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How Far-Right Extremists Are Exploiting Pandemic

Masood Farivar

   Far-right extremists have been linked to bombing plots tied to the
   coronavirus pandemic, spotted holding anti-Semitic signs at protests
   outside state capitols, and seen trafficking on fringe platforms in all
   manner of conspiracy theories about the virus.

   As the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage millions of lives and
   paralyze much of the economy, these right-wing activists in the United
   States are seizing every opportunity to reach out to thousands of
   potential followers and expand their ranks.

   Take, for example, the recent hack of nearly 25,000 email addresses and
   passwords belonging to the World Health Organization, the U.S. National
   Institutes of Health and other organizations combating the pandemic.

   When the hackers released the information this week, online activists
   swung into action. On Telegram, a popular messaging app, at least a
   dozen so-called terrorgrams published links to the leak Wednesday,
   encouraging users to read the emails to support conspiracy theories
   about Chinese and Israeli ties to the virus.

   "People are scouring their emails and '¦ just found stuff related to
   HIV being spliced into COVID-19. '¦ This is big," one poster wrote.
   

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