Blitz against online supremacism: 17 investigated, including 14 minors

They published posters about the massacres of supremacist attackers, glorifying Hitler or Brenton Tarrant, the perpetrator of attacks on mosques with dozens of deaths. But they also proposed techniques for actions or the construction of bombs. The ROS carabinieri and Digos agents carried out searches in various cities on 17 people - including 14 minors - accused of propaganda and incitement to crime for reasons of racial and religious discrimination, with aggravating circumstances of terrorism. Some of them participated in the social group 'Chat of the New European Order', others in the 'Italian Fascist Front' group, with posts against Jews, homosexuals and people of colour.

Checks throughout Italy

The activities, coordinated by the prosecutor's offices of Rome (ordinary and for minors) and Venice, involved various Italian regions.

All those under investigation are believed to belong to environments attributable to the accelerationist, supremacist and neo-Nazi area active on the web. The operation was carried out by the Carabinieri ROS, with the support of the provincial commands of Rome, Como, Catanzaro, Bologna, Milan, Reggio Emilia, Benevento, Genoa, Udine, Palermo and Trento and the agents of the Digos of Verona, coordinated by the Central Directorate of the prevention police and with the help of the Digos of Naples, Benevento, Brescia and Trento.

The investigation arises from the monitoring of social platforms and online channels frequented by individuals close to white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideology. The investigations made it possible to identify two distinct virtual groups in which, according to the investigators, extremist propaganda content and materials attributable to racist and anti-Semitic ideologies were systematically shared. Among the contents released are documents and posters attributed to the main perpetrators of supremacist attacks in recent years, with detailed descriptions of the massacres carried out and the weapons used.

Videos of known terrorists were also published in the groups, including Brenton Tarrant, author of the massacre in the Christchurch mosques, openly glorifying their actions.

The celebrations for the figure of Hitler

According to what emerged from the investigations, the users involved promoted and fueled hateful messages based on racism, anti-Semitism, gender discrimination and neo-Nazism, while at the same time celebrating the figure of Hitler, the SS, fascism and other symbols of the international supremacist galaxy.

The investigations also documented online gaming activities in which scenes of violence and killings against ethnic minorities were virtually reproduced. In some cases, detailed instructions for the construction of homemade explosive devices and operational indications to increase their offensive capacity were also shared, together with material dedicated to training and the use of bladed weapons and firearms.

Private social groups

Some of the suspects, in particular, actively participated in the private social group called 'Chat of the New European Order', through which numerous videos, images and documents were posted and shared attributable to the dissemination of propaganda themes of Nazi ideology, white supremacist, incitement to hatred against Jews and denial of the Holocaust.

Furthermore, posters published by the main Suprematist attackers and manuals for manufacturing homemade explosive devices were shared. Other suspects, however, are accused of participating in the Italian fascist Ffi-Fronte social group, in which racist messages and posts were shared, inciting hatred against Jews, blacks, homosexuals, Holocaust denial, videos of summary executions and massacres against ethnic minorities, propaganda from the supremacist group 'The Base', as well as self-training manuals and techniques for carrying out direct actions.

The searches allowed the seizure of sidearms, flags, banners and other material attributable to Nazi symbolism, as well as numerous electronic devices believed to be used for the dissemination of the contents under investigation. The investigations continue to define the role of each suspect and verify any further developments of the contested activities.