Political / Ideological
Boogaloo movement
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Decentralised online accelerationist movement (mid-2010s+) preparing for / accelerating second American civil war. Multiple violent incidents including 2020 California Federal Protective Service officer killing.
CLCI radar
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High Control
BITE breakdown
Behavior Control5/10
Information Control7/10
Thought Control7/10
Emotional Control5/10
Modifiers (+0)
0 — decentralised online accelerationist movement; multiple violent incidents linked.
Profile facts
Founded
Mid-2010s
Members
Thousands online; reduced post-2020 (2026).
Active in
USA, Global
In context
The Boogaloo movement (named after 'Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo' as ironic shorthand for civil war) emerged from 2010s online forums. Distinctive Hawaiian-shirt aesthetic. Multiple criminal cases including the 2020 killing of FPS officer Dave Patrick Underwood by Steven Carrillo. Decentralised, primarily online radicalisation.
Key control doctrines
- Accelerationism toward civil war
- Anti-government armed conflict
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Reclamation Collective — Religious-trauma-aware therapist network; relevant for post-exit identity-rebuilding.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Legal cases & controversies
- USA v. Carrillo (2020)
Evidence by BITE axis
Behavior Control
- Multiple linked violent incidents
- Online accelerationist radicalisation
- Anti-government armed-conflict framing
- Hawaiian-shirt visual identity
- Accelerationism toward civil war
- Anti-government armed conflict
- multiple violent incidents linked
Timeline
- Mid-2010sMovement coalesces online
- 2020Carrillo kills FPS officer Underwood
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
Sources
- DOJ Carrillo case search ↗
- Network Contagion Research Institute reports search ↗
- Written testimony by J. J. MacNab — https://docs.house.gov/meetings/HM/HM05/20200716/110911/HMTG-116-HM05-Wstate-MacNabJ-20200716.pdf open ↗
- Assessing the Threat From Accelerationists and Militia Extremists — https://homeland.house.gov/activities/hearings/assessing-the-threat-from-accelerationists-and-militia-extremists open ↗
- Self-Described Member of "Boogaloo Bois" Pleads Guilty to Riot — https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/self-described-member-boogaloo-bois-pleads-guilty-riot open ↗
- Member of "Boogaloo Bois" Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Hamas — https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/member-boogaloo-bois-sentenced-prison-conspiring-provide-material-support-hamas open ↗
- Second "Boogaloo Bois" Member Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Hamas — https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/second-boogaloo-bois-member-sentenced-prison-conspiring-provide-material-support-hamas open ↗
- Inside the Boogaloo: America's Extremely Online Extremists — https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/19/magazine/boogaloo.html open ↗
- What is the 'boogaloo'? How online calls for a violent uprising are hitting the mainstream — https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/what-boogaloo-how-online-calls-violent-uprising-are-getting-organized-n1138461 open ↗
- Why some protesters in America wear Hawaiian shirts — https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/05/23/why-some-protesters-in-america-wear-hawaiian-shirts open ↗
- Boogaloo' Is The New Far-Right Slang For Civil War — https://www.npr.org/2020/01/10/795366630/boogaloo-is-the-new-far-right-slang-for-civil-war open ↗
- The Boogaloo Movement Wants To Be Seen as Anti-Racist, But It Has a White Supremacist Fringe — https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/academics/centers-initiatives/ctec/ctec-publications-0/boogaloo-movement-wants-be-seen-anti-racist open ↗
- Facebook removes hundreds of boogaloo accounts for 'promoting violence' in coordinated takedown — https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/06/30/facebook-boogaloo-ban-accounts/ open ↗
- The Meme-Fueled Rise of a Dangerous, Far-Right Militia — https://www.wired.com/story/boogaloo-movement-protests/ open ↗
- Air Force Sergeant With Ties to Extremist Group Charged in Federal Officer's Death — https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/us/steven-carrillo-air-force-boogaloo.html open ↗
