Far-Right Extremists Called Boogaloo Boys Are Trying to Start a Second Civil War

Amidst all the chaos of this moment, a new group of extremists has asserted itself. Boogaloo Boys are far-right extremists who believe a second civil war is coming, and are actively trying to foment one. The groups are generally anti-government and anti-law enforcement and some of them are also white supremacist. Recently, Boogaloo Boys have been seen attending anti-lockdown protests across the country, as well as the protests over George Floyd's death. 

The name for the group comes from the movie Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, which was first released in 1984. In the years since, adding "Electric Boogaloo" to the end of a movie's title became a common joke about sequels. The movement adopted the name because of their belief that there will be a sequel to the Civil War. They can often be identified by their military garb and Hawaiian shirts. 

The Hawaiian shirts worn by members of the Boogaloo Boys are used as a way for them to identify one another at protests. The shirts seem to stem from the other words associated with the movement, including boog, boojihadeen, big igloo, and big luau. All of these words are designed to keep social media sites from filtering out their content. 

In addition to attending protests, the Boogaloo Boys generally believe they should do anything necessary to accelerate a second civil war. As a result, they spread conspiracy theories and advocate for terrorism. The movement's origins are fairly recent. They began to pick up steam online in 2019. 

Although they are united in their belief that a second civil war is imminent, the Boogaloo Boys are not a unified movement, and their belief systems vary wildly on other issues. Some, for example, are white supremacists, and believe the next civil war will also be a race war. Others have marched with the Black Lives Matter movement and attended recent protests claiming they had shown up to protect either protesters or storefronts. 

Although there's been plenty of chatter about the Boogaloo, or second civil war, online, and plenty of unrest in recent weeks, there are not any public plans to cause this second civil war. Although Boogaloo Boys have become more present at in-person protests and rallies, their presence has not yet led to the all-out civil war they predict. 

The Boogaloo Boys have been a presence at many  protests across the country, but have played almost no part in organizing these rallies. One of the group's goals is to foment chaos and division, and some may see these protests as an opportunity to do just that. As of right now, though, they have not been successful, and most of the tumult at these rallies does not appear to be associated with Boogaloo Boys. 

Instead, the violence has largely been a result of conflicts between police and protesters. In recent days, that unrest has subsided somewhat, although there are still numerous instances of police attacking protesters who are protesting peacefully.