Thorskrig

Overview

Thorskrig have adopted the ancient pagan Valknut symbol that originated in North Germanic cultures long ago.

Thorskrig is an extreme right wing white supremacist organisation formed by a collection of ex-military personnel from several countries. Initially an online activist platform started by two friends to voice their concerns about the threat of Islamist terrorism in the early 2010s, it very quickly attracted attention from various international extremist groups and rapidly evolved into an armed Neo-Nazi organisation.

Founder Jarrod Morrow chose the name based on a garbled interpretation of the Norse myths, more especially stories around the god Thor battling giants, which Morrow interprets as being analogous to "foreigners". A keen fantasy and Viking culture enthusiast, Morrow modelled the organisation on his own incorrect understanding of how a mediaeval warband would be structured. Within the organisation, various corruptions of Scandinavian culture persist, including historically and culturally inaccurate "pagan" rites and appropriated symbolism, e.g., the widespread co-option of the Valknut symbol, especially at the highest levels.

One of Thorskrig?s main preoccupations is fundraising, especially for the purchase of weapons and drugs, either for sale or for use. Most members are employed, and pay annual dues as well as making frequent donations, often less than willingly. Additionally, various extreme right wing groups will provide some ad hoc funding on request. One of their largest sources of funds, however, is through criminal activities, mostly low level arms and drugs trafficking, armed robbery, and extortion.

Morrow?s core adherents follow a hierarchical structure, reflecting their military backgrounds, and maintain a heavy presence online. As with many organisations of this type, actual numbers and activities are difficult to determine, but individuals and groups claiming to belong to Thorskrig have been known to conduct violent attacks in several Western countries including the USA, Australia, and several European nations.

Ideology

Thorskrig is not a classically Neo-Nazi group, having been formed by later introduction to extremists of this type, and as such has a somewhat hybrid ideology encompassing virulent nativism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and various conspiracy theories. They are also not monolithic in their beliefs, with some cells having significantly different attitudes on different issues, which disagreements play out in their various online message boards and fora.

There are, however, some core beliefs which are shared by virtually all members:

• White males are the natural inheritors of the world, and only corrupt and weak governments crippled by "political correctness" have allowed any other situation to become possible.
• Islam is a force for evil in the world and should be suppressed.
• Global corporations, especially the media, are involved in a conspiracy to enfeeble the Western world and hand it over to a Jewish-led New World Order.
• Given the powerful forces arrayed against them, violent resistance is the only viable option.

Organization

Organizational structure for Thorskrig

Thorskrig has a tight core structure, but outside central hubs in major Western regional centres, is made up of loosely affiliated cells who receive some support and training from the central hubs. A Thorskrig cell can be so isolated as to consist of a handful of Direct Action (DA) operatives, or alternatively, sufficiently integrated into the central structure so as to be able to field a company sized unit. The core cells of Thorskrig are closely affiliated with various extreme right wing movements and can sometimes be practically interchangeable, whereas more remote or less connected cells can be as small as two or three personnel with no external ties.

Key Leadership

NAME	POSITION	SHORT BIO
Jarrod Morrow	Thorskonge	Jarrod Morrow is an ex-Australian Army Lance Corporal who has served in several Middle Eastern campaigns before being medically discharged. He is a founding member of Thorskrig, and falsely claims to have been a member of various special forces units.

Membership and Demographics

Thorskrig is estimated to have somewhere between 100 and 150 core members, but is thought to have a potential pool of volunteers and allies of up to 1000 people. Owing to their high public profile and the necessary constraints this places on their movements, as well as the high proportion of members who belong to prison chapters and are therefore incarcerated, Thorskrig may not be able to reliably field more than a few dozen in total strength in any given location at any particular time.

Thorskrig members tend to be males between the ages of 17 and 49, with an average age of 25. There are more males than females, with most females being close associates or partners of male members. While there is a wide variety of backgrounds across the whole organisation, an overwhelming majority of members are ex-military and/or convicts with no education beyond secondary school.

Recruitment

Thorskrig?s origins as an online movement, though brief, have led to its primary recruiting method being online radicalisation. Their "Informasjonkrig" cell, a dedicated team of online actors, trawl social media and message boards for prospective recruits, and have become quite sophisticated at selection and radicalisation, especially among young, disaffected males.

In addition to this, Thorskrig members will recruit by word of mouth in their workplaces, bars, clubs and associations ? especially ex-servicepeople?s organisations, and other similar venues. Thorskrig also has a large and active prison organisation which recruits in exchange for protection, and who will introduce their members into the broader organisation on their release. Of these, prison and ex-military recruits are the most highly regarded within the group.

Alliances

GROUP	RELATIONSHIP	NOTES
Redback Raiders OMC	Ally	Thorskrig and the Redback Raiders frequently work together and are known to participate in criminal activity as well as weapons and drugs trafficking in close cooperation. While the Redback Raiders are not an ideological group, there are enough members in the Australian and American chapters who sympathise with Thorskrig?s point of view to make this relationship possible.

Area of Operations

As with many organisations of this type, it is difficult to separate online presence from actual physical presence. Adding to this problem is the disaggregated nature of Thorskrig cells at the edges of its main hubs. There are known hubs in and around Sydney, Australia, as well as in some major regional centres in the USA. Typically, Thorskrig chapters operate across the Western world, usually in English speaking countries. Additionally, there have been known Thorskrig attacks in a number of European countries.

While most of their activities are conducted in major urban centres, there is reason to believe that core Thorskrig cells favour isolated, self-sufficient camps and compounds in rural areas for their bases. Several of these heavily fortified facilities have been uncovered in recent years, mostly in isolated locations within two or three hours of a major town or city.

Operational Profile

Kinetic

Thorskrig cells conduct both high-profile, carefully planned attacks, as well as low level and dynamic actions, some of which are aimed at fundraising, whereas others arise from a general policy of hatred. Many of these latter are drug and alcohol related.

Thorskrig?s principal kinetic activities include:

• High profile mass casualty attacks
• Home invasions, raids, and armed robberies
• Murder, both for hire and in pursuit of their ideologies
• Assault and intimidation, both for hire and in pursuit of their ideologies

• Vandalism and property destruction, including critical infrastructure
• Hate crimes

Non-Kinetic

Thorskrig has a robust propaganda and disinformation capability designed to further their ideologies and increase membership at the national and local levels. Thorskrig cells persistently run coordinated hate and disinformation campaigns against political figures, especially those of colour, as well as prominent individuals who have either criticised them or who they believe are part of the global conspiracy. Additionally, Thorskrig cells will often participate in anti-government protests, either lending support or in an attempt to incite violence and discredit the movement.

Thorskrig?s principal non-kinetic activities include:

• Propaganda dissemination, both online and physical
• Online activism and disinformation, especially related to conspiracy theories
• Recruitment and radicalisation, both online and in person

• Political activism, including organising and/or participating in protests
• Drugs trafficking, usually as hired security
• Arms trafficking, usually as hired security