Dr Rob Wray
@drrobwray.bsky.social
Action Head | Counter Extremism | SECRPOL
PhD PsyD CTE TAdv MRes MA(Glas) BPsS BSc(Psych)
Behavioural Psychologist | Threat Advisor
Data Clan 🟩 CxO Director
BAFFLE🎙️Podcast Host
PhD PsyD CTE TAdv MRes MA(Glas) BPsS BSc(Psych)
Behavioural Psychologist | Threat Advisor
Data Clan 🟩 CxO Director
BAFFLE🎙️Podcast Host
Pinned
Dr Rob Wray
@drrobwray.bsky.social
· Sep 6
In fairly short order, the far right have gone from fringe lunatics to a supermarket ideology: different aisles for different resentments, all under one roof of hate. Cheap conspiracies. Hyper-masculinity. Cultural grievance. Violence. And its rubbing off on our kids www.linkedin.com/posts/drrobw...
Reposted by Dr Rob Wray
ONLINE | ITV News and GPAHE uncovered extremist content on Roblox — a platform for kids as young as seven.
They found games simulating mosque shootings, school attacks, and white nationalist propaganda, with players bragging about giving a “taste of white nationalism.”
apple.news/A89OP4phcQz2...
They found games simulating mosque shootings, school attacks, and white nationalist propaganda, with players bragging about giving a “taste of white nationalism.”
apple.news/A89OP4phcQz2...
Mosque shootings and far-right skins: Teens playing Roblox exposed to extremist content — ITV News
The evidence forms part of an ongoing investigation by ITV News into the gaming platform Roblox, with experts warning parents not to allow their children to use the platform, as George Hancorn reports
apple.news
November 15, 2025 at 2:11 AM
ONLINE | ITV News and GPAHE uncovered extremist content on Roblox — a platform for kids as young as seven.
They found games simulating mosque shootings, school attacks, and white nationalist propaganda, with players bragging about giving a “taste of white nationalism.”
apple.news/A89OP4phcQz2...
They found games simulating mosque shootings, school attacks, and white nationalist propaganda, with players bragging about giving a “taste of white nationalism.”
apple.news/A89OP4phcQz2...
A battle over extremism - MAGA movement plunges into its own civil war.
Good stuff.
apple.news/AUuY7isgdTeO...
Good stuff.
apple.news/AUuY7isgdTeO...
MAGA civil war: How a white nationalist blew up the American right — AFP News
It began as a simple stunt -- a long, provocative chat between two lightning rods of the American right. The goal: spark debate, go viral and maybe boost their brands.
apple.news
November 15, 2025 at 2:01 AM
A battle over extremism - MAGA movement plunges into its own civil war.
Good stuff.
apple.news/AUuY7isgdTeO...
Good stuff.
apple.news/AUuY7isgdTeO...
White supremacist groups pose a growing threat. Interviews with 15 former members show people stay not just for ideology but for belonging, importance, empowerment, and emotional intensity.
We must offer prosocial ways to meet these needs.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
We must offer prosocial ways to meet these needs.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
“We had a lot of fun”: Psychological rewards of white supremacy group membership
White supremacist organizations pose a serious and growing threat to democracy and public safety. This article analyzes nonideological ways in which these groups attract and maintain membership. The ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:51 AM
White supremacist groups pose a growing threat. Interviews with 15 former members show people stay not just for ideology but for belonging, importance, empowerment, and emotional intensity.
We must offer prosocial ways to meet these needs.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
We must offer prosocial ways to meet these needs.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Neil Basu, the former head of UK counter-terrorism policing, has warned of a "disturbing" escalation in global white supremacist networks.
apple.news/AHw4hSKLsQZ-...
apple.news/AHw4hSKLsQZ-...
ITV News investigation shows 'new elevation' of far-right threat in UK — ITV News
An ITV News investigation on Wednesday revealed that a neo-Nazi employed as a tour guide at Buckingham Palace had boasted of his links to American far-right leaders.
apple.news
November 14, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Neil Basu, the former head of UK counter-terrorism policing, has warned of a "disturbing" escalation in global white supremacist networks.
apple.news/AHw4hSKLsQZ-...
apple.news/AHw4hSKLsQZ-...
