There are extremists among them white supremacists And border streamer went down to Los Angeles in the year in the middle of a forest fire there to attract followers, solicit social media engagement, solicit donations and, experts claim, recruit new members, while in some cases LARPing as emergency workers .
This past weekend, Ryan Sánchez and three other members of his National Network team set up shop at the entrance to the Santa Monica Pier. Sanchez, who was was captured on video giving the Nazi salute during the Conservative Political Action Conference last year, and his group drove overnight from Arizona, where they live.
Sánchez, a member of the now-defunct white supremacist fight club known as Go beyond the movementis an ally of white supremacist Nick Fuentes and is sometimes known online as “Culture War Criminal.”
Sánchez, who did not respond to WIRED's request for comment, stated on his social media account that his group “received more support than anticipated” and said that all donations had been awarded to Bob Hope Patriotic Hall, a building said to shelter veterans as well as charities related to military and veterans' issues. (It did not respond to a request to confirm that Sánchez's team made the donation.)
While Sánchez and his colleagues claimed they were in LA to do good, experts who track the activities of far-right groups told WIRED that what they were really engaging in was “carpet tourism.” disaster” to further their own agenda by appearing useful to society.
“Based on many of their past activities, this could be used as a recruitment effort, which has happened more in the past year as far-right groups Participate in post-disaster tourism activities”. supervisory management and training at the Western States Center. “We saw it with Hurricane Helene and now we're seeing it again. Basically, these groups just go to disaster areas to spread propaganda, solicit donations, and in some cases actually steal donations from people on the spot.”
On Monday, Sánchez said that although his group was no longer collecting goods for the relief effort, they were still interested in meeting potential recruits.
“We will not be accepting any more donations tomorrow, but if you are still interested in volunteering, please contact us,” Sánchez wrote on Telegram and X on Sunday morning.
A donation link Sánchez posted to his Telegram channel links directly to his personal Cash App account, and it's unclear where the donation money is going, although Sánchez suggested it was being used. used to finance his team's travel and accommodation.
“The crisis in Los Angeles continues with high winds expected in the coming days. Thanks to your support, the Nationalist Network will be here for our fellow Americans,” Sánchez wrote on his Telegram and X accounts on Monday, before asking for more donations “ if you want to help keep our activists fed and engaged in the fight.”
As well as Sánchez and the Nationalist Network, many MAGA streamer visited LA in recent days to start posting content about the aftermath of the fire, while also soliciting money from their followers.