The page says its goal is to raise $150,000.

Despite police claims to the contrary, the page says Foreman is the victim of an anti-white hate crime. Police did not identify the suspects race.

Anti-Trump and anti-white violence is escalating in the United States of America, the page says. From eggs, to fists, to bike locks, and now knives, everyday Trump supporters seem to be in real danger in their own country.

The page adds: Tony Foreman needs our help. Lets give it to him.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Foreman is a member of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group.The national group presents itself as nonpartisan, but its concerns have echoed conspiratorial warnings about rigged elections and the alleged threat posed by the New Black Panther Party that are often found on the far-right fringes of the Web.

[Race riots, terrorist attacks and martial law: Oath Keepers warn of post-election chaos]

The Oath Keepers did not respond to a request for comment about Foremans association with the group.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors anti-government groups nationwide, calls the Oath Keepers one of the largest radical anti-government groups in the country.

In April, Business Insider described Gionet a former BuzzFeed employee as a 29-year-old Internet troll who used to consider himself a libertarian before switching his allegiance to President Trump after becoming fed up with political correctness run amok.

BuzzFeed turned me into a monster, he told Business Insider, recalling the moment he decided he wasnt among his kind.I was talking about the new Justin Bieber album. And I was like, Dude, that new Justin Bieber album is dope. I have to admit, I love Justin Bieber. He is totally my spirit animal. And someone came up to me and was like, Hey, bro, you cant say spirit animal, thats culturally appropriating Native American culture and thats not cool.

I was like, What? What the f are you talking about? he added. I had heard about the dangers of political correctness, but I thought this was just exaggerated, Gionet said. I thought there was no way people in real life could be like this.

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Read more here:
Alt-right decries attack on bodyguard as a hate crime. Police say it wasn't. - Washington Post

Dave Rubin, the gay, liberal host of The Rubin Report, has become the Lefts latest victim of smearing-by-association, his character having been contorted in Josh Harkinsons recent Mother Jones article Cashing in on the Rise of the Alt-Right. After describing the funding models of a number of alt-right and neo-Nazi websites and podcasts, Harkinsons piece notes that Rubin has interviewed such personalities as Milo Yiannopoulos and Mike Cernovich, the self-described new right blogger who has argued that date rape does not exist and regularly peddles conspiracy theories. Originally, it also characterized Rubin as farright.

While the term farright probably does not merit the legal label of libel, its use in this context was at best lacking in intellectual honesty, and at worst a shoddy, malicious attempt to slime Rubin. Rubin is married to a man and favors marijuana legalization, pro-choice policies, and single-payer health care. He has publicly challenged the regressive Lefts increasingly illiberal attitude toward speech it finds objectionable, but that doesnt mean he can be characterized as further to the right than Breitbart in good faith. And Harkinson seems to know as much. After Rubin called the piece libelous and demanded a retraction on Twitter, the author backpedaled, claiming that Rubin merely host[s] softball interviews with lots of people who are to the right of Breitbart. Meanwhile, Mother Jones changed the sentence in question to remove the term farright, added Rubins response in parentheses, and highlighted both changes in a vague editorial note at the bottom of the page.

In digital journalism, such errors and retractions are inevitable. But the conflation of Rubin with literal white supremacists and separatists and the subsequent half-hearted retraction were no accident. Evidently, Mother Jones intended to equate Rubin who interviews and challenges personalities ranging from Margaret Cho and Hilary Rosen to Yiannopoulos and Paul Joseph Watson with the Internets most prominent alt-right extremists.

This is obviously quite problematic. Reasonable people can, of course, disagree about the propriety of giving a platform to those with views that engender wide, bipartisan disgust. But Harkinson isnt interested in having such a good-faith debate; his aim is to silence and de-legitimize those who attempt to air and understand extremist views. Indeed, when confronted with criticism from the likes of Ben Shapiro and Joe Rogan, he doubled down on his attack, retweeting clips of Rubin (rightly) arguing that non-mainstream voices are worth engaging with in part due to the failures of the media but also because entities with audiences as wide and engaged as, say, InfowarsAlex Jones, should be unpacked and understood.

Although this example is particularly egregious, it is by no means unique. The mass uproar over Megyn Kellys recent interview with Jones has, to a lesser extent, been informed by the same hostility toward interviews with controversial guests. Lost in the hubbub was that,given Kellys professional and prosecutorial credentials, her interview with Jones who has a massive audience and the ear of the president carried the potential to be an act of journalistic service.