Reposted by Dr Rob Wray
Ireland’s media regulator is probing content moderation policies on the social media platform X.
Ireland launches investigation into Elon Musk’s X on content moderatio
Ireland’s media regulator is probing content moderation policies on the social media platform X.
l.euronews.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Ireland’s media regulator is probing content moderation policies on the social media platform X.
On 8 July, 2025, Grok began posting content praising Adolf Hitler, antisemitic stereotypes, and referring to itself as “MechaHitler”.
Before these concerns on X, Gab’s AI bot had been observed generating Holocaust denial and other conspiracy theorist content.
crestresearch.ac.uk/comment/tech...
Before these concerns on X, Gab’s AI bot had been observed generating Holocaust denial and other conspiracy theorist content.
crestresearch.ac.uk/comment/tech...
Technology Evolves the Tactics: Preparing for the Rise of Terrorist AI Harms
Terrorist groups, like the societies they emerge from, adapt to new technologies. As AI capabilities evolve, so too do the tactics of extremist actors. While the full effects may take years to observe...
crestresearch.ac.uk
November 13, 2025 at 9:36 PM
On 8 July, 2025, Grok began posting content praising Adolf Hitler, antisemitic stereotypes, and referring to itself as “MechaHitler”.
Before these concerns on X, Gab’s AI bot had been observed generating Holocaust denial and other conspiracy theorist content.
crestresearch.ac.uk/comment/tech...
Before these concerns on X, Gab’s AI bot had been observed generating Holocaust denial and other conspiracy theorist content.
crestresearch.ac.uk/comment/tech...
Trump strategy to divide the world between the ‘good right’ and ‘bad left’. It makes no sense unless you see it in the light of blackening the name of anyone with centre left or progressive views
US | The US state department has announced that it will designate four European self-described anti-fascist groups as Foreign Terrorist Organisations, as the Trump administration broadens its campaign against what it portrays as an international wave of leftist violence.
apple.news/AhLDsebJKRj2...
apple.news/AhLDsebJKRj2...
US designates four European anti-fascist groups as terrorist threats — The Guardian
State department claims groups in Germany, Italy and Greece ‘conspiring to undermine foundations of western civilization’
apple.news
November 13, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Trump strategy to divide the world between the ‘good right’ and ‘bad left’. It makes no sense unless you see it in the light of blackening the name of anyone with centre left or progressive views
Reposted by Dr Rob Wray
✊ We are hiring!
The HOPE not hate team is growing and we’re looking to recruit for the following roles:
• Investigative Journalist (Europe)
• Community Tensions Researcher
Find out more and apply here: hopenothate.org.uk/about-us/car...
The HOPE not hate team is growing and we’re looking to recruit for the following roles:
• Investigative Journalist (Europe)
• Community Tensions Researcher
Find out more and apply here: hopenothate.org.uk/about-us/car...
November 13, 2025 at 4:56 PM
✊ We are hiring!
The HOPE not hate team is growing and we’re looking to recruit for the following roles:
• Investigative Journalist (Europe)
• Community Tensions Researcher
Find out more and apply here: hopenothate.org.uk/about-us/car...
The HOPE not hate team is growing and we’re looking to recruit for the following roles:
• Investigative Journalist (Europe)
• Community Tensions Researcher
Find out more and apply here: hopenothate.org.uk/about-us/car...
Younger Spaniards are increasingly turning to the right-wing populist party. The survey found 29 per cent of Vox voters were aged 18-24, whereas only 9.9 per cent were aged over 65.
apple.news/AVASepIGJQ46...
apple.news/AVASepIGJQ46...
Why Spain's Gen Z is turning against migrants — The i Paper
Nearly a third of voters for Spain's main far-right party are aged 18-24, one poll found
apple.news
November 13, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Younger Spaniards are increasingly turning to the right-wing populist party. The survey found 29 per cent of Vox voters were aged 18-24, whereas only 9.9 per cent were aged over 65.
apple.news/AVASepIGJQ46...
apple.news/AVASepIGJQ46...
Historically, terrorism has been defined as violence to further an ideological goal. Under Trump, protestors and activists to progressive donors and politicians have been cast as terrorists even when there’s no evidence to back their involvement in violent acts.
inkstickmedia.com/trumps-terro...
inkstickmedia.com/trumps-terro...
