From White Genocide to Terrorgram: Analyzing the Bratislava Shooter’s Manifesto in the Context of Conspiratorial and Extremist Narratives

In 2022, Slovakia and Central Europe were shaken by the politically motivated murder of two young members of the LGBT+ community in Bratislava. The attacker left behind a manifesto rooted primarily in traditional patterns of antisemitic conspiracy theories, such as the concept of "White Genocide." The manifesto also draws from the texts of other far-right shooters (e.g., Brenton Tarrant, John Earnest, and Payton Gendron) and takes inspiration from materials disseminated via the so-called Terrorgram, an extremist propaganda network spread through encrypted platforms. The proposed paper focuses on a content analysis of this manifesto, aiming to examine the role of conspiracy theories, their formation, and dissemination within the Slovak social and cultural context. The research reflects on regional and historical factors contributing to the creation and acceptance of these narratives. The analysis emphasizes the connections between local influences from Slovak society and international far-right discourses. Special attention is given to how the manifesto employs radical narratives and emotional appeals (e.g., fear, anger, contempt) to enhance the resonance of its ideas with broader conspiratorial discourses. The paper also analyzes the influence of other far-right shooter manifestos explicitly cited by the attacker as inspiration, as well as the role of materials from Terrorgram as a source of narrative and ideological framing. These influences are examined in the context of the interplay between international and local factors that facilitate the spread of conspiracy theories. Attention is also given to the transnational transfer of these narratives and their mobilization potential. The theoretical and methodological framework of the paper builds on the concept presented in the article "Testing the link between conspiracy theories and violent extremism: a linguistic coding approach to far-right shooter manifestos," which combines three analytical approaches: the analysis of conspiracy theory elements, the Radical Narrative Framework, and Emotional Framework Analysis (ANCODI). This framework is applied to the manifesto text to assess how it aligns with the broader concept of the connection between conspiracy theories and violent extremism and how it fits within a transnational context. This paper provides new insights into the influence of international and regional factors on the spread of conspiracy theories and their role in shaping extremist narratives, contributing to a deeper understanding of the political and societal consequences of conspiracy mentality.