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Identitarian Surge, History Defended, Extremist Jake Lang profiled, and Election Distrust
New from GPAHE: As Social Media Platforms Ditched Content Moderation, the White Nationalist Identitarianism Movement Exploded
GPAHE released a new investigation documenting the rapid growth of the Identitarian movement, a transnational white nationalist network built around the racist “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory. The report finds that the movement has expanded significantly beyond its European roots, building a global presence, dramatically increasing its online reach, and forging connections with influential political actors and organizations in Europe and the United States.
GPAHE’s research identified 37 active Generation Identity chapters across Europe, 143 Identitarian organizations and movements operating worldwide, and 16 European political parties campaigning on remigration policies and white supremacist narratives. The investigation also found that Identitarian-affiliated social media accounts have experienced a 70 percent increase in followers recently, reaching more than 11 million followers across major platforms. Instagram and X saw the largest growth, underscoring how changes to platform moderation policies have enabled extremist networks to expand their audiences.
The “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, which falsely claims that white populations are being intentionally replaced by immigrants and minority groups, has been linked to numerous acts of extremist violence targeting immigrants, Muslims, Jews, Black communities, and LGBTQ+ communities.
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New from GPAHE: See Something, Say Something
Thousands of Americans used a Trump administration tip line intended to identify “anti-American” content in National Parks to do just the opposite: defend history, criticize censorship, and protest cuts to the National Park Service. From calls to preserve Native American history to complaints about ranger shortages and attempts to impose authoritarian rule, the comments reveal widespread resistance to Trump’s attempts to rewrite the nation’s history. A federal judge has since ordered the administration to restore removed historical content, calling the effort a “dangerous precedent of censorship and sanitization.”
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New from GPAHE: Racist Jan. 6 Rioter Jake Lang’s “Crusade”
After receiving a presidential pardon for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack, Jake Lang quickly reemerged as a prominent figure in the extremist far-right movement. Over the past year, he has organized anti-Muslim demonstrations, harassed religious communities, promoted white nationalist “remigration” ideology, and built a network of supporters under the banner of his self-described “Crusaders.” His activities have drawn increasing attention from law enforcement, resulting in multiple arrests, criminal charges, and allegations of threats and intimidation, while highlighting the growing visibility of extremist actors once associated with the Capitol insurrection.
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Common Dreams: Voter Fears Grow as Trump Continues to Lie about Election Integrity
As President Trump continues to promote unfounded claims of election fraud, new polling from GPAHE reveals a growing crisis of confidence in American democracy. In this op-ed, GPAHE co-founders Wendy Via and Heidi Beirich examine data showing that 44% of Americans lack confidence in free and fair elections, while fears of voter intimidation, political violence, and election-related unrest remain widespread. The survey also found that 15% of voters would leave without casting a ballot if they experienced or witnessed harassment at the polls, with even higher rates among Black and Latino voters. The findings suggest that years of false election narratives have broken trust in democratic institutions and left many Americans feeling unsafe participating in civic life, underscoring the need for stronger protections for voters and greater efforts to combat election misinformation.
