Monday, August 28, 2017

Some Fine People

Well before a white nationalist “Unite the Right” demonstration turned deadly in Charlottesville this month, attendees were planning for violence, according to leaked online chats. In private chat channels, they shared advice on weaponry and tactics, including repeatedly broaching the idea of driving vehicles through opposition crowds.

[...]

The discussions took place on a private channel created using Discord, a service primarily intended for gamers. Hundreds of screenshots of the exchanges were released this week by Unicorn Riot, a left-wing activist group, which said they were shared by an anonymous source. The records also included audio recordings of planning meetings.

[...]

Organizers of the event told Wired that the leaked chats appeared authentic, but emphasized that they had repeatedly urged nonviolence. Nonetheless, a lawyer for two women injured in Charlottesville said that the leaked chats could form “the crux of the case” because they demonstrated a desire for violence.

[...]

Following the protest and attack, Discord suspended the group's private chat channel.

  Fortune

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