Is He /ourguy/, a False Flag, or Something Else? Debating Breivik’s and Tarrant’s Terrorism on 4chan’s /pol/ Board
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12407254 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jason B Phillips (0000-0002-2984-4472, Politics and International Relations, School of Law, Politics, and Philosophy, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand, corresponding author), Kristy Campion (0000-0002-5159-4844, Charles Sturt University) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Pages | 1-23 |
| Publication date | 2024-08-12 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Studies in Conflict and Terrorism (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1057-610X • E-ISSN: 1521-0731 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1057610x.2024.2388337 |
| OpenAlex | W4401502213 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
Academic literature widely assumes that extremist-housing online forums, like 4chan, uniformly celebrate acts of right-wing terrorism (e.g. via “sainthood memes”), such as those committed by Anders Breivik and Brenton Tarrant. Aside from a handful of exceptions, this body of research typically fails to acknowledge that ideologically likeminded individuals on 4chan also regularly debate the merits of both terrorists and their violent attacks. Our topic modeling of 100 thousand posts on 4chan’s infamous /pol/ board shows—heated—debates over Breivik and Tarrant ranging from celebratory, to condemning, and moral to conspiratorial. We argue that overlooking these debates limits valuable theoretical and practical insights
Editorial board · Flag (linear algebra · Library science · Political science · Terrorism · Balkans: History, Politics, Society · Computer Science · Eastern European Communism and Reforms · Intelligence, Security, War Strategy · Law · Mathematics
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |