CatboyKami

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CatboyKami
Born
Tor Gustafsson Brookes

1998 (age 25–26)[citation needed]
NationalitySwedish
Other namesPhilip Hedley
OccupationStreamer
Years active2019–present
Known forWhite supremacist activism

Tor Gustafsson Brookes (born either 1997 or 1998),[1] better known by his online alias CatboyKami, is a Swedish-born Australian streamer[2] known for his various online activities connected to far-right activism.

Early life[edit]

Tor Brookes was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, and he was raised in Brisbane, Australia.[1] In his youth, he played various video games with his father, under the online username "Kamikaze".[1] Brookes finished high school in or around 2015, and started streaming in 2019.[3]

Online activities[edit]

Formerly going under the username "lolisocks", one of his most constant online activities is livestreaming himself in various activities, famously including online trolling of users on the popular chatting site Omegle.[1][3][4]

Many of these clips are often shared through his personal Telegram channel.[5][4] His most notorious stream was a 10-hour long meeting with American white nationalist Nick Fuentes, streamed in December 2019.[1]

Starting in mid-2020, Brookes streamed uploaded multiple videos of himself to DLive and BitChute, where he wore racist outfits, including blackface and stereotypical outfits that mocked Blacks, Asians, and Jews,[4] along with mocking the murder of George Floyd.[4] His activities helped inspire ex-journalist Paul Miller, known online as GypsyCrusader, who participated in many of the same activities.[4]

Brookes, along with online streamer Anthime Gionet (known online as Baked Alaska), attended a rally in Phoenix, Arizona,[2] where he chanted that "we will not fall for the lies of the Jews this time. This time, we know our war is with them",[6] referring to the conspiracy theory that Donald Trump won the 2020 American election.[3] Later at the rally, he clashed with a group of anti-Trump activists, where a Mexican activist alleged he yelled racist catchphrases and racial slurs.[1]

In February 2021, one of Brookes' streams was played at a Zoom meeting on racial equality organized by Pennsylvania State University, where he depicted himself dressed up as a police officer, kneeling on a doll of George Floyd.[7] Later, Brookes was interviewed by the FBI, which he described as a "raid".[1]

Throughout his online activities, Brookes attempted to hide his real identity.[1] In July 2021, Brookes was outed by journalist Alex Mann, who revealed his real name on an ABC radio podcast episode.[3][6] Before being identified, Brookes was often referred to as "Philip Hedley".[2][6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Mann, Alex (23 July 2021). "A far-right troll's journey from an Ipswich bedroom to global infamy". ABC Radio National. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Sacks, Brianna (10 November 2021). "These Young Latinas Showed Up To A Trump Rally To Celebrate Biden. What They Got Was A Complicated Snapshot Of Where America Is". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Mann, Alex; Bogle, Ariel (23 July 2021). "Unmasking one of Australia's most shocking far-right trolls". ABC News. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Extremist Trolls are Targeting Omegle Users with Virulent Racism, Antisemitism". Anti-Defamation League. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Risk of misogyny among extremists". Eastern Eye. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2022 – via PressReader.
  6. ^ a b c "Right-wing Extremists React to President-elect Biden's Victory with Anger and Vague Threats of Violence". Anti-Defamation League. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  7. ^ Blackburne, Carolyn (16 February 2021). "Penn State University Police investigate 'Zoom-bombings'". Fox43. Retrieved 14 February 2022.