Trump's 'Terrorism' Narrative Puts Dissent in the Crosshairs
Donald Trump's administration is accusing its opponents of supporting terrorism, but cities around the US are fighting back.
inkstickmedia.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Historically, terrorism has been defined as violence to further an ideological goal. Under Trump, protestors and activists to progressive donors and politicians have been cast as terrorists even when there’s no evidence to back their involvement in violent acts.
inkstickmedia.com/trumps-terro...
inkstickmedia.com/trumps-terro...
In March, the FBI issued a public service announcement warning of "violent online networks," such as 764 and CVLT, that target minors and other vulnerable individuals.
NPR's @oyousef.bsky.social covers the story of a mother determined to save her son from nihilistic violent extremists and the struggles she faced finding providers who understood the signals and risks. Our Executive Director @mattkriner.bsky.social provides context
www.npr.org/2025/08/06/n...
www.npr.org/2025/08/06/n...
Nihilistic online networks groom minors to commit harm. Her son was one of them
When Dana's son was hospitalized last year, it led her to a path of discovery about predatory online networks that groom children into harming themselves and others. Their reach is global and growing.
www.npr.org
November 12, 2025 at 10:48 PM
In March, the FBI issued a public service announcement warning of "violent online networks," such as 764 and CVLT, that target minors and other vulnerable individuals.
Reposted by Dr Rob Wray
A Cuban immigrant held in a Torrance County immigrant detention center faces a key court hearing Thursday without what he described as crucial legal documents to help him avoid deportation.
"If I go back to Cuba, my life will be in danger,” he said.
buff.ly/VyxZZPZ
"If I go back to Cuba, my life will be in danger,” he said.
buff.ly/VyxZZPZ
Trump-supporting Cuban dissident says NM ICE lockup denied him legal documents • Source New Mexico
His allegations of denied access to lawyers and legal materials occur as the facility, one of three ICE lockups in the state, operates without a contract.
sourcenm.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:22 PM
A Cuban immigrant held in a Torrance County immigrant detention center faces a key court hearing Thursday without what he described as crucial legal documents to help him avoid deportation.
"If I go back to Cuba, my life will be in danger,” he said.
buff.ly/VyxZZPZ
"If I go back to Cuba, my life will be in danger,” he said.
buff.ly/VyxZZPZ
In recent years, a network of well-funded conservative organisations has driven a coordinated campaign to roll back LGBTQ+ rights under the guise of “religious freedom,” “parental rights,” and “protecting children.”
What? Who are these people?
It’s this lot…
apple.news/Arahd0ap3QW-...
What? Who are these people?
It’s this lot…
apple.news/Arahd0ap3QW-...
12 far-right groups with extreme anti-LGBTQ+ positions that threaten civil rights — Advocate
These groups have made it their mission to strip LGBTQ+ people of hard-fought rights the community has secured.
apple.news
November 12, 2025 at 10:36 PM
In recent years, a network of well-funded conservative organisations has driven a coordinated campaign to roll back LGBTQ+ rights under the guise of “religious freedom,” “parental rights,” and “protecting children.”
What? Who are these people?
It’s this lot…
apple.news/Arahd0ap3QW-...
What? Who are these people?
It’s this lot…
apple.news/Arahd0ap3QW-...
Earlier this year, Active Club England had at least 100 members and eight chapters across the UK, though numbers are now likely to be higher.
US | Active Club is a Neo-Nazi network that is built around white supremacist ideology and presents itself as a community focused on fitness and fraternity.
Members see themselves as patriotic crusaders who are training for a so-called “race war”.
apple.news/AVDyZdgcGS6C...
Members see themselves as patriotic crusaders who are training for a so-called “race war”.
apple.news/AVDyZdgcGS6C...
Active Club and Vanguard Britannica: How British Neo-Nazis are going global — ITV News
In September, a group of America’s most notorious white supremacists met at an undisclosed venue in Texas.
apple.news
November 12, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Earlier this year, Active Club England had at least 100 members and eight chapters across the UK, though numbers are now likely to be higher.
