On Tuesday, the US Army confirmed that it had widely distributed an advisory to service members about a potential mass shooting during the theatrical release of Joker. According to Stripes, a US Army Criminal Investigation Command was issued on Monday, warning commanders in Oklahoma that a law enforcement agency in Texas working with the FBI had uncovered “disturbing and very specific chatter in the dark web regarding the targeting of an unknown movie theatre during the release” date on October 4. In an email marked “For Official Use Only” distributed on September 18, service members were told to be aware of their surroundings and to “identify two escape routes” when entering cinemas. If a shooting is to take place, soldiers must then “run, hide and fight.
The memo explained: “Run if you can. If you’re stuck, hide and stay quiet. If a shooter finds you, fight with whatever you can.”
The email also warned about the online subculture of “incels”.
Incels are known to hold extreme and violent misogynistic views and attitudes including sympathies toward the “alt-right” fascist movement and have been tied to past mass shootings, including the 2014 Isla Vista killings.
Incels have also been arrested after threatening to carry out massacres.
As the US military’s email explains: “Incels are individuals who express frustration from perceived disadvantages to starting intimate relationships. Incel extremists idolise violent individuals like the Aurora movie theatre shooter.”
On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside a cinema in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of the film ‘The Dark Knight Rises’.
An attacker set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms. Twelve people were killed and 70 others were injured, 58 of them from gunfire.
The ‘Joker’ film has provoked some backlash from critics over its depiction of mental health and violence.
The families of victims from the Aurora shooting have also written a letter to Warner Bros expressing their concern.
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“What’s outstanding to me in this discourse in this movie is how easily the far left can sound like the far right when it suits their agenda. It’s really been eye opening for me.”
This would seem strange in the UK, but given the frequency of gun violence in the US, the film’s release is potentially going to require a large security presence.