Jon Lewis
@jonlewis27.bsky.social
Research Fellow, Program on Extremism
Reposted by Jon Lewis
Research Fellow @jonlewis27.bsky.social was recently featured in an article from The Guardian that explores why some of the most recent acts of political violence exhibit the characteristic of leaving behind written messages on their weapons and ammunition.
‘It’s all performative’: why are shooters leaving messages on shell casings?
The use of markings on ammunition is a new trend of shooters trying to ensure their messages are disseminated publicly, experts say
www.theguardian.com
September 26, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Research Fellow @jonlewis27.bsky.social was recently featured in an article from The Guardian that explores why some of the most recent acts of political violence exhibit the characteristic of leaving behind written messages on their weapons and ammunition.
Reposted by Jon Lewis
FBI has been steadily diverting resources away from domestic terrorism investigations, decimating specialized units & discontinuing tools used to track extremism. the admin also gutted millions in federal terrorism-prevention grants. it's effectively abandoned the fight against homegrown violence.
“FBI agents reassigned to round up immigrants have had to walk away from investigations into violent predators who target and exploit children online, MSNBC has learned.” www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...
President Trump's deportations are diverting FBI agents off child predator cases
Officials warn that President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown is leaving domestic terrorists, including online extremists who prey on children, unpoliced.
www.msnbc.com
September 20, 2025 at 9:23 PM
FBI has been steadily diverting resources away from domestic terrorism investigations, decimating specialized units & discontinuing tools used to track extremism. the admin also gutted millions in federal terrorism-prevention grants. it's effectively abandoned the fight against homegrown violence.
Reposted by Jon Lewis
I wish things were at least less stupid if they had to be so dire
September 19, 2025 at 5:21 PM
I wish things were at least less stupid if they had to be so dire
Reposted by Jon Lewis
Spoke with @drewharwell.com over @washingtonpost.com about Internet culture, memes and how the rush to pin an ideology on Robinson was foolish. Happy to be quoted alongside other experts like @jaredlholt.bsky.social and @jmberger.com in this! They really know their stuff.
The internet culture behind the Kirk shooting suspect’s ‘big meme’
The Charlie Kirk shooter’s engravings have been mined for clues of a motive. For those steeped in meme culture, they show only that he was “terminally online.”
www.washingtonpost.com
September 19, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Spoke with @drewharwell.com over @washingtonpost.com about Internet culture, memes and how the rush to pin an ideology on Robinson was foolish. Happy to be quoted alongside other experts like @jaredlholt.bsky.social and @jmberger.com in this! They really know their stuff.
Reposted by Jon Lewis
Far-right fight nights are events bringing together combat fighting, extremist bands and merch, in an attempt to bring in new recruits and solidify existing relationships. @colborne.bsky.social locates the latest event for a California-based group: www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/09...
Geolocating an Active Club 'Fight Night' in San Diego
An orange wall helped Bellingcat identify the location of an annual far-right event attended by neo-Nazis and white nationalists.
www.bellingcat.com
September 15, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Far-right fight nights are events bringing together combat fighting, extremist bands and merch, in an attempt to bring in new recruits and solidify existing relationships. @colborne.bsky.social locates the latest event for a California-based group: www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/09...
Reposted by Jon Lewis
NEW from me: Toxic rhetoric, including calls for ‘civil war’ and retribution from the right, proliferates after Charlie Kirk killing www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...
Toxic rhetoric, including calls for ‘civil war’ and retribution, surges after Charlie Kirk killing
Kirk was known for sharing extreme and provocative positions online and in frequent on-campus appearances. His killing has sparked messages threatening violence.
www.nbcnews.com
September 12, 2025 at 10:24 PM
NEW from me: Toxic rhetoric, including calls for ‘civil war’ and retribution from the right, proliferates after Charlie Kirk killing www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...
