Users on the “r/conspiracy” subreddit, a prominent message board for conspiracy theorists, have repeatedly issued calls for violence in response to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issuing a temporary ban on carrying guns in public in parts of the state. In response to the order, users on the subreddit suggested that the governor’s order is “how you get assassinated”; suggested that someone should “use[] their gun” to stop the order; called for the governor to be “hung for treason” or “tar[red] and feather[ed]”; threatened “civil war”; and called for militias in the state “to be mobilized.” This violent rhetoric is on the subreddit despite Reddit’s policy barring content that “encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence or physical harm against an individual (including oneself) or a group of people.”

Calls to violence are appearing on the conspiracy subreddit over a gun order from New Mexico’s governor::Users on the “r/conspiracy” subreddit, a prominent message board for conspiracy theorists, have repeatedly issued calls for violence in response to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issuing a temporary ban on carrying guns in public in parts of the state. In response to the order, users on the subreddit suggested that the governor’s order is “how you get assassinated”; suggested that someone should “use[] their gun” to stop the order; called for the governor to be “hung for treason” or “tar[red] and feather[ed]”; threatened “civil war”; and called for militias in the state “to be mobilized.” This violent rhetoric is on the subreddit despite Reddit’s policy barring content that “encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence or physical harm against an individual (including oneself) or a group of people.”

  • ZeroCool@feddit.chEnglish
    672·
    1 year ago

    That subreddit has always been a shithole and a recruiting ground for right wing extremist groups. It should’ve been banned years ago. They had holocaust denial videos linked in the sidebar for years.

    • alterforlett @lemmy.worldEnglish
      22·
      1 year ago

      I remember way back, I got into an argument with an antivaccer on formula1 of all places. He was so detached from reality it’s kinda scary. Of course he posted frequently on conspiracy. It’s like nothing matters, nothing can be true outside of that echo chamber.

      They really don’t believe their eyes, it’s kinda scary.

      • Poob@lemmy.caEnglish
        5·
        1 year ago

        I recommend the video “In Search of a Flat Earth” by Dan Olson, aka Folding Ideas

      • ZeroCool@feddit.chEnglish
        21·
        1 year ago

        Nope, that’s 100% false. The holocaust denial videos were in the sidebar for years before The_Donald ever existed. But I’ve heard this exact same sentiment many times on reddit. You and many others are inadvertently whitewashing r/conspiracy’s history because you have selective memories of browsing it. You only paid attention to the “fun shit” about bigfoot and ignored the rampant white supremacy and antisemitism. Conspiracy theorist communities have been rabidly antisemitic long before reddit even existed and r/conspiracy was no different.

      • TORFdot0@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        1 year ago

        Before 2016 the most popular posts that would occasionally reach /r/all were UAP and cryptid posts but there has always been an uncomfortable contingent there. Yes it became unusable after 2016 which led to it getting quarantined but it always had a problematic content you just wouldn’t see it browsing /r/all