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We’re digging into the details of this horrific massacre that unfolded overnight (US time) in New Zealand. There is a 74 page manifesto in which the alleged killer described his aims, motivations, etc. There are some oddities to the document in that it combines explicit declarations of support for some of the most notorious racist, anti-immigrant murderers of the early 21st century. It is also filled with some of what we might commonly on social media call trolling, sarcastically or provocatively overstated comments. We shouldn’t see this as in conflict. It’s a mode of expression deeply rooted in the subculture. But I want to take some time to describe how deeply tied this killer’s worldview, politics and aims are rooted in the rightist anti-immigrant politics which are now mainstreamed in the United States
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