Alaska Parler
The social media platform Parler has a significant user base comprised of Trump supporters, conservatives, conspiracy theorists, and right-wing extremists. The platform rose to prominence within those circles as other social media platforms began banning users and removing content violating their service terms.
Parler markets itself as a "free speech" and unbiased alternative to mainstream social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. However, some journalists and users have criticized the service for content policies that are more restrictive than the company portrays and sometimes more restrictive than its competitors.
The Alaska Proud Boys Group - Anchorage's "Chapter" - bills itself as "the fastest growing fraternal organization for men that unapologetically believe in Western Chauvinism in Anchorage, AK."
As the events of January 6, 2021, consumed the country — Parler's social media exploded with pictures, videos, and commentary of "what really happened," painting a much different view of the day's events than what was being reported by the media.
A video emerged depicting a mortally wounded Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran from the San Diego area. The video, which has been seen on Parler more than 153,735 times, was "echoed" (the equivalent of a Facebook share or Twitter retweet) by the Alaska Proud Boys Anchorage Chapter, who wrote:
"Everyone on twitter and left wing Facebook is saying the cops are treating "white nationalists attempting a coup" with kid gloves."
Babbitt was a libertarian and supporter of President Trump, according to her social media posts, and a follower of the far-right conspiracy theory known as QAnon, according to NPR. Babbitt was reportedly shot as she and other rioters tried to break through a barricaded door in the building where Capitol police officers stood armed on the other side.
"President Trumps hands are clean, this is on VP Mike Pence and the dirty politicians!" wrote one Parler user, who didn't expand on their comments explaining how the Vice President of the United States was responsible for the shooting. In another recent post, the Alaska Proud Boys Anchorage Parler account bemoaned COVID-19 stimulus payments and expressed support for the arrest of "corrupt politicians for treason."
In a separate post made in the last 24 hours, Parler user NobleLead shared a picture of elected officials hiding on the floor as the insurrectionists began taking Capitol Hill and seemingly justified the actions of the insurrectionists, writing, "When the government fears the people...There is liberty." Alaska Proud Boys Anchorage responded, "Just sayin'" and tagged the Parler account of Must Read Alaska in their comments, although the reasons they did so were unclear.
Other Alaska-based Parler accounts lay blame for violence at the Capitol on the "shoulders of Democrats." Many other Alaska-based Parler accounts still claim that the election was stolen from Donald Trump and that their votes don't count anymore.
Not to be outdone by their Anchorage-based counterparts, the Mat-Su region of Alaska also has an Alaska Proud Boys Parler presence at the service, as does Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy.
Dunleavy announced he'd expanded his social media presence to Parler on December 22, 2020, and received blowback from Alaskans for doing so, with some asking if the Governor's tweet was satire. As the Governor announced his statement on recent events at the Capitol, which some Alaskans found dismissive - many other Parler accounts engaged the Governor with conspiracy theories, with one user writing, "Sir, I wouldn't be surprised if the violent ones turn out to be infiltrators sent in by the marxist left in hope of having blame put on Trump supporters."
Another Parler user wrote in response to the Governor's statement, "These were not Trumpers..or Republicans..it was Antifa."
Since the act of violence on Capitol Hill this week, both Apple and Google have been called upon to remove the Parler app from their app catalogs after learning that the social media platform was rife with talk of guns and violence ahead of the Capitol riot. Critics say Parler's lack of censorship allows users to share offensive, threatening, or violent material, which is now prohibited on mainstream social media networks.