- How the Boogaloo movement rose from an internet joke to an armed movement in the U.S. — https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/from-little-rock-to-george-floyd-a-poem-for-the-protests-the-boogaloos-pride-during-a-pandemic-and-more-1.5598305/how-the-boogaloo-movement-rose-from-an-internet-joke-to-an-armed-movement-in-the-u-s-1.5598461 open ↗
- White supremacists or anti-police libertarians? What we know about the 'boogaloo — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/08/boogaloo-boys-movement-who-are-they-what-do-they-believe open ↗
- Far-Right Extremists Are Hoping to Turn the George Floyd Protests Into a New Civil War — https://www.vice.com/en/article/far-right-extremists-are-hoping-to-turn-the-george-floyd-protests-into-a-new-civil-war/ open ↗
- A lynching without a rope has galvanized and divided America — and that's nothing new — https://www.salon.com/2020/05/30/a-lynching-without-a-rope--and-in-america-thats-nothing-new/ open ↗
- What is the 'Boogaloo' movement? — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/boogaloo-movement-200604173050475.html open ↗
- Google hires creator of notorious 4chan forum — https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35751255 open ↗
- Far-right 'boogaloo' movement is using Hawaiian shirts to hide its intentions — https://theconversation.com/far-right-boogaloo-movement-is-using-hawaiian-shirts-to-hide-its-intentions-142633 open ↗
- Protesters across US attacked by cars driven into crowds and men with guns — https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/09/protests-us-america-cars-weapons open ↗
- This is Our House!" A Preliminary Assessment of the Capitol Hill Siege Participants — https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2191/f/This-Is-Our-House.pdf open ↗
- Sixteen 'Boogaloo' Followers Have Been Busted in 7 Days — https://www.thedailybeast.com/with-the-gov-gretchen-whitmer-busts-16-boogaloo-followers-have-been-busted-in-7-days open ↗
- Men wearing Hawaiian shirts and carrying guns add a volatile new element to protests — https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/06/03/white-men-wearings-hawaiian-shirts-carrying-guns-add-volatile-new-element-floyd-protests/ open ↗
- Phrasal Patterns 2: Electric Boogaloo — https://blog.oup.com/2007/08/patterns/ open ↗
- Why far-right protesters are wearing Hawaiian print — https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/far-right-hawaiian-print-shirts-why-protesters-boogaloo-racist-a9539776.html open ↗
- Antifa, Boogaloo boys, white nationalists: Which extremists showed up to the US Black Lives Matter protests? — https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-28/antifa-boogaloo-extremists-at-us-floyd-protests/12388260 open ↗
- Videos, threats, but few signs protests have been stoked by 'outsider' extremist groups — https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/videos-threats-few-signs-protests-have-been-stoked-outsider-extremist-n1220451 open ↗
- What is the Boogaloo Movement? Far-Right Extremists are Showing Up at Protests — https://www.newsweek.com/what-boogaloo-movement-far-right-extremists-are-showing-protests-1508835 open ↗
- Far-Right 'Boogaloo Boys' Are Trying to Incite Violence at Protests — https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/boogaloo-boys-george-floyd-protests-black-lives-matter-1010117/ open ↗
- Gun-toting members of the Boogaloo movement are showing up at protests — https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/03/us/boogaloo-extremist-protests-invs/index.html open ↗
- Virus restrictions fuel anti-government 'boogaloo' movement — https://apnews.com/3783a0cdc0e6cc04b43fd28b6069e960 open ↗
- The 'Boogaloo Bois' Are Bringing Their AR-15s and Civil War Ideology to the Lockdown Protests — https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-boogaloo-bois-are-bringing-their-ar-15s-and-civil-war-ideology-to-the-lockdown-protests/ open ↗
- Christian Identity Reborn: The Evolution and Revitalization of an Antisemitic Theology — https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs5746/files/2024-08/christian-identity-reborn.pdf open ↗
- Christian Identity's New Role On The Extreme Right — https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/academics/centers-initiatives/ctec/ctec-publications/christian-identitys-new-role-extreme-right open ↗
