The move came shortly after a Vice report that members, including some claiming to be active military personnel, were hoping to exploit protests against police brutality to spark the “Boogaloo,” or a new US civil war. While the membership is complex and includes everyone from libertarians to internet trolls, there have also been anti-government extremists who’ve been charged with shooting at federal officers and planning to bomb protests. Members of CoL were told to avoid using the term “Boogaloo” in chats to avoid tipping off law enforcement.
This won’t necessarily deter Boogaloo devotees. Like many groups that organize online, they’ve moved to communities on the likes of Facebook, Reddit and TikTok to keep their message going. However, it does indicate that potentially violent groups are running out of major online platforms willing to host their discussions.