Worth a read.. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Leveraging social media intelligence (SOCMINT) in the African intelligence context
The development of social media has transformed human communication and altered the security landscape. Intelligence organisations must recognise this change an incorporate social media in collecti...
www.tandfonline.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Worth a read.. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Dr Rob Wray
JPICT are very excited to announce our latest Call for Papers, a series of forum publications under the theme "Upheaval: Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism in a Changing World." We welcome short papers designed to foster a dynamic conversation ➡️ think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu...
April 9, 2025 at 7:27 AM
JPICT are very excited to announce our latest Call for Papers, a series of forum publications under the theme "Upheaval: Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism in a Changing World." We welcome short papers designed to foster a dynamic conversation ➡️ think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu...
Reposted by Dr Rob Wray
🚨On Halloween, ‘concerned citizens’ in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, shot fireworks at a hotel housing asylum seekers and encouraged residents to commit suicide during a protest, showing the ugly face of anti-migrant hate.⬇️
November 7, 2025 at 10:35 AM
🚨On Halloween, ‘concerned citizens’ in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, shot fireworks at a hotel housing asylum seekers and encouraged residents to commit suicide during a protest, showing the ugly face of anti-migrant hate.⬇️
Reposted by Dr Rob Wray
UK | The danger lies not only in the far right’s new ability to organise but in the climate that sustains it - a politics of grievance, an online world of fury, and public debates where the language of extremism, to some, doesn’t always sound so out of place.
apple.news/Ad0xvJHFMT42...
apple.news/Ad0xvJHFMT42...
The face of British fascism is changing — it's calm, clever, and dangerously convincing — ITV News
On a quiet suburban street, Matthew Gravill — a man who had spent years avoiding attention, blurring his face online and hiding behind aliases — bolted.
apple.news
November 12, 2025 at 6:44 PM
UK | The danger lies not only in the far right’s new ability to organise but in the climate that sustains it - a politics of grievance, an online world of fury, and public debates where the language of extremism, to some, doesn’t always sound so out of place.
apple.news/Ad0xvJHFMT42...
apple.news/Ad0xvJHFMT42...
Epping Council lost High Court bid to block asylum seekers being housed in the Bell.
Noting the council offered no evidence to back claims that asylum seekers are more likely to commit crime - the beak said:
“There is no such evidence before the court”.
Exactly.
apple.news/AsShD5LdoSRm...
Noting the council offered no evidence to back claims that asylum seekers are more likely to commit crime - the beak said:
“There is no such evidence before the court”.
Exactly.
apple.news/AsShD5LdoSRm...
Asylum seekers can stay at Epping Hotel, rules High Court judge in major blow to local campaigners — The Standard
The owners of the Epping hotel fought against an injunction for breaching planning law
apple.news
November 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Epping Council lost High Court bid to block asylum seekers being housed in the Bell.
Noting the council offered no evidence to back claims that asylum seekers are more likely to commit crime - the beak said:
“There is no such evidence before the court”.
Exactly.
apple.news/AsShD5LdoSRm...
Noting the council offered no evidence to back claims that asylum seekers are more likely to commit crime - the beak said:
“There is no such evidence before the court”.
Exactly.
apple.news/AsShD5LdoSRm...
I wish I was making this up..
A new far-right francophone political party named after US President Donald Trump has been launched in Belgium.
apple.news/AZmiUt8jNRWS...
A new far-right francophone political party named after US President Donald Trump has been launched in Belgium.
apple.news/AZmiUt8jNRWS...
New far-right party named after Trump launches in Belgium — Euronews
apple.news
November 11, 2025 at 4:42 PM
I wish I was making this up..
A new far-right francophone political party named after US President Donald Trump has been launched in Belgium.
apple.news/AZmiUt8jNRWS...
A new far-right francophone political party named after US President Donald Trump has been launched in Belgium.
apple.news/AZmiUt8jNRWS...
“One group with 50k+ followers even pledges to “hunt down Muslims,” draped in Christian imagery”.
Moses wept.
Moses wept.
UK | Many on the hard & far right now fuse anti-Islam rhetoric with a crusading Christian identity — turning culture wars into a “clash of civilisations.”
