this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2025
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I'd break it down by the two elements to make the case. Pepe has a history with alt-right fascists, crusader stuff is also very popular with fascists, thusly this is concerning. Should be easier to find some links about each element separately too.
Unfortunately it's the kind of server where people still use Pepe very casually, which is pretty cringe-worthy to me but it's just accepted here, so pointing out Pepe's fascist connotations is a weak argument for me to make, sadly. Even so, it's obvious to me that even in that kind of context, using "Crusader Pepe" not just casually but making it your profile pic is a big enough red flag for me to feel the need to point it out. But maybe I'll be able to find some good sources to make connections with on the crusader side of it alone.
I think it's a very simple argument to make without sources: It's no secret that pepe was adopted by the right and used and mutated by them so excessively that the original artist made a comic where they disowned the frog as dead. It is true that pepe has infected popular culture and is now used mostly without fascist connotations, but one needs to consider it a much more present possibility case-by-case than with the vast majority of other characters. Given this fact, consider imagery of the crusader as it is used online: When it's not derisive ("social justice crusade," etc), it is much more strongly correlated with being some kind of theocratic freak or at least hating minority religions (deus vult), because the crusades are not well-regarded in modern mainstream society. Literally just an image of a crusader as a profile pic, without some kind of contextualization or subversion, should be considered at least a minor red flag on its own.
When you have these two elements combined, the most reasonable way to understand pepe is by the channer usage, and the two together strongly suggest that the person is flatly a theocratic fascist or likes taking that posture to attack minorities.