The suspected mass shooter, Patrick Crusius, in the El Paso, Texas massacre allegedly posted a disturbing anti-immigrant manifesto on 8chan before killing 20 people and injuring 26 others. Now, the founder of 8chan is calling for the site to be shut down, as reported by the Washington Post.
If 8chan sounds familiar to you, there’s a good (though again, disturbing) reason for that. The killers in both the San Diego-area synagogue and the mosques in New Zealand attacks both used 8chan. In fact, they didn’t just use the forum; they used it to hint at their upcoming terrorist attacks.
CNN reports that it (after the fact) found the suspected shooter’s manifesto posted less than 20 minutes before calls about the shooting began. In the document, which is about four pages long and has not yet been verified, the author wrote: "I'm probably going to die today." The author also included white nationalist language, blamed immigrants (as well as first-generation Americans) for lack of job opportunities, and expressed overt hate for Latinx people. The author rallied against mixing cultures in the U.S.
"Once again a terrorist used 8chan to spread his message as he knew people would save it and spread it," said Fredrick Brennan, the site’s founder, who stopped working with the site's present-day owners in December. "The board is a receptive audience for domestic terrorists.”
As reported by ABC News, the suspect also allegedly told the police he wanted to shoot “as many Mexicans as possible.”
What’s unique about 8chan is that it’s, basically, a meme-fest where (almost) anything goes. While you can get blocked from social media sites like Twitter or Facebook (though even those certainly have their flaws), 8chan is an anonymous haven where people post tons of racism, anti-Semitism, and flat-out conspiracy theories.
You could compare it to 4chan—also infamous for conspiracy theories and hate— and you wouldn’t be far off-base. In fact, Brennan initially created 8chan as an alternative to 4chan. Why? At the time, he felt that 4chan was too moderated.
Now, he’s calling for the forum to be shut down. Of course, it’s possible this hate will crop up elsewhere in its place. The Guardian reports that after the El Paso terrorist attack on Sunday, some 8chan users referred to the alleged shooter as “our guy” and praised him. Haunting, no?