- The U.S. Military Has a Boogaloo Problem — https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-us-military-has-a-boogaloo-problem/ open ↗
- Anti-Lockdown Protesters Now Have a 21-Year-Old Martyr — https://www.thedailybeast.com/anti-lockdown-boogaloo-protesters-now-have-a-21-year-old-martyr-in-duncan-lemp open ↗
- Lawyer: Man killed by officer was asleep when police fired — https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/lawyer-man-asleep-police-fired-house-killing-69587748 open ↗
- Guns Are No Mere Symbol — https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/guns-are-no-mere-symbol/605239/ open ↗
- Prosecutors: 3 men plotted to terrorize Vegas protests — https://apnews.com/6223153093f08fa910c4ab445771b773 open ↗
- California Sheriff: Gunman 'Very Intent' on Killing Police — https://apnews.com/9186215f571341b8e344a17402fa73e9 open ↗
- Young Aspiring Boogaloo Bois Are Dancing With Guns on TikTok — https://www.vice.com/en/article/young-aspiring-boogaloo-bois-are-dancing-with-guns-on-tiktok/ open ↗
- Man accused in deputy ambush scrawled extremist 'Boogaloo' phrases in blood — https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-charged-deputy-ambush-scrawled-extremist-boogaloo-phrases-blood-n1230321 open ↗
- North Texas bodybuilder charged with conspiring to sell steroids — https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2020/06/13/north-texas-body-member-boogaloo-movement-member-charged-with-conspiring-to-sell-steroids/ open ↗
- 41-year sentence for Ex-Air Force sergeant who killed guard — https://apnews.com/article/us-air-force-san-francisco-oakland-police-government-and-politics-54ee0fa4316354d893b691c5f8d44023 open ↗
- F.B.I. Says Michigan Militia Plotted to Kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/us/gretchen-whitmer-michigan-militia.html open ↗
- Whitmer conspiracy allegations tied to boogaloo movement — https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/whitmer-conspiracy-allegations-tied-boogaloo-movement-n1242670 open ↗
- I Felt Hate More Than Anything": How an Active Duty Airman Tried to Start a Civil War — https://www.propublica.org/article/i-felt-hate-more-than-anything-how-an-active-duty-airman-tried-to-start-a-civil-war?token=MXX1IImPWCcCwUNwUmGqOoUsYmxDqE3A open ↗
- Member of far-right group charged with rioting at George Floyd protests — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/boogaloo-bois-member-charged-riot-ivan-harrison-hunter/ open ↗
- How Instagram Turned an Upstate N.Y. Town Into a Dangerous Magnet for Militia Types — https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-instagram-turned-an-upstate-ny-town-into-a-dangerous-magnet-for-militia-types open ↗
- A Self-Proclaimed "Boogaloo Boy" Was Arrested After Allegedly Livestreaming His Hunt To Kill A Police Officer — https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmanuelfelton/boogaloo-boy-arrested-texarkana-swenson open ↗
- Two self-proclaimed members of 'Boogaloo Bois' charged with attempting to support Hamas — https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/04/politics/boogaloo-hamas/index.html open ↗
- Two men allegedly linked to 'Boogaloo' accused of offering to work with Hamas — https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-men-allegedly-linked-boogaloo-accused-offering-work-hamas-n1239400 open ↗
- U.S. Capitol siege emboldens motley crew of extremists — https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-extremists/us-capitol-siege-emboldens-motley-crew-of-extremists-idUSL1N2JJ0A0 open ↗
- The Boogaloo Bois Have Guns, Criminal Records and Military Training. Now They Want to Overthrow the Government — https://www.propublica.org/article/boogaloo-bois-military-training open ↗
- Justice Dept. to Take Aim at Antigovernment Extremists — https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/us/politics/justice-department-protests-violence.html open ↗
- Republicans falsely claim Oakland cop's killer was involved in racial justice protests — https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/republicans-protests-murder-oakland-steven-carrillo-david-patrick-underwood-a9660231.html open ↗
- Facebook limits spread of 'Boogaloo' groups amid protests — https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-boogaloo/facebook-moves-to-limit-spread-of-boogaloo-groups-after-charges-idUSKBN23C011 open ↗
