Michael Colborne
@colborne.bsky.social
@bellingcat.com journalist etc focused on the transnational far right. i give trainings. i take pictures of stickers. Signal: michaelcolborne.01
Pinned
Michael Colborne
@colborne.bsky.social
· Sep 15
Geolocating an Active Club 'Fight Night' in San Diego
An orange wall helped Bellingcat identify the location of an annual far-right event attended by neo-Nazis and white nationalists.
www.bellingcat.com
Pro tip: if you're trying to hide the location of your latest far-right 'fight night' all the blurring and and tight shots won't help you if you host it in a place with bright orange walls (and also lie to the owner about why you're renting the place)
www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/09...
www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/09...
i guess this is the year we start completely anthropomorphizing and attributing communicative intent to rich guys’ AI chatbots
January 2, 2026 at 8:36 PM
i guess this is the year we start completely anthropomorphizing and attributing communicative intent to rich guys’ AI chatbots
Reposted by Michael Colborne
Every time I think about this, I wish Walter Benjamin were here to comment on it. Even less tethered to reality than a Leni Riefenstahl film. Images scrambled into code and reassembled in the techno-oligarchic Traumkitschfabrik.
It’s quite telling that so many right-wing dealers in nostalgia are embracing the aesthetics of modern AI-generated art. Can’t actually find real images of the imagined past to which you want us to return? No problem; just generate it with AI.
January 2, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Every time I think about this, I wish Walter Benjamin were here to comment on it. Even less tethered to reality than a Leni Riefenstahl film. Images scrambled into code and reassembled in the techno-oligarchic Traumkitschfabrik.
Oh, well turns out Denis Kapustin is alive and it was a special operation all along
January 1, 2026 at 3:11 PM
Oh, well turns out Denis Kapustin is alive and it was a special operation all along
Reposted by Michael Colborne
"Beforehand, according to an American official present, Mr. Hegseth dabbed his nose with powder from a small compact. 'Look commanding,' he told one aide. The handshake with the Ukrainian might be shown on Fox; the president might be watching." (Gift link)
The Separation: Inside the Unraveling U.S.-Ukraine Partnership
As President Trump sought a peace deal and Vladimir V. Putin sought victory, factions in the White House and Pentagon bled the Ukrainian war effort.
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 7:48 PM
"Beforehand, according to an American official present, Mr. Hegseth dabbed his nose with powder from a small compact. 'Look commanding,' he told one aide. The handshake with the Ukrainian might be shown on Fox; the president might be watching." (Gift link)
Reposted by Michael Colborne
Decades of the white nationalist movement evolving to adapt to current political trends has brought them to this moment.
December 30, 2025 at 5:44 AM
Decades of the white nationalist movement evolving to adapt to current political trends has brought them to this moment.
Victimizers + wannabe victimizers, whether far right or some other variety of sparkling wine on the fascism-as-champagne spectrum, always have to centre themselves as the victims in their own narrative: a constant projection of strength and power while whining about being the ‘real’ victim
putin’s notion that we are a great powerful civilization but also we are constantly helplessly victimized by the west -- it’s the same combination of entitlement plus victimhood that you find in the US far-right. No wonder they like him
December 30, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Victimizers + wannabe victimizers, whether far right or some other variety of sparkling wine on the fascism-as-champagne spectrum, always have to centre themselves as the victims in their own narrative: a constant projection of strength and power while whining about being the ‘real’ victim
Reposted by Michael Colborne
putin’s notion that we are a great powerful civilization but also we are constantly helplessly victimized by the west -- it’s the same combination of entitlement plus victimhood that you find in the US far-right. No wonder they like him
December 30, 2025 at 4:22 PM
putin’s notion that we are a great powerful civilization but also we are constantly helplessly victimized by the west -- it’s the same combination of entitlement plus victimhood that you find in the US far-right. No wonder they like him
Reposted by Michael Colborne
Saw Bluesky described as where elder millennials go to retire from the internet, and immediately felt the peace that passes all understanding wash over me. None of have to struggle any longer. We completed our time.
December 29, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Saw Bluesky described as where elder millennials go to retire from the internet, and immediately felt the peace that passes all understanding wash over me. None of have to struggle any longer. We completed our time.
