“Natural” Connection: An Analysis of Eco-fascism on Terrorgram
By Joshua Farrell-Molloy
This article provides an overview of the digital eco-fascist community on Terrorgram. It highlights the key characteristics of eco-fascism, illuminates how it overlaps with militant accelerationism, and explores how eco-fascists contribute to promoting the sabotage of critical infrastructure. It will also examine how eco-fascist narratives and discourse have influenced the broader worldview of Terrorgram, by analyzing the thematic presence of eco-fascism in the calls for terroristic and accelerationist violence throughout designated Terrorgram publications.
What is Eco-fascism?
Eco-fascism is a fringe subculture with a significant presence among far-right militant accelerationist digital communities. Proponents of militant accelerationism aim to exacerbate latent social divisions, often through violence, in order to hasten societal collapse.[1] Eco-fascism converges with militant accelerationism through a shared fixation on the idea of collapsism,[2] with its followers believing an ongoing environmental, social, and economic collapse, caused by over-industrialisation and mass immigration, needs to be accelerated to the point of breakdown.
Adherents of eco-fascism frame global overpopulation and mass immigration as an environmental issue and propose fascism and drastic population control measures as a solution to the climate crisis. Eco-fascist messaging and propaganda typically characterises a pure and “natural” connection[3] between native white populations and their landscapes, through fascist concepts of ‘blood and soil’ and a ‘back-to-the-land’ aesthetic.
Eco-fascism in Digital Communities
Eco-fascist communities have been predominantly active on Twitter/X[4] and the encrypted messaging app Telegram.[5] These online communities could be more accurately described as promoting an aesthetic style of far-right extremism revolving around nature, rather than providing the basis for a coherent ideological movement.
Their visual culture predominantly features scenes of nature fused to far-right symbols, creating a distinctive ‘brand’ for eco-fascist content. This includes edited images of far-right adopted symbols, such as the swastika, algiz rune, or sonnenrad,[6] imposed onto images of forests or valleys. Eco-fascist propaganda messaging can also include vague slogans that call upon supporters to ‘Return’, ‘Embrace,’ or ‘Defend’ nature. This works to present the natural environment as a white spiritual sanctuary to be reconnected with and ultimately defended through violence.
A thematic analysis of the discourse, texts, and visual propaganda within 15 eco-fascist Telegram channels during a three month period has highlighted four salient themes which distinguish[7] it from the broader far-right.[8]
First, the dominant ideological influence is a form of neo-luddite anti-technology radicalism,[9] associated with Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.[10] A personality cult revolves around Kaczynski,[11] whose writings serve as an ideological justification for violence, and his terrorist actions are co-opted as an symbol to inspire eco-fascist militancy. Second, there is a strong theme of anti-urbanism paired alongside the idealization of rural living. This is demonstrated through extreme hostility towards cities and their inhabitants, and forms of propaganda showcasing an idealized way of life based around cottagecore aesthetics[12] and the promotion of rural homesteading.
Third, another core theme revolves around the worship of atavistic and ancestral lifestyles. This typically entails an idealized form of ‘warrior’ masculinity contrasted with the perceived docility of men produced by modernity. And fourth, neo-völkisch-ism represents the blending of pagan traditions and a fascination with traditional folklore. This form of content serves to reinforce a perceived natural and mystical connection between land and race.
Overlaps with Terrorgram
The origin and development of online eco-fascist communities is intertwined with concepts and ideologues associated with militant accelerationism. The roots of the eco-fascist movement can be traced to the 2017 emergence of the “Pine Tree Party,”[13] an anti-government movement that emphasized self-sufficiency and a return to nature in preparation for societal collapse. The Pine Tree Party was founded by former Breitbart writer Mike Mahoney, also known as Mike Ma, the author of “Harassment Architecture,” an accelerationist novel described as sitting “alongside Mason’s Siege in the canon of prominent accelerationist writings,”[14]
The movement existed online, mostly on Twitter, in what was known as ‘Pine Tree Twitter,, and Telegram, where they overlapped with the Terrorgram ecosystem. Members of these communities identified themselves by using pine tree emojis in their usernames or Telegram channel names.
The Pine Tree movement was characterized by their glorification of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski. Indeed, it has even been suggested their emergence can be linked to the 2017 release of the TV drama ‘Manhunt: Unabomber,’[15] which reintroduced and popularized Kaczynski to a younger generation. Although Mike Ma has disputed this claim,[16] he and others embraced Kaczynski’s anti-technology ideology during this time, and played a pivotal role in the early development of online eco-fascism.