Jack Shafer of Politico smartly lambasted the censorious power of the hecklers veto that was wielded against Kelly and threatens edgy, truth-telling journalism of the uncomfortable variety that explores how someone such as Jones could attract millions of followers. Under the veil of a moral panic, Kelly and Rubin have been stigmatized for the crime of heterodoxy, made to serve as a public warning to anyone else who threatens to deviate from a leftist agenda.

One wonders where this game ends. Back when the term alt-right was exclusively reserved for white supremacists with no regard for conservatism as it has traditionally been understood, it maintained a sort of incriminating implication. But every time the Left attempts to tar non-leftists with the same brush, it dilutes the label, just as it has done with every other pejorative that came before. The difference now, thankfully, is that the Internet gives victims such as Rubin a chance to fight back.

READ MORE: You Gotta Lie: The Tangled Progressive Web The Sickening Attack on Otto WarmbierIs Symbolic of the Lefts Hate Problem To Both Sides in Americas Dialogue War: Disarm

Tiana Lowe is an editorial intern at National Review.

Read the rest here:
Mother Jones Smears Liberal Talk-Show Host Dave Rubin for Daring to Interview 'Alt-Right' Figures - National Review

Reprinted with permission from MediaMatters.

Ever since President Donald Trump hired then-Breitbart.com chief executive Stephen Bannon to run his presidential campaign, the press has been struggling to comprehend the alt-right movement that his website helped promote. While many journalists have done yeomans work catching up on the assortment of white nationalists, misogynists, and conspiracy theorists behind this new wave of fringe media outlets, theyve been less effective in learning about the tactics those figures use to manipulate the press. That failing was evident over the weekend, as major news outlets reported on Friday nights alt-right interruption of a performance of William Shakespeares Julius Caesar.

That controversy, which triggered stories by The Associated Press, CNN, MSNBC,The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other major publications, demonstrated that the news judgment of mainstream news outlets has yet to adjust to the new reality. And it is a sad reminder that the alt-rights greatest strength is its ability to exploit the media for its own ends.

Conservative criticism of the Public Theaters production of Julius Caesar in New Yorks Central Park, which debuted in late May and concluded Sunday night, hit the public consciousness on June 11 after it came under attack from Fox News. In an appearance on the weekend edition of the networks Fox & Friends morning show, TownHall.com Political Editor Guy Benson denounced the play for placing a Trump look-alike in the titular role of the Roman leader who is assassinated onstage.

As other conservative media figures and Trumps own sons joined the chorus, Delta and Bank of America ended their corporate sponsorship of the production. And after a gunman targeted Republican members of Congress practicing on a baseball field last week, wounding Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), right-wing commentators linked the attack to the play.

These arguments are foolish and made in bad faith. Caesars assassination is not glamorized in the production indeed, the message of the play is that misguided political violence will inevitably breed disastrous consequences. Likening Shakespeares monarchs and politicians to real-life figures is a long-standing performance practice, seized by directors with sometimes illuminating, sometimes boneheaded results, Slates Issac Butler noted after the initial complaints, pointing out that performances of Julius Caesar have featured then-President Barack Obama in the titular role without incident.

The controversy culminated in a protest at Friday nights performance, when the production was interrupted for roughly a minute when the alt-right online outlet Rebel Medias Laura Loomer stormed the stage, shouting, Do you want Trump to be assassinated? She was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespass. Jack Posobiec, another alt-right figure, also interrupted the performance, yelling, The blood of Steve Scalise is on your hands and comparing the audience to the Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels before being removed from the theater. Posobiec taped the disturbance and posted it on Twitter, where it quickly circulated.

Why did they do it? The incident has the hallmarks of a grift: The disturbances came after alt-right personality Mike Cernovich offered a $1,000 bounty to anyone who successfully interrupted the performance, and Loomer is seeking to crowdfund $25,000, supposedly for her legal defense.

Its not unusual for protesters to use civil disobedience to garner media attention for their cause. But this protest had no real aim other than the aggrandizement of its participants. It had all the moral force of a pair of drunken assholes running onto the field to halt a baseball game, and deserved a similar degree of attention from the media. Instead, mainstream reporters have been transfixed by the story, generating reams of coverage that bolster the profiles of Posobiec and Loomer. For the cost of a ticket, they were able to troll the public with their nonsense claims, with mainstream outlets regurgitating their trolling at the top of their stories and burying the reasons not to believe them.

