Online influencers of the white nationalist youth movement recently announced their intentions to expand their messaging to TikTok, a video-sharing app popular with young Americans, in hope of reaching new audiences. Their efforts almost immediately imploded.
The effort appeared to be headed by anti-Semitic and white nationalist podcaster Nicholas Fuentes following Fuentes’ ban from YouTube in February for violating the site’s policies against hate speech. In a concerted effort to reach new viewers, white nationalists and their self-dubbed “groyper” fanbase, who promote what they call an “America First” agenda, created TikTok accounts alongside Fuentes in hopes of establishing space for their movement in TikTok’s youth conservative commentary space.
Reporter Zachary Petrizzo detailed Fuentes and others’ efforts at The Daily Dot on Thursday, and after the publication of Petrizzo’s reporting, TikTok banned Fuentes and several other accounts affiliated with the white nationalist movement. TikTok provided The Daily Dot with the following statement:
We are committed to promoting a safe and positive app environment for our users. Our Community Guidelines outline behavior that is not acceptable on the platform, and we take action against behavior that violates those policies, including by removing content or accounts.
TikTok also appears to have banned accounts used by former Infowars employee Jacob Lloyd and far-right student organizer Jaden McNeil, both of whom have openly flaunted their ties to the white nationalist youth movement.
However, several accounts listed by Fuentes on Telegram as being affiliated with the “America First” white nationalist movement remain active on TikTok at the time of publication, including:
- Far-right YouTube commentator Vincent James Foxx (@realvincentjames),
- White nationalist hate group leader Patrick Casey (@patrickcaseyusa),
- “Unite the Right” attendee and white nationalist Matthew Colligan (@zoomermatthew),
- Neo-Nazi troll Tim “Baked Alaska” Gionet (@realbakedalaska),
- White nationalist meme account “Panther Den” (@panther_den),
- Far-right online personality “Beardson Beardly” @beardsonbeardly
- An “America First” meme account called “AF Hype House” (@americafirsthypehouse),
- Users with the handles @jdthedude22, @zoomerbrad, and @basedmegxn
Right Wing Watch has emailed TikTok for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.
