Afatwa, or religious decree, issued by senior Iranian clerics calling for the assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump has attracted online funding worth tens of millions of dollars, reports say.

    • phx@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      2 days ago

      Iranian hardline version of Kickstarter shoot be called “HeartStopper”. I’m wondering what their stretch goals are.

  • OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    17
    ·
    edit-2
    2 days ago

    If some Iranians want to hunt down and put an end to some vile child molester’s wretched existence, who am I to stand in their way?

    • blitzen@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      55
      ·
      3 days ago

      I saw a billboard (in California) for a gofundme for Texas disaster relief. That feels peak 2025 to me.

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      3 days ago

      I seem to recall reading one of the divisive things the cipherpunks on their mailing list discussion was about untraceable digital money (before Bitcoin) and the thought experiment about just this very kind of thing (minus the siren server like GoFundMe, because why would you want that in the mix if you were doing this kind of thing).

      Not that anyone set it up, and the many proposals around digital cash did not really gain traction until 2009 or so…but this was from the 90s.

    • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      22
      ·
      2 days ago

      Bad idea if you live in a country with extradition treaty with the US.

      You could end up in gitmo for “providing material support to terrorist activity”, because that is technically what you are doing, money is material support.

      I can’t tell you what to do, but like if Iran actually manage to do it, it would be the best excuse to get Iran obliterated from the map, and most NATO countries will probably help with the invasion of Iran under Article 5, since that’s effectively like a 9/11 v2 (not in number of deaths, but in terms of being able to justify a foreign war).

      Iran performing the assassination is 100x worse than, say that nutjob in 2024 doing it. If trump die from that kid’s gunshot, there wouldn’t be much happening, but if Iran did it? In this tense political climate where 1/3 of the US population are in a cult? Can you even imagine all the lynchings against Muslims, Arabs, and anyone who “looks middle eastern”?

      Any soldiers or national guard that was bordering on “hmm, is this actually legal”, will now not even question their orders. Being anti-trump in the aftermath of this hypothetical assassination would be treated as almost as bad as supporting al-qaeda.

      Its not a good idea, IMO.

      • merc@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        2 days ago

        You can get thrown in a concentration camp because your skin’s too dark and you weren’t carrying your ID, even if you’re a US citizen.

        That’s one of the side effects about tossing out the rule of law. If merely protesting or having a certain meme on your phone is dangerous, then might as well go all in.

        • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 days ago

          But you also have to consider the “court of public opinion”

          Funding a foreign assassination attempt will only unite all of the right-of-center and take away some of support of “centrist”/“conservative” democrats. Bush popularity skyrocketed after 9/11, Patriot Act and all that.

          On the otherhand, some right wing nutjob young adult loser having nothing to lose and start targeting policitians left and right (like that kid in 2024), would be your best bet. There won’t be any “rally 'round the flag” effect.

          As we can all see with all the US interventions overseas, they clearly don’t work that well, that principle also goes if Iran tries to do their intervention in the US.

          And if you aren’t in the US, I’m not sure you wanna risk extradition. Donating money to an Iran sponsored assassination campaign is not an internet meme.

          I mean, sure if Europeans wanna send an the military to liberate the US, go ahead. But that €5 donation to an Iranian asasination campaign isn’t really gonna change the US by much and would only put yourself on an extradition plane to the US, because this isn’t a meme, you’re giving material support, so I doubt any of the western countries would deny an extradition request for material support. And even if that plan goes into fruition, you might make the US even worse and in turn, the US could start fucking up the world even more.

          Again, I’m not arguing against violence as a strategy, but you’re expecting nazis to be defeated simply by killing hitler, its not that simple.

          • merc@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            2 days ago

            Funding a foreign assassination attempt will only unite all of the right-of-center and take away some of support of “centrist”/“conservative” democrats.

            If it’s done in full seriousness, sure. But, the left can play the same game the right does. “Haha, it’s a joke, I just donated $10 to the kill Trump GoFundMe, isn’t that hilarious! What’s wrong, MAGA? Triggered? What snowflakes! Relax, it isn’t real, it’s just a joke. OR IS IT!? Haha, only joking, you thought I was serious. You MAGAs just can’t take a joke!”

  • Hikuro-93@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    edit-2
    2 days ago

    Oh my. Many would do it for free, but with this much incentive perhaps someone more “skilled” might want to get some skin in the game and expedite results.

    Under other circumstances I’d find this kind of effort deplorable, but oh well. I’ll label it balance/Newton’s 3rd Law and call it a day. When you have these elephants dancing around with billions of lives there tends to be a push back of some kind, sooner or later.

    Even if not now, with this specific effort, someday the bill will have to come due to those involved. Just like Hitler managed to get pretty far in his quest to spread suffering but eventually got his comeuppance. A marathon, not a race, as they say.

  • t_berium@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    20
    arrow-down
    6
    ·
    3 days ago

    I don’t think making him a martyr would be a good idea. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t shed a tear if he passed with the worst agony I can imagine. But making him a martyr would make his agenda immortal.

    • Hugin@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      19
      ·
      3 days ago

      Martyrs tend to be symbols to a cause. Trump and maga don’t have much ideology it’s more a cult of personality. Those tend to go away when the central figure dies.

      • t_berium@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        3 days ago

        I understand what you mean. But think of Hitler. Obviously his agenda did not die with him. But imagine all the numbnuts if he was assasinated on the peak of his power.

        • Scubus@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          3 days ago

          And to be fair, the easiest way to tell someone doesnt belong in society is when they start spouting hitlers views. A little litmus test, as a treat

        • Allemaniac@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          2 days ago

          thats exactly what he did. He killed himself before he could get captured because videos of him in detention and beaten senseless would diminish his legacy. Your example is prove of the other guy being right

          • merc@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            2 days ago

            Also, Hitler didn’t invent racism or antisemitism. His agenda didn’t die with him not because he was such a powerful figure, but because he was harnessing prejudices that have existed before apes even started to walk upright.

      • jj4211@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        2 days ago

        Nah, it needs to be supremely conspiracy proof. Too many people will believe it was assassination of it could have possibly been assassination.

        He’s an old unhealthy man, albeit with the best possible health care. His passing is moderately likely in an average day from health issues.

        • mister_flibble@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 days ago

          He also completely seems the type to leave a come-to-jesus meeting with his doctor about how he absolutely has to change his diet and start exercising and still hit the McDonald’s drive thru on the way home, so with a little luck, the best possible medical care won’t matter nearly as much as it could.

          • jj4211@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            2 days ago

            No doubt, but a cardiac event will have the best possible imaginable intervention. Might not be enough, but if anyone can pull through on the back of medical capability, it’s him

    • Fedizen@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      Worst take in the thread. Martyr or not his philosophy and his followers is “unbridled self interest” aka “fuck you, I got mine.” Martyrdom is antethetical to the cause.

      Somebody offing him would set a good example that being a corrupt, fascist leader is not a good way to get riches or a long healthy life.

      Am I saying anyone should do something? No.

    • jj4211@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      2 days ago

      Further I think Trump is now the least of our problems with the Trump administration. I fear JD would be even worse.

      During the Biden term, the worst people built plans around a trump return to office and the relatively more strong execution this time versus last time is from those around him, not himself so much.