Kaczynski’s popularity within eco-fascist Terrorgram can also be traced to Siege culture’s[17] proliferation on neo-Nazi forums Iron March and Fascist Forge. Edited graphics, such as propaganda in the distinct visual style of “Dark Foreigner,”[18] frequently glorified Kaczynski within this milieu. Notably, Kaczynski had also been venerated by Atomwaffen Division supporters as one of their “holy trinity,”[19] alongside Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and Norway far-right terrorist Anders Breivik. Supporters of Atomwaffen are also known to have sent letters to him in prison.[20] Following the closure of Iron March and Fascist Forge, many of these users migrated to Telegram, where their veneration of Kaczynski travelled with them.
Calls for Violence and Militancy
Within Terrorgram’s eco-fascist networks, the central push for violent action primarily focuses on encouraging[21] acts of sabotage.[22] Eco-fascist networks have fused pro-environmental and anti-civilizational narratives to their calls for sabotage actions. Propaganda urges followers to target critical infrastructure, such as the electrical grid, by striking power lines, electrical substations or hydroelectric dams. Alongside inspirational material encouraging violent action, are posts outlining detailed instructions for targeting power grid facilities and infrastructure such as transmission towers. This material aligns with militant accelerationist aims, with the overall strategy for such actions aimed at provoking societal collapse.
Eco-fascists´ worship of Ted Kaczynski has also played a role in attempts to incite terrorism. Kaczynski is often used as a messaging device[23] in calls to target the agricultural, science or tech industry, as well as critical infrastructure. He provides not just a militant role model who has led by example, but a strategic and ideological justification that merges with accelerationism, with his writings calling for striking vulnerabilities in the systems sustaining modern civilization. Material glorifying and encouraging more extreme acts of mass murder have also surfaced across eco-fascist channels, such as content worshiping far-right terrorists as “Saints.”
In addition, eco-fascist Terrorgram channels have featured calls for acts of ‘ecotage’, traditionally associated with left-wing eco-radical groups. Examples include instructions for ‘tree spiking’, taken from scanned pages of Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching, a manual used by early ‘Earth First!’ activists. Images of masked Animal Liberation Front (ALF) activists have also been referenced many times, including alongside calls to replicate ALF actions, such as the toppling of hunting towers.
Real-world Violence
Several far-right mass shooters have self-categorized as eco-fascists or referenced similar environmental ideas in their manifestos. In March 2019, Brenton Tarrant, the perpetrator of the Christchurch attack in New Zealand declared himself an “eco-fascist” in his manifesto, describing immigration as a form of “environmental warfare” endangering white ethnic autonomy. In August 2019, Patrick Crusius, who killed 22 in a shooting attack in El Paso, Texas, similarly blamed immigrants for environmental degradation and advocated for mass population control.
Lastly, in May 2022, Payton Gendron murdered ten African Americans in a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. He self-identified as an eco-fascist and plagiarized sections on immigration and environmental degradation from Tarrant while also quoting Ted Kaczynski’s 1995 manifesto Industrial Society and its Future.
Although it is unknown if any of these attackers interacted with eco-fascist Terrorgram networks, each attacker expressed and engaged with ideas prevalent within eco-fascist discourse. These ideas circulate throughout the broader far-right. To date, there has been at least one case of violence which can conclusively be traced directly to eco-fascist networks on Telegram, a 2019 arson attack against a mink farm in Sweden by two young members of The Green Brigade,[24] the short-lived eco-fascist wing of The Base, which only ever held a relatively low membership.[25]
Eco-fascist Themes in Terrorgram Publications
Eco-fascist Telegram channels influenced the development of the broader Terrorgram worldview. This is evidenced by references to eco-fascist ideas in the official publications of the Terrorgram canon. In the 2021 publication Do It For The ‘Gram: The Collected Writings of Terrorgram, there are many references to discourses prevalent within eco-fascism, including high praise of nature and Ted Kaczynski, alongside rails against urbanites, industrialisation and technology. Notably, the publication, which was collectively authored by multiple Telegram admins of Terrorgram channels, included several anonymous contributors who were known to be admins of prominent eco-fascist channels.
