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The insurrectionist attack on the US Capitol was not spontaneous.
@dfrlab & @just_security are publishing the most comprehensive report to date on the “Stop the Steal” campaign, spanning from the 2016 primaries to the Capitol in 2021.
https://www.justsecurity.org/74622/stopthesteal-a-social-media-timeline
@dfrlab & @just_security are publishing the most comprehensive report to date on the “Stop the Steal” campaign, spanning from the 2016 primaries to the Capitol in 2021.
https://www.justsecurity.org/74622/stopthesteal-a-social-media-timeline
The @dfrlab constructed a timeline of key events centered around the "Stop the Steal" campaign, election #disinformation, and calls to violence. All evidence in our report was found through open-source investigatory techniques.
“Put simply, the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol would likely have not occurred if not for Trump’s explicit and tacit encouragement of the Stop the Steal movement.”
Those responsible for amplifying false narratives of a “stolen” election were not monolithic. They included passionate Trump supporters, QAnon adherents, unlawful militias, and the neo-fascist Proud Boys.
Online, these groups often overlapped with each other.
Online, these groups often overlapped with each other.
On Jan. 4, two days before the attack, more than 50% of top posts on "TheDonald" forum contained calls for violence in the top five responses, according to nonprofit Advance Democracy. Users on the forum openly fantasized about storming congressional offices.
“Trump supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 are irreversibly seared into American history.”
The insurrection was the culmination of years of #disinformation, hyperbolic rhetoric, and conspiracy theories promoted by far-right influencers escalating to violence.
The insurrection was the culmination of years of #disinformation, hyperbolic rhetoric, and conspiracy theories promoted by far-right influencers escalating to violence.
This thread contains only a few examples of the hundreds included in the full report. The timeline is built on the tremendous work of a large dedicated team, who waded through harmful online material and safely preserved it.
Read it in @just_security: https://www.justsecurity.org/74622/stopthesteal-a-social-media-timeline
Read it in @just_security: https://www.justsecurity.org/74622/stopthesteal-a-social-media-timeline
This report was written by @jaredlholt and edited by @acarvin, @GrahamBrookie, @zkharazian, and @etbrooking. Additional research by @jacqumalaret, @AlyssaKann, @maxbrizzuto, and @jean_leroux. Thank you to @just_security for their partnership on the production of this report.
