Jennifer Radlinsky, Camilla Raffaelli, Jacob Robison, Hae Lim Park
Archie Archie, Naureen Salim, Evan Beachler, Editor; Jennifer Loy, Chief Editor
November 5, 2024
Online Calls to Action[1]
Event: On November 5, 2024, statements were posted on Telegram and 4chan as a call to action among supporters of election rigging conspiracy theories.[2] Numerous messages on Telegram are pushing users to take an active role in protesting against election results that are preemptively being labeled as “rigged.”[3] The post calls on viewers to interrupt the allegedly stolen election and encourages them to “do your civic duty and fight to take your country back when they steal this election.”[4] Some users have sent messages referencing the country’s defense readiness condition, alleging that the US is in a state of high alert.
Significance: The narrative of electoral malfeasance by Democrats, including alleged ballot discarding and biased debate moderation, will likely spread widely across far-right and center-right channels. This spread is very likely to shape individual reactions to perceived fraud. Many far-right individuals will likely hesitate to act until election results become clearer, very likely taking violent action in the event of a Harris win while unlikely acting following a Trump win. In the event of a Harris win, electoral fraud narratives will almost certainly rapidly increase in quantity, likely intertwined with similar calls to action to circumvent the election results.
Calls to act or for preparedness to act will very likely reach tens of thousands of individuals, and will likely be engaged with by extremist individuals. These individuals will likely interact with and repost these calls, with some likely taking physical action against a target, likely including polling places or political buildings like the US Capitol. The dissemination to a large population very likely increases the odds the calls will reach individuals willing to commit violent action, who are likely seeking a perceived just cause and self-fulfilling purpose.
The wording of the Telegram messages will likely push individuals further along the pathway to violence, likely encouraging unconstitutional thoughts and threatening behaviors like bigotry and violence. Individuals on the verge of extremism will likely fully commit to their ideology and take action to reinforce their beliefs, likely in the form of political protest and violence. The wording likely implies Trump has won the election and that any signs of Harris winning are fraudulent, likely undermining counter-narratives and heightening the risk of retaliatory violence. The message authors are very likely exploiting the elevated public unrest to incite other extremists to act, likely framing messages in an oversimplified manner, such as suggesting violent action will reverse election results.
Recommendations
The Counterterrorism Group (CTG) recommends federal and state law enforcement monitor extremist channels on Telegram and 4chan for threatening posts and calls for action. Federal law enforcement should seek out encrypted and hidden channels while state law enforcement should monitor state-based extremist groups for activity.
Civilians exposed to calls to action should seriously consider the implications of violent action and refrain from acting. Disaffected voters should utilize peaceful protests and political lobbying while discouraging the use of violence to achieve their goals.
Civilians should be aware of the increased amount of misinformation and disinformation circulating online, taking steps to assess factuality and bias in social media and messaging apps through cross-referencing credible sources.
Federal and state law enforcement should increase their security on any public officials related to the election as groups and individuals active on Telegram and 4chan decide to call for action after the election results.
If there is any additional and or critical information please contact us at The Counterterrorism Group (CTG) by Telephone 202-643-2848 or email info@counterterrorismgroup.com
[1] Person Using Macbook Pro, generated by a third party database
[2] Threat Hunter on 4chan
[3] Threat Hunter on Telegram
[4] Ibid