Right-wing extremists play LARP as rescue workers in Los Angeles
Extremists including white supremacists And Border Livestreamer have arrived in Los Angeles in the midst of forest fires They are there to gain followers, drive social media engagement, raise funds and, experts claim, recruit new members while, in some cases, LARPing as emergency responders.
Last weekend, Ryan Sánchez and three other members of his group, Nationalist Network, set up shop at the entrance to the Santa Monica Pier. Sánchez, who was Captured on video giving a Nazi salute during the Conservative Political Action Conference last year and his crew had driven overnight from Arizona, where they live.
Sánchez, who was a member of the now-defunct white supremacist fight club known as Rise above the movementis an ally of white supremacist Nick Fuentes and is sometimes known by his online nickname “Culture War Criminal.”
Sánchez, who did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment, claims on his social media accounts that his group “received much more support than expected” and said all donations went to the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall, a building purported to house veterans as well as charities dealing with military and veterans affairs. (A request to confirm that Sánchez’s group made donations was not responded to.)
While Sánchez and his colleagues claim they are in LA to do good, experts who track the activities of far-right groups tell WIRED that they are actually engaging in “disaster tourism” to advance their own agenda by seemingly doing good for society do.
“Based on many of their past activities, this is likely being used as a recruitment effort, which has happened much more frequently in the last year when right-wing extremist groups engage in disaster tourism,” said Freddy Cruz, the program manager for monitoring and training at the Western States Center. “We saw it with Hurricane Helene, and now we’re seeing it again. These groups essentially just travel to disaster areas to spread propaganda, solicit donations, and in some cases actually steal donations from people on the ground.”
On Monday, Sánchez said that while his group was no longer collecting supplies for the relief effort, it was still interested in meeting potential new recruits.
“We will stop accepting donations tomorrow, but if you are still interested in volunteering, contact us,” Sánchez wrote on Telegram and X on Sunday morning.
A donation link Sánchez posted on his Telegram channel goes directly to his personal Cash App account, and it is unclear where the donated money went, although Sánchez suspected it was used to finance his group’s travel and accommodation became.
“The crisis in Los Angeles continues and strong winds are expected in the coming days. Thanks to your support, the Nationalist Network will be there 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 in the fight participate.”
As well as Sánchez and the Nationalist Network, several MAGA live streamer traveled to LA in recent days to begin posting content about the aftermath of the fires while also asking for money from her followers.