UKIP vows to “declare war on radical Islam” & “put Christianity back at the heart of government.”
apple.news/A7t_9B0nhT22...
UKIP vows to “declare war on radical Islam” & “put Christianity back at the heart of government.”
apple.news/A7t_9B0nhT22...
A right-wing movement that has marched against immigration is now marching behind the cross — Sky News
A new type of Christianity - more militant, more political - is on the rise. But some in the Church of England claim this is a
apple.news
November 10, 2025 at 9:02 PM
“One group with 50k+ followers even pledges to “hunt down Muslims,” draped in Christian imagery”.
Moses wept.
Moses wept.
“Violent innocence” captures how systems cause harm while insisting it’s out of their hands.
The last shutdown proved it: officials claimed helplessness, but legal experts & past actions showed SNAP funding could’ve stayed open.
www.linkedin.com/posts/drrobw...
The last shutdown proved it: officials claimed helplessness, but legal experts & past actions showed SNAP funding could’ve stayed open.
www.linkedin.com/posts/drrobw...
Psychologists Have A Term For How Republicans Justify Their Harmful Policies And It's Disturbingly Accurate — BuzzFeed | Dr Rob Wray
“Violent innocence” describes how individuals or institutions can inflict deep harm while maintaining a façade of moral neutrality — or even ignorance — about the consequences of their actions.
As fa...
www.linkedin.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:40 PM
“Violent innocence” captures how systems cause harm while insisting it’s out of their hands.
The last shutdown proved it: officials claimed helplessness, but legal experts & past actions showed SNAP funding could’ve stayed open.
www.linkedin.com/posts/drrobw...
The last shutdown proved it: officials claimed helplessness, but legal experts & past actions showed SNAP funding could’ve stayed open.
www.linkedin.com/posts/drrobw...
This framework emphasises the multicausal, socially embedded, and psychological interactions that shape radicalisation.
pt.icct.nl/article/beyo...
pt.icct.nl/article/beyo...
Beyond Antecedents: The Application of Reciprocal Determinism to Understanding Radicalisation Process(es) | Perspectives on Terrorism
This article proposes a novel theoretical framework for (re)conceptualising the process(es) of radicalisation. Whilst the concept of radicalisation, as a social and psychological process, has been ubi...
pt.icct.nl
November 9, 2025 at 10:52 AM
This framework emphasises the multicausal, socially embedded, and psychological interactions that shape radicalisation.
pt.icct.nl/article/beyo...
pt.icct.nl/article/beyo...
British Muslims — especially women and young people — are feeling increasingly unsafe as hostility and racism grow across the UK, warns Akeela Ahmed, CEO of the British Muslim Trust (BMT).
UK | “Dehumanising” rhetoric from politicians and social media activists has seen Islamophobia become “normalised” and is fuelling a rise in anti-muslim hate across the UK.
apple.news/A5Code6nqQ2u...
apple.news/A5Code6nqQ2u...
‘Our place is being questioned’: British Muslims warn Islamophobia has become 'normalised' across the UK — LBC
“Dehumanising” rhetoric from politicians and social media activists has seen Islamophobia become “normalised” and is fuelling a rise in anti-muslim hate across the UK, LBC has been told.
apple.news
November 9, 2025 at 8:03 AM
British Muslims — especially women and young people — are feeling increasingly unsafe as hostility and racism grow across the UK, warns Akeela Ahmed, CEO of the British Muslim Trust (BMT).
Data released this week shows that a record number of referrals were made to Prevent in the year to March 2025. The majority of referrals were made for individuals who had “no identified ideology.”
INSIDE “CHANNEL PANEL” | For the first time in its history, journalists have been granted unprecedented access to see the inner workings of Prevent, a multi-agency government programme that aims to stop people from perpetrating terrorist acts.
www.channel4.com/news/unprece...
www.channel4.com/news/unprece...
Unprecedented access to UK’s counter-terrorism Prevent programme – and decision making process
For the first time in its history, journalists have been granted unprecedented access to see the inner workings of Prevent, a government programme that ultimately aims to stop people from perpetrating...
www.channel4.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Data released this week shows that a record number of referrals were made to Prevent in the year to March 2025. The majority of referrals were made for individuals who had “no identified ideology.”