Groypers

The Groypers, or the Groyper Army, are an informal group of supporters of far-right activist and online streamer Nick Fuentes. They are named after a variant of Pepe the Frog, an Internet meme. Female Groypers are sometimes called Groypettes. Groypers have attempted to introduce their politics into mainstream conservatism in the United States by various means, and participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack as well as the protests leading up to it. They have also targeted other conservative groups and individuals whose agendas they view as contrary to the true meaning of "America First". The Groyper movement has been described as racist, nativist, fascist, sexist, homophobic, antisemitic, Islamophobic, and an attempt to rebrand the alt-right movement. It has also been called accelerationist. What was later dubbed "The Groyper War" began in the fall of 2019, when Fuentes launched a social media campaign targeting Turning Point USA's "Culture War" college tour, led by Charlie Kirk. Enraged by the firing of a Fuentes ally as well as other political conflicts, Groypers disrupted college events by asking provocative questions about immigration, Israel, and LGBT rights, in an attempt to challenge mainstream conservative figures like Kirk, Donald Trump Jr., and Ben Shapiro, whom they labeled "Conservative Inc." The war gained traction after a November 2019 UCLA event where Trump Jr. was cut short by Groyper heckling. Fuentes expanded the movement by forming America First Students in January 2020. In February 2021, the Groyper movement splintered between Fuentes and Patrick Casey over fears of infiltration by federal informants and doxing at the 2021 America First Political Action Conference. America First Students founder Jaden McNeil joined in support of Fuentes and accused Casey of disloyalty, but later broke ties with Fuentes himself. In August 2024, Fuentes initiated "Groyper War 2", a digital campaign...