Reposted by Michael Colborne
Articles about Brigitte Bardot after her death on Sunday have referred to her far right sympathies, which supposedly emerged later in the film star's life. Here she is, though, in 1958 with Jean-Marie Le Pen and Pierre Lagaillarde, future founder of the extremist OAS terror group
December 29, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Articles about Brigitte Bardot after her death on Sunday have referred to her far right sympathies, which supposedly emerged later in the film star's life. Here she is, though, in 1958 with Jean-Marie Le Pen and Pierre Lagaillarde, future founder of the extremist OAS terror group
Reposted by Michael Colborne
Seven men who were violently arrested and injured by NSW police on suspicion of planning an "Islamist terror attack" near Bondi Beach have been released without charges.
No terror links were found, the men were traveling on holiday to their Airbnb.
No terror links were found, the men were traveling on holiday to their Airbnb.
‘We did nothing wrong’: seven men released from custody in Sydney deny Islamist links
After being held for 24 hours, the men say they had been driving to a holiday rental when they were detained by police
www.theguardian.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Seven men who were violently arrested and injured by NSW police on suspicion of planning an "Islamist terror attack" near Bondi Beach have been released without charges.
No terror links were found, the men were traveling on holiday to their Airbnb.
No terror links were found, the men were traveling on holiday to their Airbnb.
Reposted by Michael Colborne
Aristocrate descendante de l'élite nazie et de Karl Marx, proche des extrêmes droites américaines, la vice-présidente de l’AfD a publié sa stratégie : gagner le Kulturkampf afin de rendre acceptable un programme extrême.
L'Avent de l'interrègne 6/8.
legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2025/12/2...
L'Avent de l'interrègne 6/8.
legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2025/12/2...
Beatrix von Storch : la stratège de l’AfD qui veut prendre l’Allemagne
Aristocrate descendante de hauts dignitaires nazis, proche des extrêmes droites américaines — de Bannon à Kast —, la vice-présidente de l’AfD a publié sa stratégie pour briser le cordon sanitaire en A...
legrandcontinent.eu
December 22, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Aristocrate descendante de l'élite nazie et de Karl Marx, proche des extrêmes droites américaines, la vice-présidente de l’AfD a publié sa stratégie : gagner le Kulturkampf afin de rendre acceptable un programme extrême.
L'Avent de l'interrègne 6/8.
legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2025/12/2...
L'Avent de l'interrègne 6/8.
legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2025/12/2...
“Convicted five times for inciting racial hatred, Bardot remained, for three decades, an exception in French culture – the only celebrity to openly defend the far right. In the 1990s…the star adopted those views and married…[an] adviser to Jean-Marie Le Pen”
www.lemonde.fr/en/obituarie...
www.lemonde.fr/en/obituarie...
December 28, 2025 at 5:11 PM
“Convicted five times for inciting racial hatred, Bardot remained, for three decades, an exception in French culture – the only celebrity to openly defend the far right. In the 1990s…the star adopted those views and married…[an] adviser to Jean-Marie Le Pen”
www.lemonde.fr/en/obituarie...
www.lemonde.fr/en/obituarie...
Reposted by Michael Colborne
Worth noting, before the misty-eyed tributes begin, that Brigitte Bardot was handed six fines for “inciting racial hatred,” opposed to MeToo-era reporting on sexual assault and publicly endorsed far-right leaders in France.
December 28, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Worth noting, before the misty-eyed tributes begin, that Brigitte Bardot was handed six fines for “inciting racial hatred,” opposed to MeToo-era reporting on sexual assault and publicly endorsed far-right leaders in France.
no
Could AI relationships actually be good for us?
Could AI relationships actually be good for us?
From companionship to psychotherapy, technology could meet unmet needs – but it needs to be handled responsibly
www.theguardian.com
December 28, 2025 at 1:13 PM
no
Reposted by Michael Colborne
A Moscow school stabbing shows how far-right extremism operates as a transnational ecosystem. The attacker drew directly from online white supremacist culture—manifestos, symbolism, and the “Great Replacement”—showing how digital radicalization lives across borders and turns ideology into violence.
Moscow School Attacker Inspired by Far-Right Mass Murderers and the “Great Replacement” Conspiracy Theory
A knife attack at a Moscow school that left a 10-year-old boy dead underscores the global reach of far-right extremist ideology. The 15-year-old suspect livestreamed the assault and circulated a manif...
globalextremism.org
December 27, 2025 at 11:10 PM
A Moscow school stabbing shows how far-right extremism operates as a transnational ecosystem. The attacker drew directly from online white supremacist culture—manifestos, symbolism, and the “Great Replacement”—showing how digital radicalization lives across borders and turns ideology into violence.
