On the margins of terrorist propaganda: Individualities Tending Toward Wildness (ITS) and the non-persuasive communication of eco-extremism

Abstract

This article examines the propaganda of the eco-extremist terroristgroup Individualities Tending Toward Wildness (ITS) froma qualitative perspective. Unlike the classic paradigm that conceivesof terrorism as a form of strategic communication aimed at mobiliz-ing audiences or negotiating demands, ITS is characterized by theuse of non-persuasive propaganda, which rejects any aspiration toconvince or recruit. Its discourse is marked by nihilism, misan-thropy, and contempt for any political framework. Througha chronological analysis of all propaganda documents publishedbetween 2011 and 2020, we demonstrate how the group usesviolence and words to assert an identity antithetical to civilization.This form of expressive terrorism poses a challenge to radicalizationprevention models.