One of the important points is people sharing the uncensored message. This is a cut-and-dry example of unintentional promotion. For example, I tried looking up the initial news on /r/Melbourne and the mod team wisely said something like “The Guardian has chosen not to share the image in their article and we will do the same”, locking the thread so that no accounts, whether sincere curious people or Nazi astroturfers, can say " what did it say", “it said X, how fucked up”, “omg how can this happen?”. That’s an example of the no platform tactics , which given the nazis’ goals, is an effective tactic in the arsenal.
On the other hand, you’re right that Tanuki is raising awareness of the event. I think their perspective is, if they have a platform, it’s best to make crystal clear how pathetic these people are behind their anonymity. (And I’m not saying that as a blind claim, these people have had their own members embezzle them, get repeatedly infiltrated by current affairs shows, have major financial donors lose their jobs and half their members and promoters are headed to the camps one train after the socialists and Jewish). Their recruiting effort relies on trying to show they’re better than all those failed neo-Nazi groups like Patriot Front and Atomwaffen, so we if we must talk about them (ignorance doesn’t work), we should make sure to laugh at them too, show we have a community willing to fight these alienated tourist flash mobbers.
And I think you raise an excellent point about unnecessarily naming a specific group, pointing potential recruits towards them more easily and making it a more common name to hear. I would be guilty of that too.
Yeah, I need a team to convince myself once winter hits, like a cycling group or sport team.