Abstract:
There is a large discrepancy between the violent online rhetoric and offline behaviour of many extremists. Despite expressing militant views and support for violence, most individual extremists and many far-right groups do not engage in terrorism. Explaining this gap between discourse and action, researchers conclude that violent online rhetoric often serves several psychological purposes for individuals and groups, including playing an important role in building a collective identity. Scholars also conclude that groups sometimes strategize that terrorist attacks would be counter-productive to more important goals, or that internal struggles or disillusionment act as ‘brakes’ on the path to extremist violence. This study contributes to this research through an examination of New Zealand’s main white nationalist group, Action Zealandia. The study is based on 18 months of online and offline participation in the group by one author. We find that violent online rhetoric meets the nationalist needs of most members and the group’s leaders see violence as counterproductive. We also contend that face-to-face encounters between members temper the process of radicalization.