Reposted by Jon Lewis
NEW @motherjones.com: Pardoned J6ers are using Kirk's killing to call for civil war
Stewart Rhodes will rebuild Oath Keepers; Proud Boys call for "retribution"; & ex-insurrectionists are coming "out of retirement."
Experts fear they could incite others to violence. W/ @kieraevebutler.bsky.social:
Stewart Rhodes will rebuild Oath Keepers; Proud Boys call for "retribution"; & ex-insurrectionists are coming "out of retirement."
Experts fear they could incite others to violence. W/ @kieraevebutler.bsky.social:
Pardoned insurrectionists are using Charlie Kirk’s death to call for civil war
“Charlie Kirk's assassination pulled me out of retirement. More work must be done.”
www.motherjones.com
September 11, 2025 at 10:31 PM
NEW @motherjones.com: Pardoned J6ers are using Kirk's killing to call for civil war
Stewart Rhodes will rebuild Oath Keepers; Proud Boys call for "retribution"; & ex-insurrectionists are coming "out of retirement."
Experts fear they could incite others to violence. W/ @kieraevebutler.bsky.social:
Stewart Rhodes will rebuild Oath Keepers; Proud Boys call for "retribution"; & ex-insurrectionists are coming "out of retirement."
Experts fear they could incite others to violence. W/ @kieraevebutler.bsky.social:
Reposted by Jon Lewis
“The singular message emerging from across the right is one of vengeance and retribution ... which only further increases the likelihood of retaliatory vigilante violence,” said @jonlewis27.bsky.social, a research fellow at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.
who needs fringe extremist groups when the calls for war, retribution and violence are coming from the mainstream?
my latest for @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
my latest for @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Far-right commentators echo Trump in calling for ‘vengeance and retribution’ for Charlie Kirk’s death
Even as the suspect and motive remain unknown, incendiary rhetoric from major political commentators spread rapidly online and Trump blamed the left
www.theguardian.com
September 12, 2025 at 8:08 PM
“The singular message emerging from across the right is one of vengeance and retribution ... which only further increases the likelihood of retaliatory vigilante violence,” said @jonlewis27.bsky.social, a research fellow at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.
Reposted by Jon Lewis
I wrote for @msnbc.com about what the engravings on the shell casings of Kirk’s shooter represent and where the references originated. Given what we know so far, they suggest a young man who had his brain fried by the irony poisoned, anti-social nature of certain aspects of online culture. /1
Opinion | What the shell casings in the assassination of Charlie Kirk do – and don't – tell us
There have been a string of shootings in the past year where the performance of online culture played a key role.
www.msnbc.com
September 14, 2025 at 11:44 AM
I wrote for @msnbc.com about what the engravings on the shell casings of Kirk’s shooter represent and where the references originated. Given what we know so far, they suggest a young man who had his brain fried by the irony poisoned, anti-social nature of certain aspects of online culture. /1
Reposted by Jon Lewis
A must-read by Jordan Green:
“Some neo-Nazis are heralding Kirk’s death as an opportunity for accelerationism — the idea that a moment of heightened political tension can open the door to tit-for-tat violence, creating conditions for revolutionary upheaval.”
www.alternet.org/amp/violence...
“Some neo-Nazis are heralding Kirk’s death as an opportunity for accelerationism — the idea that a moment of heightened political tension can open the door to tit-for-tat violence, creating conditions for revolutionary upheaval.”
www.alternet.org/amp/violence...
'The reckoning we need': Radicals threaten violence after Charlie Kirk killing
www.alternet.org
September 13, 2025 at 11:56 AM
A must-read by Jordan Green:
“Some neo-Nazis are heralding Kirk’s death as an opportunity for accelerationism — the idea that a moment of heightened political tension can open the door to tit-for-tat violence, creating conditions for revolutionary upheaval.”
www.alternet.org/amp/violence...