- Facebook to remove anti-government 'Boogaloo' groups — https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-remove-anti-government-boogaloo-groups-n1232579 open ↗
- Facebook bans 'violent' Boogaloo-linked network — https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53244339 open ↗
- Facebook Has Been Profiting From Boogaloo Ads Promoting Civil War And Unrest — https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/facebook-instagram-profit-boogaloo-ads open ↗
- TikTok's Boogaloo extremism problem — https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53269361 open ↗
- Discord Just Shut Down the Biggest 'Boogaloo' Server for Inciting Violence — https://www.vice.com/en/article/discord-just-shut-down-the-biggest-boogaloo-server-for-inciting-violence/ open ↗
- Anti-government website hosted in Montreal shut down after promoting armed protests in U.S. — https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-website-extremists-protests-u-s-1.5870183 open ↗
- Who are Boogaloo Bois, antifa and Proud Boys? — https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-53018201 open ↗
- ¿Qué es el movimiento extremista Boogaloo y por qué algunos de sus miembros armados participaron en las protestas por George Floyd? — https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2020/06/04/que-es-el-movimiento-extremista-boogaloo-y-por-que-algunos-de-sus-miembros-armados-participaron-en-las-protestas/ open ↗
- Boogaloo boys' prepare for next American civil war in Hawaiian shirts — https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boogaloo-boys-prepare-for-next-american-civil-war-in-hawaiian-shirts-wsmdmmclm open ↗
- Far-Right Extremists Are Hoping to Turn the George Floyd Protests Into a New Civil War — https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pkyb9b/far-right-extremists-are-hoping-to-turn-the-george-floyd-protests-into-a-new-civil-war open ↗
- The Boogaloo Movement Wants To Be Seen as Anti-Racist, But It Has a White Supremacist Fringe — https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/academics/centers-initiatives/ctec/ctec-publications/boogaloo-movement-wants-be-seen-anti-racist-it open ↗
- Far-Right Extremists Are Hoping to Turn the George Floyd Protests Into a New Civil War — https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkyb9b/far-right-extremists-are-hoping-to-turn-the-george-floyd-protests-into-a-new-civil-war open ↗
- What is the 'Boogaloo' movement? — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/6/5/what-is-the-boogaloo-movement open ↗
- The 'Boogaloo Bois' Are Bringing Their AR-15s and Civil War Ideology to the Lockdown Protests — https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/y3zmj5/the-boogaloo-bois-are-bringing-their-ar-15s-and-civil-war-ideology-to-the-lockdown-protests open ↗
- Prosecutors: 3 men plotted to terrorize Vegas protests — https://apnews.com/article/6223153093f08fa910c4ab445771b773 open ↗
- Virus restrictions fuel anti-government 'boogaloo' movement — https://apnews.com/article/3783a0cdc0e6cc04b43fd28b6069e960 open ↗
- The 'Boogaloo Bois' Are Bringing Their AR-15s and Civil War Ideology to the Lockdown Protests — https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3zmj5/the-boogaloo-bois-are-bringing-their-ar-15s-and-civil-war-ideology-to-the-lockdown-protests open ↗
- The U.S. Military Has a Boogaloo Problem — https://www.vice.com/en/article/xg8g87/the-us-military-has-a-boogaloo-problem open ↗
- Heavily armed extremist movement gains traction — https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/us/boogaloo-extremist-protests-invs/index.html open ↗
- The ‘Boogaloo Bois’ Are Bringing Their AR-15s and Civil War Ideology to the Lockdown Protests — https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/y3zmj5/the-boogaloo-bois-are-bringing-their-ar-15s-and-civil-war-ideology-to-the-lockdown-protests open ↗
- États-Unis: 3 militants d'extrême droite inculpés pour «incitation à la violence — https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/etats-unis-3-militants-d-extreme-droite-inculpes-pour-incitation-a-la-violence-20200604 open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2019/04/29/moderation-de-la-haine-supremaciste-ce-que-font-ou-pas-facebook-youtube-et-twitter-depuis-christchurch_5456454_4408996.html open ↗
