[TW: racism, homophobia, antisemitism.] #MedievalTwitter thread: White supremacists are very invested in academic conversations. One major UK white supremacist account put out a long livestream video about the academic debate on the term "Anglo-Saxon" on Monday.

This dude claims to be an academic "Anglo-Saxonist" himself, with an MA in history from UCL. I've posted before about his obsession with "Anglo-Saxon DNA," his followers' attacks on people who threaten their view of the Middle Ages, and their obsession with a "Jewish conspiracy"

He goes by Survive the Jive (STJ) online and describes this video as putting people "on trial." He's steeped in scientific racism and cites academic studies about "Anglo-Saxon DNA" to dismiss academic arguments that he doesn't agree with.

He says it's important "to feel pride in one’s ancestors" and that “it’s what history is for.” He says all historians once used history to express national and racial pride, and they need to get back to it. Pride expressed via his merchandise, such as this "Aryan invasion" shirt.

He attacks Susan Oosthuizen, me, and, most of all, "grievance-monger Rambaran-Olm," who he claims wants "less white people" and uses the label of "racist" as a cudgel. He sees white antiracists as self-hating whites "leaping to the defense of whatever nonsense some WOC says."

He showed an old picture of me and mocked my research, twitter bio, and the thread about "AS" I posted hours before. He laughs at me being queer and says this shows "the kind of people" pushing their agendas. He assures me I will never get the "Marxist homosexual utopia" I want.

STJ is very careful not to engage in open antisemitism or racist slurs. But the livestream comments shows that's exactly what he's stirring up. There are slurs, the N word, homophobia, and lots of describing Dr. MRO as a "foreigner" trying to destroy their "heritage."

Many of them describe a Jewish conspiracy behind antiracist work and say that Dr. MRO and I were paid in "shekels" for our work. Others state that "these people, treacherous hybrids and the Jeows" need to "be dealt with asap" and that this calls for the "rope department."

Commentators on the livestream and on his twitter identify themselves as academics glad to see STJ standing up for what's happening to "their field."

STJ sees some academics as standing up to this "Marxist attack." Specifically, Howard Williams, whose blogs dismissing and disparaging Dr. MRO forms what STJ calls "the resistance." To him, Williams is a "respected archaeologist" who still doesn't go "far enough" in resisting.

I've talked before about how white supremacists like STJ cite and applaud white scholars criticize scholars of color and antiracist work. See that here: https://twitter.com/erik_kaars/status/1184855995341836290

White supremacists are very tapped into the debate over the ISXX name change & the use of "Anglo-Saxon." They target academics, especially POC, who speak up, and they cite academics like Williams who criticize antiracist work.

STJ calls “on all conscientious academics [to] please make a public stand against this kind of thing.”

As medievalists, we must ask ourselves if we're giving him and his supporters the fuel they want. They are listening. Are you making sure your work and debates are antiracist?

These aren't "academic" discussions for white supremacists. White medievalists should think about the people--particularly scholars of color--who are most targeted: the same people whose concerns never seem to be the focus of discussions on the ISXX listserv.

This YouTuber has been linked with neo-Nazi terrorist groups and speaks at far-right white supremacist groups, while trying to keep his participation in them under wraps: https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/inside-generation-identity-uk/

Want a palette cleanser after that? Read this thread of short antiracist readings. Let’s get to work! https://twitter.com/isasaxonists/status/1189261575170985984?s=21

Since this thread is doing the rounds again, let me update it briefly by adding that STJ has also given interviews for Red Ice R*dio, a famously white supremacist show now banned from Youtube due to promoting Nazi ideology, & his work appears on white nationalist sites.

Note that he was interviewed by RIR about the "Aryan Invasion," this supposed "origin story" of "Indo-Europeans," as well as about Old Norse and "Anglo-Saxon" paganism. These historical narratives, as well as his pseudo-expertise, is used to legitimize their racist claims.

They claim he's there to debunk "supposed multi-culturalism as a big part of our past" and to push back on "those who are trying to destroy the European story."

This is the same sort of rhetoric that comes up over and over again. It's what medievalists need to challenge.

This is a good intro to RIR and the role it plays in drawing people into the alt-right

https://www.splcenter.org/20180419/mcinnes-molyneux-and-4chan-investigating-pathways-alt-right

This is about the YT ban: https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/10/21/youtube-takes-down-red-ices-main-channel