“Some neo-Nazis are heralding Kirk’s death as an opportunity for accelerationism — the idea that a moment of heightened political tension can open the door to tit-for-tat violence, creating conditions for revolutionary upheaval.”
www.alternet.org/amp/violence...
Reposted by Jon Lewis
said it yesterday but the people who commit this violence increasingly show us that they deeply understand how our information ecosystems process it. It appears to be part of the appeal for them. And yet the response doesn't really change. www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
September 13, 2025 at 1:32 PM
said it yesterday but the people who commit this violence increasingly show us that they deeply understand how our information ecosystems process it. It appears to be part of the appeal for them. And yet the response doesn't really change. www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Reposted by Jon Lewis
NEW: Bullets Found After the Charlie Kirk Shooting Carried Messages. Here’s What They Mean
w/ @megannicolett.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/charli...
w/ @megannicolett.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/charli...
Bullets Found After the Charlie Kirk Shooting Carried Messages. Here’s What They Mean
The inscriptions on bullets recovered near the scene of Charlie Kirk's murder appear to reference video games like ‘Helldivers 2’ and online furry roleplay, not a legible political ideology.
www.wired.com
September 12, 2025 at 10:37 PM
NEW: Bullets Found After the Charlie Kirk Shooting Carried Messages. Here’s What They Mean
w/ @megannicolett.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/charli...
w/ @megannicolett.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/charli...
Reposted by Jon Lewis
Most terminally online people who commit violence aren't connected to O9A or 764; these are fairly specific things and not just "violent people who spent too much time on the computer"
September 13, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Most terminally online people who commit violence aren't connected to O9A or 764; these are fairly specific things and not just "violent people who spent too much time on the computer"
Reposted by Jon Lewis
A lot of people who are generally smart and have good thoughts about internet culture have kinda filed 764 into just a more intense version of "internet culture" which doesn't really describe what they are and what they do, even if the internet is involved. It makes for misleading analysis.
September 13, 2025 at 2:07 AM
A lot of people who are generally smart and have good thoughts about internet culture have kinda filed 764 into just a more intense version of "internet culture" which doesn't really describe what they are and what they do, even if the internet is involved. It makes for misleading analysis.
Reposted by Jon Lewis
“The crusade to silence any voices that may not conform to the hagiography has unfolded quickly.”
NEW: I wrote about the ways that government and elected officials are threatening to have people fired or disciplined who post mean things about Charlie Kirk or are perceived to be celebrating his death www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The full weight of the federal government is being used to memorialize Charlie Kirk
And to punish those who speak ill of him.
www.motherjones.com
September 12, 2025 at 10:09 PM
“The crusade to silence any voices that may not conform to the hagiography has unfolded quickly.”
Reposted by Jon Lewis
“Especially for people who already assaulted law enforcement on January 6 and were pardoned, there is certainly going to be an expectation that, if they answer the call again, they could have the same outcome," @jonlewis27.bsky.social said.
NEW @motherjones.com: Pardoned J6ers are using Kirk's killing to call for civil war
Stewart Rhodes will rebuild Oath Keepers; Proud Boys call for "retribution"; & ex-insurrectionists are coming "out of retirement."
Experts fear they could incite others to violence. W/ @kieraevebutler.bsky.social:
Stewart Rhodes will rebuild Oath Keepers; Proud Boys call for "retribution"; & ex-insurrectionists are coming "out of retirement."
Experts fear they could incite others to violence. W/ @kieraevebutler.bsky.social:
Pardoned insurrectionists are using Charlie Kirk’s death to call for civil war
“Charlie Kirk's assassination pulled me out of retirement. More work must be done.”
www.motherjones.com
September 11, 2025 at 10:48 PM
“Especially for people who already assaulted law enforcement on January 6 and were pardoned, there is certainly going to be an expectation that, if they answer the call again, they could have the same outcome," @jonlewis27.bsky.social said.
Reposted by Jon Lewis
Experts see this as mostly more grifting from J6ers.
But that doesn't mean it's not still dangerous.
