BLM protests to provoke violence and leaders even encouraged members to
shoot into the crowds and attempt to frame surrounding people to trigger the start of this new Civil War. 120
Similar to the anti-covid demonstrations, the BLM protests became a rallying
point for various far-right groups, who framed the movement as a threat to their
values. In many cases, these groups labelled the protests as a perceived chaos that required their intervention . 121 Far-right groups seized upon the BLM movement
not only to galvanise supporters but also to create an environment conducive to
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radicalisation and increase the visibility of extremist ideologies.
The Online Influence of Far-Right Groups During the BLM Protests:
During the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, far-right groups were seen to
exert significant online influence through various platforms and consistently
exploited the charged atmosphere in an attempt to advance their agendas.
Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram became breeding grounds for
polarised responses and counterarguments as far-right activists tried to
delegitimise the BLM movement. Former President Trump frequented Twitter,
making a series of comments framing the movement as a slew of violent riots:
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