I would encourage Politics students to engage with this long read

Trump's useful thugs: how the Republican party offered a home to the Proud Boys

Not directly connected to the A Level syllabus, but I am sure those hoping to widen their knowledge of US politics and society will find it fascinating.

The Guardian says:

'Early in Trump’s presidency, emboldened neo-Nazi and fascist groups came out into the open but were met with widespread revulsion. So the tactics of the far right changed, becoming more insidious – and much more successful'

The extract is adapted from Blood Red Lines: How Nativism Fuels the Right by Brendan O’Connor, published by Haymarket Books

And here is another snippet: "...it is now becoming clear that the battle-hardened Proud Boys, told to “stand back and stand by” by Trump at a presidential debate last year, and their allies, acted as something like a disciplined cadre amid the chaos of the Capitol siege. In the face of a belated federal crackdown, these experienced exponents of political street violence are likely to beat a tactical retreat before making their next push. The movement they fight for now finds itself on new terrain: more organisationally developed than ever before, even with Trump out of office; a fracturing and reforming Republican party creating new alliances and coalitions to leverage and exploit; the multiplying pressures of the pandemic, the economic crisis, and the climate continuing to build. When or where, it is impossible to say – but soon enough, something is going to crack."

You can continue reading the rest of the piece here: https://www.theguardian.com/ne...