Only six weeks apart Brenton Tarrant and John Earnest committed terrorist attacks which were both anteceded by manifesto highlighting their justifications, motivations, and ideologies. The...Show moreOnly six weeks apart Brenton Tarrant and John Earnest committed terrorist attacks which were both anteceded by manifesto highlighting their justifications, motivations, and ideologies. The publication of manifestos has been a rising trend amongst right-wing extremists and urgent attention to this issue is required, however, the research on the content of manifestos has been partly neglected in academia. The Significance Quest Theory can offer a valuable angle in the understanding of possible motives for resorting to violent extremism. By conducting a thematic analysis of two manifestos, this research aims to add to the existing literature by identifying whether the Significance Quest Theory could provide insights into the possible motivations of Brenton Tarrant and John Earnest for turning to violent extremism. From the analysis of the manifestos it can be withdrawn that the quest for significance was a potential motivator for the right-wing extremists to turn to violent extremism.Show less
In this research a frame analysis is used to test the extent of ecofascist idealism is present in the manifestos of Brenton Tarrant and Patrick Crusius. Through a literature review key themes of...Show moreIn this research a frame analysis is used to test the extent of ecofascist idealism is present in the manifestos of Brenton Tarrant and Patrick Crusius. Through a literature review key themes of ecofascism are identified. These are integrated in a theoretical framework on which the analysis is based. Findings from the analysis indicate that Crusius and Tarrant differ to a large extent in their ideals. It is also found that Tarrant holds more extreme racially focused views while Crusius holds more ethnopluralist ecocentric views. Critically Crusius does not show any romanticised idealisations of nature and race, therefore lacking in a key component of ecofascist ideals. With the mass shooting by white nationalist Payton Grendon the importance of research in this area is reasserted.Show less
In recent years, right-wing extremists have shown that the power of their writings is just as impactful as the violent attacks they commit. Extremism scholar J.M. Berger noted in 2019: “We have...Show moreIn recent years, right-wing extremists have shown that the power of their writings is just as impactful as the violent attacks they commit. Extremism scholar J.M. Berger noted in 2019: “We have only begun to suffer the cost of these writings, crafted with an intent no less lethal than their authors’ violent crimes” (Berger, 2019, p.8). Right-wing extremist manifestos have a complex meaning, attraction, and impact. They aim to inspire more violence by expressing their grievances, experiences, and extremist ideology. More research on extreme-right manifestos will explain how they impact their audience and can spread ideology (Berger, 2019). Specifically, this study zooms in on how the manifestos of Brenton Tarrant and John Earnest use ‘othering’ to justify self-sacrifice. This question is built around the concept of us-versus- them to gain more knowledge of how right-wing extremists inspire one another. This is important since it allows us to determine and understand extremist groups' online community- building. Especially on a global level, this is of great importance because this community- building that happens online has often been proven to connect many attackers to each other (Baumgarten, 2017, p. 1). Suppose we try and understand the similarities between the manifestos of different right-wing extremists. In that case, we can potentially gain more insight into how this online community inspires each other and can successfully transfer right-wing extremist ideology to its audience. In the end, this paper can then function as a groundwork for further research and policy papers focussing on the online prevention of such extremist ideology. Findings point toward a substantial overlap of discourse in both manifestos; mainly apparent is that both extremists extensively use similar us-vs-them rhetoric to emphasise alienation as well as polarisation between the in-group and out-group (Berger, 2019, Curle, n.d.).Show less