- Sous pression, Facebook bannit le groupe d'extrême droite «Boogaloo — https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/facebook-bannit-le-groupe-d-extreme-droite-boogaloo-20200630 open ↗
- Alleged 'Boogaloo' extremist charged in killing of federal officer during George Floyd protest — https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/airman-charged-killing-federal-officer-during-george-floyd-protests-california-n1231187 open ↗
- “Far-Right Extremists Are Hoping to Turn the George Floyd Protests Into a New Civil War” — https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pkyb9b/far-right-extremists-are-hohing-to-turn-the-george-floyd-protests-into-a-new-civil-war open ↗
- “The U.S. Military Has a Boogaloo Problem” — https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xg8g87/the-us-military-has-a-boogaloo-problem open ↗
- “Young Aspiring Boogaloo Bois Are Dancing With Guns on TikTok” — https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xg8yjw/young-aspiring-boogaloo-bois-are-dancing-with-guns-on-tiktok open ↗
- “Discord Just Shut Down the Biggest 'Boogaloo' Server for Inciting Violence” — https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/akzkep/discord-just-shut-down-the-biggest-boogaloo-server-for-inciting-violence/ open ↗
- State v. Carrillo (2021) — CourtListener — https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/5305759/state-v-carrillo/ open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Political cadre.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
- Start herePick the reading path that matches your situation.
- PatternsDocumented control patterns with linked profiles.
- Online groupsPolitical and ideological coercion often operates via online communities.
- FamiliesHow families and close friends can engage with high-control members.
- RecoveryIf you have left or are preparing to leave.
You may also want to explore
Frequently asked questions
Q.Is Boogaloo movement a cult?
CLCI Hub deliberately avoids the binary label "cult." Instead it places groups on a transparent 0–40 spectrum of documented control using Steven Hassan's BITE model (Behaviour, Information, Thought, Emotional). Boogaloo movement scores 24 out of 40 — "High Control", at medium confidence. The score describes documented control patterns, not a judgement of members' sincerity or beliefs; many members do not personally experience the patterns listed.
Q.What is Boogaloo movement's CLCI score?
Boogaloo movement scores 24 out of 40 on the Cult-Like Control Index, which falls in the "High" band. That total is the sum of four BITE axes — Behaviour 5, Information 7, Thought 7, Emotional 5 — plus a signed modifier of +0 for aggravating or mitigating factors.
Q.Why does Boogaloo movement score 24 on the CLCI?
The score reflects publicly documented patterns including: Multiple linked violent incidents; Online accelerationist radicalisation; Anti-government armed-conflict framing; Hawaiian-shirt visual identity. These map onto the BITE axes of behaviour, information, thought, and emotional control, and a signed modifier of +0 is applied for factors such as financial demands, leadership accountability, and exit costs. Every claim is backed by the citations in the Sources section on this page.
Q.How reliable is the Boogaloo movement rating?
This profile is rated Medium confidence. Medium confidence means the score rests on reputable journalism plus consistent ex-member testimony. CLCI scores are not fixed — they are revised whenever new public evidence appears, and groups that reform can score lower over time.
Q.Where can I get help regarding Boogaloo movement?
If you or someone you care about is affected by Boogaloo movement, start with the Recovery resources listed on this page. General cult-aware support is available from the International Cultic Studies Association (icsahome.com) and the Freedom of Mind Resource Center (freedomofmind.com). CLCI Hub is an educational resource, not a crisis service — if anyone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.
Disclaimer. This profile is an educational summary based on publicly available reports. Many members of this group do not experience the patterns described. Individual congregations and chapters vary widely. If you or someone you know needs support, contact a licensed therapist or the International Cultic Studies Association.