This manipulation of the mainstream press by subversive elements who dont play by the traditional rules of journalism should be an ongoing concern. Weve seen the press fall for these efforts time and time again indeed, NBC News spent most of last week getting outmaneuvered at every turn by Infowars chief Alex Jones.

Mainstream reporters rightfully feel compelled to cover the rising tide of fringe-right outlets because of their close ties to the president, and the manner in which their seemingly-absurd conspiracy theories have translated into harassment. Their claims about a pedophile ring operating out of a Washington, D.C., pizza parlor led to gunfire at the restaurant; Seth Richs family was hassled following their allegations that the murdered Democratic staffer was actually bumped off by Hillary Clintons campaign; their lies that the Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax turn the lives of the victims parents into waking nightmares.

But the pro-Trump fringe has become adept at taking advantage of those inclinations to increase its own influence. As they come under more scrutiny, these alt-right figures are learning how to gin up grievances, manufacture new controversies, and troll the press to garner attention and make money.

Reporters need to show better news judgment when they engage with the alt-right. When the movements media personalities are stirring controversies that have a real impact on peoples lives, they have earned national attention.

But when the alt-right personalities are deliberately screwing with journalists to bolster their own profiles, the best thing journalists can do for their readers is refuse to play their game.

Read this article:
Reporters Fall Into The Alt-Right Trap With Julius Caesar Stunt - The National Memo (blog)

Two men were charged with attempted murder Tuesday in the stabbing of a man who works as a bodyguard for a nationally known figure popular among the alt-right, prosecutors said.

Edgar Khodzhasaryan, 30, of Glendale, and Arsen Bekverdyan, 31, of Burbank, were charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon in the stabbing following a dispute in a Santa Monica parking structure on Saturday, according to Sarah Ardalani, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office.

Tim Gionet, a popular alt-right internet personality better known by his Twitter handle, @BakedAlaska, identified the victim as Antonio Foreman.

Gionet, who said Foreman sometimes works for him as a bodyguard, told his more than 175,000 Twitter followers that the assault was politically or racially motivated. Foreman is an ardent supporter of President Trump, and had been leaving an event in support of the President when he was attacked, Gionet said.

Law enforcement officials flatly dismissed the claim.

Prosecutors did not file a hate crime enhancement with the charges, Ardalani said. Lt. Saul Rodriguez, a Santa Monica Police Department spokesman, said the attack was spurred by an argument.

Theres nothing here that would lead us to believe it was targeted or a hate crime or anything like that, Rodriguez said.

Khodzhasaryan and Bekverdyan were exiting the parking structure and attempting to call for a parking attendant to help them operate the gate around 11 p.m. on Saturday when the victim made a comment to the suspects which led to an argument, Rodriguez said.

All three men exited their vehicles and a fist fight erupted, Rodriguez said. The suspects fled a short time later, and the victim realized he had been stabbed, according to Rodriguez. The victim, whom Rodriguez would not identify, was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.

Khodzhasaryan and Bekverdyan were arrested a short time later while being treated for minor injuries at an area hospital, Rodriguez said. Khodzhasaryan is also suspected of a probation violation.

Both were being held in lieu of $1 million bail, and were scheduled to be arraigned in the Airport Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon, Ardalani said. It was not immediately clear who was representing them.

Gionet is a former BuzzFeed employee and popular right-wing Internet personality who has many fans among the alt-right movement, a loosely connected fraternity of white nationalists and other far-right groups.

Foreman is also affiliated with the Oath Keepers, according to Gionet. The Oath Keepers, a group comprised largely of former law enforcement officers and military veterans, often provides security for far-right protesters and at demonstrations in support of President Trump.

The group has been described as one of the largest radical anti-government groups in the country, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks domestic extremists and hate groups.

Gionet told The Times that Foreman was stabbed nine times by two suspects who made anti-white comments either prior to, or during, the attack. Gionet said Foreman, whom he described as one of his best friends, was in stable condition at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday.

On Twitter, Gionet claimed one of the suspects yelled, Youre getting the shank White Boy, before the attack.

james.queally@latimes.com

matt.pearce@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California. Follow @mattdpearce for national news.

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UPDATES:

2:30 p.m.: This story was updated with information about the charges filed against the assailants.

11:45 a.m.: This story was updated with additional information about the suspects.

This story first published at 10:10 a.m.

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Two charged with attempted murder in stabbing of bodyguard of well-known alt-right figure - Los Angeles Times