Similarly, in the multi-authored 2022 Terrorgram publication The Hard Reset,[26] eco-fascist narratives and language were thematically present throughout the zine and interwoven with calls for violence. These included the condemnation of pollution and ecological destruction, references to the “natural order,” pine tree symbols, or fantasies of nature regenerating following societal collapse.
Extreme notions of anti-urbanism are also present. Passages consistently singled out cities as dystopian sites of degeneracy, with descriptions of the city as the “epicenter of the anti-nature movement.” City populations are labeled as an out-group to be targeted, with calls to “terrorize urbanites,” and suggested attacks ranging from the sabotage of private vehicles to calls to “fumigate the cities” with dirty bombs. In parallel, throughout the zine, images often depicted masked militants in woodlands and natural landscapes, presenting the in-group as much closer to nature than outgroups.
The justifications for infrastructural sabotage throughout the zine also aligned with themes present across eco-fascist networks. In one example, in a series of graphics using the acronym P.R.A.Y. (Powerlines, Railways, Agriculture, Yuppies), to outline desired targets for terror attacks, the graphic included an environmental justification for each target. Powerlines were cited as responsible for “burning natural resources,” while railways were described as aiding the transport of “ocean polluting plastic.” Modern farming techniques were criticized for causing ecological harm, and “yuppies” were chastised for believing they were “above nature.”
Conclusion
Terrorgram is an epicenter for the terrorist threat posed by militant accelerationism, with a network of propagandists providing the ideological justification and instructional material for accelerationist violence. The biggest concern posed by militant accelerationism remains lone-actor terrorist attacks against human targets. However, a significant element of the threat also involves a concerted effort to encourage sabotage attacks against non-human targets, particularly critical infrastructure sites.
Eco-fascist narratives and discourses surrounding environmentalism have been a major dimension of the sabotage messaging effort, highlighting the intricate connection between eco-fascism and the broader ideology of militant accelerationism within the digital realms of Terrorgram. As this article has elucidated, eco-fascist communities contribute to an environment that nurtures and encourages terrorist actions through the glorification of figures like Ted Kaczynski and the dissemination of eco-fascist propaganda promoting violent action.
Furthermore, the influence of eco-fascist narratives is not confined to online spaces adjacent to Terrorgram, but permeates into its broader worldview, as evidenced by their thematic presence in designated Terrorgram publications. The convergence of eco-fascism with the broader agenda of militant accelerationism underscores the need for understanding the diverse potential manifestations of the threat and developing effective counterterrorism measures to address the multifaceted threats posed by these extremist ideologies.
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[1] Matthew Kriner, “An Introduction to Militant Accelerationism,” Accelerationism Research Consortium (ARC), https://www.accresearch.org/shortanalysis/an-introduction-to-militant-accelerationism
[2] Graham Macklin, “The Extreme Right, Climate Change and Terrorism.” Terrorism and Political Violence 34, no. 5 (2022): 979–96, https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2022.2069928
[3] Kristy Campion, “Defining Ecofascism: Historical Foundations and Contemporary Interpretations in the Extreme Right,” Terrorism and Political Violence 35, no. 4 (2023): 926–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2021.1987895
[4] Brian Hughes, “Pine Tree” Twitter and the Shifting Ideological Foundations of Eco-Extremism, Interventionen 14, Violence Prevention Network. (2019): 18-25. https://voxpol.eu/file/pine-tree-twitter-and-the-shifting-ideological-foundations-of-eco-extremism/
[5] Brian Hughes, Dave Jones, and Amarnath Amarasingam. “Ecofascism: An Examination of the Far-Right/Ecology Nexus in the Online Space,” Terrorism and Political Violence 34, no. 5 (2022): 997–1023. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2022.2069932
[6] Tom Birkett, "US Capitol riot: the myths behind the tattoos worn by ‘QAnon shaman’ Jake Angeli," The Conversation, January 11, 2021, https://theconversation.com/us-capitol-riot-the-myths-behind-the-tattoos-worn-by-qanon-shaman-jake-angeli-152996