“They’re now being told that the same people who tried to steal this country away from you just killed Charlie Kirk,” @jonlewis27.bsky.social told me, "& someone has to do something about that.”
But that doesn't mean it's not still dangerous.
“They’re now being told that the same people who tried to steal this country away from you just killed Charlie Kirk,” @jonlewis27.bsky.social told me, "& someone has to do something about that.”
September 11, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Experts see this as mostly more grifting from J6ers.
But that doesn't mean it's not still dangerous.
“They’re now being told that the same people who tried to steal this country away from you just killed Charlie Kirk,” @jonlewis27.bsky.social told me, "& someone has to do something about that.”
But that doesn't mean it's not still dangerous.
“They’re now being told that the same people who tried to steal this country away from you just killed Charlie Kirk,” @jonlewis27.bsky.social told me, "& someone has to do something about that.”
Reposted by Jon Lewis
In 2015, Alex Jones spent a year spinning paranoid stories of US troops planning to enact martial law, assist a Chinese invasion, and execute dissenters in "death domes."
In 2025, troops are in the streets, and Alex Jones couldn't be happier.
themikerothschild.com/2025/08/27/j...
In 2025, troops are in the streets, and Alex Jones couldn't be happier.
themikerothschild.com/2025/08/27/j...
Jade Helm 15, Ten Years Later
Ten years ago, the far right conspiracy world went bonkers over the supposed military takeover of Jade Helm 15. Turns out that they were for it the whole time.
themikerothschild.com
August 27, 2025 at 3:49 PM
In 2015, Alex Jones spent a year spinning paranoid stories of US troops planning to enact martial law, assist a Chinese invasion, and execute dissenters in "death domes."
In 2025, troops are in the streets, and Alex Jones couldn't be happier.
themikerothschild.com/2025/08/27/j...
In 2025, troops are in the streets, and Alex Jones couldn't be happier.
themikerothschild.com/2025/08/27/j...
Reposted by Jon Lewis
Once upon a time, there were these groups that we called Anti-Government Extremists, who would become violently exercised over things like this. Wonder what happened to those guys?*
* They will be the federal police force now. They didn't object to tyranny, they objected to not being the tyrants.
* They will be the federal police force now. They didn't object to tyranny, they objected to not being the tyrants.
Yes. Collapsing all fed law enforcement into one undifferentiated, untrained, masked force.
"Agents said they worried the changes would transform the FBI from an investigative agency focused on national security into something more akin to a federal police force..."
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/u...
"Agents said they worried the changes would transform the FBI from an investigative agency focused on national security into something more akin to a federal police force..."
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/u...
F.B.I. Plans to Lower Recruiting Standards, Alarming Agents
www.nytimes.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Once upon a time, there were these groups that we called Anti-Government Extremists, who would become violently exercised over things like this. Wonder what happened to those guys?*
* They will be the federal police force now. They didn't object to tyranny, they objected to not being the tyrants.
* They will be the federal police force now. They didn't object to tyranny, they objected to not being the tyrants.
Reposted by Jon Lewis
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS MEME IS ACTUALLY FUCKING REAL NOW ARE YOU KIDDING
August 21, 2025 at 10:27 PM
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS MEME IS ACTUALLY FUCKING REAL NOW ARE YOU KIDDING
Reposted by Jon Lewis
What's gone unsaid in all this talk about homeless people in DC is that so many in the Capital are veterans who are now having the military aimed back at them for the crime of being poor.
REPORTER: Why are troops stationed here at Union Station and at the National Mall instead of areas where crime is higher?
JD VANCE: Crime is actually extremely high here at Union Station. You have vagrants.
JD VANCE: Crime is actually extremely high here at Union Station. You have vagrants.
August 20, 2025 at 7:48 PM
What's gone unsaid in all this talk about homeless people in DC is that so many in the Capital are veterans who are now having the military aimed back at them for the crime of being poor.