False conspiracies about a \u201crigged\u201d U.S. presidential election spiked on fringe social media platforms throughout October, prompting concern from extremism experts about the potential for violence after Nov. 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Global Project on Hate and Extremism, a nonprofit that tracks extremist activity online, reported Tuesday that chatter of election denialism increased on Telegram, Gab, Communities.win and Fediverse<\/a> \u2014 social media sites that lack moderation and allow users to share extreme and controversial viewpoints. Posts about election denialism, the false belief that elections are unfair and could be \u201cstolen,\u201d increased by 317% on Telegram and 105% on Gab throughout October, the nonprofit said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The posts are often violent in nature. Some people on the platforms suggested if the election doesn\u2019t go their way, the military should be used to prevent a peaceful transfer of power, while others called for the killing of elected officials and anyone accused of voter fraud. The Proud Boys, a far-right group that has historically recruited veterans<\/a>, posted violent calls to action on Telegram. The Rhode Island chapter told members to \u201ckeep your rifles by your side\u201d in one post viewed by Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rhetoric differs from what extremism experts saw in 2020, when election denialism spiked after President Joe Biden was projected as the winner, rather than before the election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey are preparing themselves for the election to be stolen in a way they didn\u2019t in 2020 \u2013 something we find concerning,\u201d said Wendy Via, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. \u201cIf the election does not go the way the folks on these fringe sites want them to, we\u2019re going to see another very sharp spike after the election, and we\u2019re going to have to double-down on our tracking and monitoring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n