Left Calls for ‘Army of Citizen Detectives’ to Monitor & Report Trump Supporters
Joshua Klein, Breitbart, January 19, 2021
Many on the left are promoting a recent video created by novelist and left-wing activist Don Winslow, which calls upon citizens to become cyber detectives to monitor and report fellow citizen Trump supporters to authorities while comparing the work of this “army of citizens” to that which led to the capture of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.
“On January 20, Donald Trump will become the Commander-in-Chief of a different army,” the slightly over two-minute clip begins. The words “This army” are then displayed as Trump supporters in Washington, DC, flash on the screen.
The threat addressed is described as emanating from “radical” conservatives who live among us. The clip continues:
The greatest threat facing America today comes from within: radical extreme conservatives, also known as domestic terrorists. They’re hidden among us, disguised behind regular jobs. They are your children’s teachers. They work at supermarkets, malls, doctor’s offices, and many are police officers and soldiers.
The video, which has received over 3.5 million views since, then claims that the president will begin a civil war once out of office and that ordinary citizens must “fight back.”
“In the years ahead, Trump will lead his army of domestic terrorists. He will encourage and incite violence,” the clip states. “He will start a civil war.”
“We have to fight back,” the clip continues. “In this new war, the battlefield has changes. Computers can be more valuable than guns. And this is what we need now more than ever: an army of citizen detectives.”
The narrator then reiterates the clip’s bold call.
“I’m proposing we form a citizen army,” he says. “Our weapons will be computers and cell phones. We who are monitoring extremists on the internet and reporting their findings to authorities.”
Outrageously, the clip then compares this “army of citizens” against Trump supporters to the monitoring and discovery of arch-terrorist Osama bin Laden.
“Remember, before the Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden he had to be found,” the clip continues. “He was found by a CIA analyst working on a computer thousands of miles away.”
Concluding with a call to action, the clip calls upon viewers to understand that the success of this “army” is in their hands.
“It’s up to you,” the video concludes, adding the hashtag “#TrumpsNewArmy.”
The hashtag has seen tens of thousands of tweets since.
Winslow, the producer of the clip, is a bestselling author of nearly two dozen crime and mystery novels as well as a screenwriter and has been the recipient of many prestigious awards.
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In October, Winslow produced a Joe Biden campaign ad narrated by left-wing actor Jeff Daniels which took aim at President Trump in an effort to flip Michigan blue.
Winslow added several messages when publicizing the new clip, clarifying just how far he seeks to go.
Winslow called for a “citizen army patrolling the Internet” ready to expose, identify, notify law enforcement and notify employers.
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Many on the left have already begun promoting the clip and encouraging viewers to sign on.
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Anti-Trump activist Majid M. Padellan (a.k.a Brooklyn Dad Defiant), with a Twitter following of over 840 thousand, was among the strongest supporters of the initiative.
“#TrumpsNewArmy is VILE. And we KNOW who they are,” he wrote. “They are our teachers. They are our neighbors. They are our police officers. They are EVERYWHERE. EXPOSE THEIR TREASON.”
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The notion of associating Trump supporters with terrorism is not novel to Winslow’s initiative.
Last week, Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) stated during PBS’s impeachment coverage that President Trump had “radicalized” his supporters the same way the late terrorist leader Osama bin Laden had.