[7] Joshua Farrell-Molloy, “From blood and soil to ecogram: A thematic analysis of eco-fascist subculture on Telegram” (PhD diss., University of Glasgow, University of Tento and Charles University, 2022). https://dspace.cuni.cz/handle/20.500.11956/178352
[8] Joshua Farrell-Molloy, “Understanding Eco-Fascism: A Thematic Analysis of the Eco-Fascist Subculture on Telegram,” Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET), November 2, 2022, https://gnet-research.org/2022/11/02/understanding-eco-fascism-a-thematic-analysis-of-the-eco-fascist-subculture-on-telegram/
[9] Sean Fleming, “The Unabomber and the Origins of Anti-Tech Radicalism,” Journal of Political Ideologies 27, no. 2 (2022): 207–25, https://doi.org/10.1080/13569317.2021.1921940
[10] Joshua Farrell-Molloy and Graham Macklin, “Ted Kaczynski, Anti-Technology Radicalism and Eco-Fascism,” The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), June 15, 2022, https://www.icct.nl/publication/ted-kaczynski-anti-technology-radicalism-and-eco-fascism
[11] Inform (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements), “Cultic Fandoms: Columbine and Ted Kaczynski,” Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET), August 9, 2023, https://gnet-research.org/2023/08/09/cultic-fandoms-columbine-and-ted-kaczynski/
[12] Courtney Jay Higgins, “A Beginner’s Guide To Cottagecore,” The Good Trade, September 1, 2021, https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-cottagecore/#:~:text=What%20Is%20Cottagecore%3F,and%20sewing%20your%20own%20clothes
[13] Ardian Shajkovci, "Eco-Fascist ‘Pine Tree Party’ Growing as a Violent Extremism Threat," Homeland Security Today, September 27, 2020, https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/counterterrorism/eco-fascist-pine-tree-party-growing-as-a-violent-extremism-threat/
[14] Brian Hughes, Dave Jones, and Amarnath Amarasingam. “Ecofascism: An Examination of the Far-Right/Ecology Nexus in the Online Space.” Terrorism and Political Violence 34, no. 5 (2022): 997–1023. (2022), https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2022.2069932
[15] Jake Hanrahan, "Inside the Unabomber's odd and furious online revival," Wired, August 1, 2018, https://www.wired.com/story/unabomber-netflix-tv-series-ted-kaczynski/
[16] Redux, "Who Are The Pines?" Medium, August 4, 2018, https://medium.com/@punisheddeath/who-are-the-pines-85bb743cea7
[17] Bethan Johnson, "Siege Culture After Siege: Anatomy of a Neo-Nazi Terrorist Doctrine," The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), July 21, 2021, https://www.icct.nl/publication/siege-culture-after-siege-anatomy-neo-nazi-terrorist-doctrine
[18] Ben Makuch and Mack Lamoureux, "Unmasking ‘Dark Foreigner’: The Artist Who Fueled a Neo-Nazi Terror Movement," Vice, July 8, 2021, https://www.vice.com/en/article/93ynv8/unmasking-dark-foreigner-the-artist-who-fuelled-a-neo-nazi-terror-movement
[19] Blair Taylor, "Alt-right ecology Ecofascism and far-right environmentalism in the United States," in The Far Right and the Environment, ed. Bernhard Forchtner (Routledge, 2019), https://www.icct.nl/sites/default/files/import/publication/alt-right-ecology_Blair-Taylor_pub.pdf
[20] Alexander Epp and Roman Höfner, "Atomwaffen Division," Spiegel International, September 7, 2018. https://www.spiegel.de/international/the-hate-network-an-inside-look-at-a-global-extremist-group-a-1226861.htmlhttps://www.spiegel.de/international/the-hate-network-an-inside-look-at-a-global-extremist-group-a-1226861.html
[21] Farrell-Molloy, Joshua. “Understanding Eco-Fascism,” GNET, 2022.
[22] Michael Loadenthal, “Feral Fascists and Deep Green Guerrillas: Infrastructural Attack and Accelerationist Terror,” Critical Studies on Terrorism 15, no. 1 (2022): 169–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/17539153.2022.2031129.
[23] Joshua Farrell-Molloy and Graham Macklin, “Ted Kaczynski,” ICCT, 2022.
[24] Macklin, Graham. “The Extreme Right” (2022)
[25] Alex Newhouse, "The Threat Is the Network: The Multi-Node Structure of Neo-Fascist Accelerationism," Combating Terrorism Center, 2021, https://ctc.westpoint.edu/the-threat-is-the-network-the-multi-node-structure-of-neo-fascist-accelerationism/
[26] Matthew Kriner and Bjørn Ihler, “Analysing Terrorgram Publications: A New Digital Zine,” Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET), September 12, 2022, https://gnet-research.org/2022/09/12/analysing-terrorgram-publications-a-new-digital-zine/