Veneration of Luigi Mangione shows widespread support for vigilante violence

19 December 2024

By Steven Rai

The assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4 has highlighted the acceptance of vigilante violence by many in the United States as a method for societal change. The alleged perpetrator, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, has received an outpouring of support and celebration, reflecting widespread disillusionment with the status quo and the perceived ineffectiveness of conventional politics in addressing problems. Alongside these mainstream reactions, extremists from disparate ideological communities have united in praising the suspect’s alleged actions, seizing on the attack to encourage further violence.

This Dispatch examines reactions from extremist actors, including neo-Nazi accelerationists and militant anarchists, and the wider spread of these narratives within more mainstream online communities. Ultimately, the widespread support for violence by both mainstream and extremist communities alike suggests the potential for further unrest in the months and years ahead.

Neo-Nazi accelerationists suggest deadly shooting could cause a paradigm shift for their movement

Extremists across the ideological spectrum are studying, celebrating, and finding ways to exploit the UnitedHealthcare shooting to advance their own violent agendas. In particular, the assassination has energized neo-Nazi accelerationist communities— violent extremists aiming to accelerate the collapse of modern societal and political structures.

One Telegram channel associated with former members of the Atomwaffen Division (AWD) stated that the assassination could bring about a “paradigm shift in the realm of political violence.” It claims that this shift could be the start of “something wonderful” in which individuals carry out calculated, surgical strikes against their perceived oppressors instead of random attacks. The channel further expresses excitement over their belief that if Mangione were to be acquitted by a jury, it would – in their view – practically legalize political assassinations.

Other accelerationists have celebrated the attack by hailing the alleged perpetrator as “Saint Luigi Mangione.” Online aesthetics and subcultures that venerate mass murderers as “saints” have flourished in extremist spaces for years. However, memes and merchandise portraying Mangione as a saint have notably emerged from mainstream spaces, with some users anointing him the “patron saint of universal healthcare.” The use of such iconography within the mainstream suggests that efforts to sanctify killers could extend beyond fringe communities.

Figure 1. Artwork and memorabilia shared online portraying Mangione as a saint.

Extremists have taken note of this mainstream reaction, remarking that even the “average lemming” supports Mangione and expressing their delight that the public is beginning to embrace targeted attacks against high-profile individuals perceived as being complicit in an unjust system. They believe that popular support for such violence will ultimately benefit the accelerationist cause and are capitalizing on the excitement by encouraging murders of other CEOs and public figures in publicly accessible group chats.

Finally, the attack has fostered tactical discussions among some neo-Nazi accelerationists who are inspired by its perceived professional execution, how long the suspect evaded police, and the use of 3D-printed firearms. Notably, these communities are distributing manuals for creating the same 3D-printed components Mangione allegedly used for the shooting. This suggests that accelerationists view the tactics of the assassination as a template to be followed.

Militant anarchists cite shooting as evidence that violence works

Despite their ideological opposition to neo-Nazi accelerationists, militant anarchists have similarly praised the attack. Violent anarchists have created memes, artwork, clothing and other merchandise glorifying the assassination, and have circulated images of street art that glorifies Mangione. Like neo-Nazi accelerationists, militant anarchists have seized on the attack to call for the murder of CEOs and other individuals whom they believe are perpetuating a corrupt capitalist system.

Figure 2. Poster observed in Portland, Oregon that has been circulated by online militant anarchist accounts.

In addition to praising Mangione, militant anarchists are suggesting that the attack has already led to positive change. After major insurance provider Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reversed their decision to limit coverage of anesthesia shortly after the assassination, militant anarchists cited it as evidence that violence was more effective than conventional politics. Moreover, when the Ohio Supreme Court nullified a $650 million lawsuit that counties won against pharmaceutical companies over the opioid epidemic, militant anarchists pointed to the ruling to highlight the ineffectiveness of democratic solutions, calling for violence instead.

Shooting garners widespread mainstream support

While domestic extremists have celebrated the attack and called for its tactics to be emulated, support for the attack and its alleged perpetrator has also reached the online mainstream, with thousands of users across wider social media lionizing Mangione and praising the assassination. These posts have generated millions of likes and shares, suggesting widespread support for the attack.

Using the social listening tool Brandwatch, ISD found over 50,000 posts containing the word ‘hero’ in relation to Mangione in the three days following his arrest on December 9. Additionally, the hashtag #FreeLuigi appeared in over 17,000 posts across various social media platforms from December 9 to 14. This suggests that broad swathes of the public not only view the assassination as legitimate but also lament any legal consequences that may follow.

Figure 3: Graph showing the incidence of the word ‘hero’ in posts discussing Luigi Mangione, December 7 – December 14.

As of December 16, the top 30 trending posts on X related to Mangione revealed substantial public support for his alleged actions. For example, one of these messages referenced his physical attractiveness and called for him to be freed, generating nearly 3 million views and 90,000 likes. Another featured a quote from Mangione wherein he described individuals who disavow violence as “predators” and “cowards,” which garnered over 1.7 million views and generated 86,000 likes. Over half of these top 30 posts were supportive of him, while the remainder was neutral. None of these messages criticized Mangione’s purported actions or portrayed him in a negative light.

Conclusion

The widespread support for the assassination across divergent extremist groups — as well as its permeation in more mainstream online communities — shows that vigilante violence is being embraced as a legitimate solution to social, economic and political problems in the US. The consequences of this extend far beyond the individual acts of violence themselves, contributing to a broader culture of normalized violence that may continue to escalate.

Individual vigilantes may be praised or scorned by different ideological communities depending on their specific motives and targets, but the underlying strategy of violence as a means to provoke political change appears to have support across numerous segments of society. However, it is crucial to consider the long-term effects of legitimizing such behavior. While Mangione’s alleged targeting of a healthcare CEO may have generated widespread public approval, the same impulses that drove him to violence may motivate tomorrow’s vigilantes to target legislators, medical providers, activists or other perceived foes, as they have in the past. When violence is deemed acceptable, murder becomes a tool that can be wielded by anyone, with consequences that ultimately harm us all.