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Facebook Bans Violent 'Boogaloo' Groups, Not the Term Itself

Associated Press

   OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - Facebook has banned an extremist anti-government
   network loosely associated with the broader "boogaloo" movement, a
   slang term supporters use to refer to a second Civil War or a collapse
   of civilization.

   But the platform didn't try to name the group, underscoring the
   difficulty of grappling with an amorphous network linked to a string of
   domestic terror plots that appears to obfuscate its existence. Among
   other complications, its internet-savvy members tend to keep their
   distance from one another, frequently change their symbols and catch
   phrases and mask their intentions with sarcasm.

   The move by Facebook designates this group as a dangerous organization
   similar to the Islamic State group and white supremacists, both of
   which are already banned from its service. The social network is not
   banning all references to "boogaloo" and said it is only removing
   groups, accounts and pages when they have a "clear connection to
   violence or a credible threat to public safety."

   The loose movement is named after "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo," a
   1984 sequel to a movie about breakdancing. Boogaloosupporters have
   shown up at protests over COVID-19 lockdown orders, carrying rifles and
   wearing tactical gear over Hawaiian shirts --a reference to "big luau,"
   a homophone for "boogaloo" sometimes favored by group members. Facebook
   said that the movement dates to 2012 and that it has been tracking it
   closely since last year.

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