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What is accelerationism, the white racist ideology that promotes power plant attacks

What is accelerationism, the white racist ideology that promotes power plant attacks



CNN

A man with “white supremacist beliefs” faces federal charges alleged conspiracy use an explosive-laden drone to blow up a Nashville energy facility “in support of its accelerator ideology,” the federal criminal complaint filed this week.

Accelerationism “refers to the white racist belief that the existing state of society is irreparable and that the only solution is the destruction and collapse of the ‘system,'” the complaint further states.

It is “based on the idea that steps can be taken to hasten the collapse of the system, namely the destruction of the US power grid, among other acts of violence.”

The US Department of Justice, after the arrest on Saturday in Nashville, 24-year-old Skyler Filippi, was charged with an attempt to use a weapon of mass destruction and an attempt to destroy an energy facility. said. He is being held without bail and is due back in court on Wednesday. His attorney told CNN he could not comment on the case.

The alleged Philippi plot that could have left thousands without power three days earlier US presidential electionThis is far from the first time that the American energy grid has been viewed in recent years as a target of extremistsincluding those devoted to accelerationism.

Electric utilities “have always taken substation security seriously,” said Patrick K. Miller, CEO of Ampyx Cyber, an energy consulting firm in Oregon. told CNN in 2023.

“I think we will continue to see it as a threat, but the dynamic may change a little bit change of administration (president).“, he added this week. “Historically, perceived or real disagreements with the administration have tended to fuel extremist activity, and I expect that will raise even more energy.”

Here’s what you need to know about the ideology of acceleratorism:

Accelerationism “is the belief that society has gone so wrong that it needs to be burned to the ground so that people can start over.” extremist and author JM Berger told CNN this week.

“Not everyone who uses accelerationist concepts will use the word to describe themselves,” he explained, adding that some take the theory loosely and often don’t plan coordinated accelerationist-motivated activities.

“Accelerationism is an idea,” Berger said, “not an organization.”

While ideas of accelerationism can be found in all political circles, the ideology is currently most popular among right-wing and white racist circles, Berger said.

“Feedled by the notion that the future of the white race is bleak, these white supremacists believe they must use any means necessary to hasten the collapse of the present system.” Anti-Defamation League talks about acceleratorism. “Solutions to destroy the system range from the most extreme form, violence, to deliberate political participation that supports destructive and divisive societal elements.”

Proponents of accelerationism believe that triggering a series of reactions – even those that may threaten the “white race” – can embolden and motivate other white racists, against hate said the group.

And while the ADL says elements of the principles of accelerationism can be traced back to Marxism, “the widespread use of the term is relatively recent, within the last 10 to 20 years,” Berger told CNN.

Ideology is often a popular topic in private chat rooms frequented by white supremacists, neo-Nazi groups, including Basewhich is a survival and self-defense network the leader of the group told CNN in 2020and is described as a militant neo-Nazi group using ADLs and Southern Poverty Law Center.

The rhetoric of accelerationism was also adopted at Fascist Forge, an online hate forum now removed from the web, where users discussed the “optimal” type of violence and the steps to take to hasten the “ultimate collapse”, ADL says.

Meanwhile, attacks on the US power grid have become the subject of talk of extremist groups, with rise in 2020that same year, a 14-page guide to low-tech attacks, including weapons, was circulated by extremist communications channels.

“Power grids are attractive because they are fairly soft targets that can affect a large number of people,” Berger said. “Some extremists are also targeting the power plants tentatively as a rehearsal for guerrilla warfare that will take place later.”

Last year, there were 13 “actual physical attacks” on energy facilities across the U.S. 25 reported in 2022, according to the Ministry of Energystatistics.

“(i)If you want to do the most damage as an accelerator, target high-economic, high-tax political areas in every major metropolitan area,” the defendant in the alleged conspiracy in Tennessee wrote to a confidential source in July, according to the criminal. the complaint was filed this week.

Filippi later told an undercover agent that he believed “an attack on power grids across the country … would bring down the power grid in the United States,” according to the complaint.

Philippi studied previous armed attacks accelerationists in North Carolina and California, he later told two undercover agents and concluded that “attacking electrical substations with rifles would not harm the substations,” the complaint said.

For utility operators, “something that hasn’t been addressed as much until recently is firearms, ballistics, drones and other threats from outside the substation fence,” said Miller, the security consultant. said in 2023, adding that “some planning and investment is needed to move to a more secure position.”

AND Bulletin of the Department of Homeland Security in November 2022 warned of threats from extremist groups to “create civil unrest and provoke further violence.” After a few days, shots rang out at two power stations about 45,000 homes and businesses are without power in North Carolina.

Although the motive remains unknown, the attacks may have been the work of domestic extremists who openly advocated attacking the vulnerable energy system, experts said at that time No arrests have been made in the case and the investigation is ongoing, Moore County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Andy Conway told CNN this week.

The FBI’s Charlotte field office is continuing its investigation along with the sheriff’s department and has no public update, CNN reported this week.