On July 13, 2024, at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a 20-year-old gunman named Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire with an AR-pattern rifle from the rooftop of a nearby building. Crooks' bullets struck Trump in the right ear and hit numerous attendees at the rally, killing former Pennsylvania Fire Chief Corey Comperatore. Crooks was then shot and killed by Secret Service agents.
Little is known of Crooks' motive for his attempted assassination of former President Trump. Crooks appears to have little or no social media presence, and initial searches of his devices have shed no light on why he committed the attack.
An Image of Crooks Shared By The Bethel Park School District.
In the days following the attempted assassination, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, accelerationists, and incels have reacted on social media. Many have claimed that the attack would energize the Trump campaign and may help his chances in November. Others have used the attack to incite violence or promote civil war, while some have spread misinformation and conspiracy theories about the shooter and the incident, including claims that the Israeli Mossad was behind the attack or that the shooter was a member of “Antifa.”
The following report will highlight initial reactions to the attack from neo-Nazis and white supremacists online, including reactions from international extremists from Poland, Russia, Germany, France, and more.
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Calls For Retributive Violence Or Civil War
On July 13, a Gettr user called for the execution of several Democratic politicians, following the attempted assassination of former President Trump. The user wrote: "An Attempt to Kill Trump One Hour Ago! I want to see the following people face execution for Treason, the Guillotine is too good for these Treasonous Fucks! Killary Clinton Barrack Obama Joe Biden Nancy Pelosi Adam Schiff Chuck Schumer. We need these people's heads on platters at this point, you know they are behind this assassination attempt. America will never rest until these criminals are brought to Justice!"
Another user on Gettr threatened Kimberly Cheatle, head of the Secret Service, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, writing: "There is no other explanation other than that the Secret Service was in on the assassination attempt! It's glaringly obvious. How else could some random ANTIFA douche bag find and exploit that opening in the security perimeter? He knew exactly where to go… Then the SS snipers saw him and WAITED until he got five shots off before shooting him dead. The SS is a FEDERAL DEPARTMENT controlled by Alejandro Mayorkas, a known traitor and liar who is trying to destroy the US from within. Trump should do away with his SS protective detail and immediately hire BLACKWATER to protect him! And Mayorkas and Cheatel need to hang."
A prominent neo-Nazi published on Telegram on July 13, a post about the attempted assassination, writing: "Shits getting kinetic out there, huh. Hopefully some Maga dorks go shoot some shitlibs."
On Telegram, a fascist group forwarded a post on July 14 reacting to the attempted assassination. They wrote: "There is no political solution. You just witnessed history."
A Truth Social user wrote: "It is god damn time to put an end to these lunatics on the left. They want a civil war? They are damn sure asking for one."
Conspiracy Theories About the Attack: Israel Or The Jews Coordinated The Attack
On Telegram, a Russian Orthodox and antisemitic channel published a post, on July 15, claiming that a Jewish Antifa activist shot Donald Trump at the campaign rally. The post reiterates four times that the attacker was Jewish, adding that there is a YouTube video in which the attacker explains his motives.
Another Russian antisemitic channel published a graphic, on July 14, showing a Holocaust crematorium and a photo of Trump taken after the assassination attempt the day before. The text states that there is no difference between the two photos, since Jews use both for PR - meaning for political advantage. The channel wrote: "..after all, every candidate is a representative of a credit institution...and if you want to protect society from evil, then go with your claims to the credit institution..."
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