Reposted by Michael Colborne
C-REX affiliate @drkondor.bsky.social tells The Guardian how extremist messaging is woven through cultural aspects of everyday life, both online and offline. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
‘It’s frightening’: How far right is infiltrating everyday culture
Extremist messaging now woven into music and YouTube videos, with one expert saying: ‘You can be radicalised sitting on your couch’
www.theguardian.com
December 27, 2025 at 1:21 PM
C-REX affiliate @drkondor.bsky.social tells The Guardian how extremist messaging is woven through cultural aspects of everyday life, both online and offline. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Reposted by Michael Colborne
Check out this great article by @ashifakassam.bsky.social, featuring yours truly and the fab @gretajasser.bsky.social!
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
‘It’s frightening’: How far right is infiltrating everyday culture
Extremist messaging now woven into music and YouTube videos, with one expert saying: ‘You can be radicalised sitting on your couch’
www.theguardian.com
December 27, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Check out this great article by @ashifakassam.bsky.social, featuring yours truly and the fab @gretajasser.bsky.social!
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
“…far-right groups have seized on cultural production – from clothing brands to top 40 music – to normalise their ideas, in a process that researchers say has hit new heights in the age of social media”
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
‘It’s frightening’: How far right is infiltrating everyday culture
Extremist messaging now woven into music and YouTube videos, with one expert saying: ‘You can be radicalised sitting on your couch’
www.theguardian.com
December 27, 2025 at 3:23 PM
“…far-right groups have seized on cultural production – from clothing brands to top 40 music – to normalise their ideas, in a process that researchers say has hit new heights in the age of social media”
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Denis Kapustin (“Nikitin”), Russian neo-Nazi leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) fighting on the Ukrainian side against Russia, has been killed in battle, reportedly by an FPV drone strike
International neo-Nazi Telegram is already full of remembrances and eulogies for ‘White Rex’
International neo-Nazi Telegram is already full of remembrances and eulogies for ‘White Rex’
December 27, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Denis Kapustin (“Nikitin”), Russian neo-Nazi leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) fighting on the Ukrainian side against Russia, has been killed in battle, reportedly by an FPV drone strike
International neo-Nazi Telegram is already full of remembrances and eulogies for ‘White Rex’
International neo-Nazi Telegram is already full of remembrances and eulogies for ‘White Rex’
Reposted by Michael Colborne
Neo-Nazi Denis Kapustin, nom-de-guerre White Rex — leader of the pro-Ukraine Russian Volunteer Corps — is no more. Reportedly droned somewhere in Zaporizhia. t.me/rvc_army/1640
Русский Добровольческий Корпус
Сегодня ночью на Запорожском направлении фронта, во время выполнения боевой задачи героически погиб наш командир - Денис «WhiteRex» Капустин. По предварительным данным - прилет FPV-дрона.
Все подробн...
t.me
December 27, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Neo-Nazi Denis Kapustin, nom-de-guerre White Rex — leader of the pro-Ukraine Russian Volunteer Corps — is no more. Reportedly droned somewhere in Zaporizhia. t.me/rvc_army/1640
Reposted by Michael Colborne
“…since they are Canadian, I would not rule out treachery”
The Atlantic suggesting, without evidence, that Canada's Global TV broadcasting the '60 Minutes' segment on CECOT that CBS distributed to it may have been an act of "treachery."
🔗: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
🔗: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
December 24, 2025 at 12:34 AM
“…since they are Canadian, I would not rule out treachery”
Reposted by Michael Colborne
High quality rip of the 60 Minutes CECOT segment: drive.google.com/file/d/1lKjJ...
cecot-60mins.mp4
drive.google.com
December 22, 2025 at 11:43 PM
High quality rip of the 60 Minutes CECOT segment: drive.google.com/file/d/1lKjJ...
Reposted by Michael Colborne
Important context here: when Peter Thiel and David Sacks began their war on diversity as undergrads at Stanford, thirty years ago, the very first tactic they adopted was to normalize slurs that had already been stigmatized out of mainstream society. This return of these hateful terms was a key goal.
“It turns out that banishing the slur from public discourse was, in fact, important. Because now it’s back and it turns out that it does matter when subtext becomes actual text, when terrible people enable open hatred and bigotry, encouraging others to emulate them, degrading us all.”
Perry: The return of the r-word
"These days, the r-word slur has become a staple of the American right wing, uttered with few professional or social consequences," David M. Perry writes.
www.startribune.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Important context here: when Peter Thiel and David Sacks began their war on diversity as undergrads at Stanford, thirty years ago, the very first tactic they adopted was to normalize slurs that had already been stigmatized out of mainstream society. This return of these hateful terms was a key goal.