The threat of politically motivated violence and actual attacks is increasing. Why is this happening? Here’s everything you need to know:
When did the violence increase?
Politically motivated violence has increased and decreased throughout U.S. history, but the current uptick began with the election of Donald Trump as president in 2016. Since Trump took office, threats against members of Congress have increased tenfold, with 9,625 incidents reported last year. reported. The FBI has tripled its domestic terrorism budget and the US Department of Justice has set up task forces to investigate the harassment of officials. A man steeped in MAGA rhetoric and QAnon online conspiracy theories recently broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home, hoping to cripple her with a hammer; when she was not there, he fractured her husband’s skull. In the past year, right-wing militia members in Michigan were convicted of conspiracy to kidnap Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer, and a gunman was arrested outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. An armed Trump supporter was killed in August after trying to force his way into an FBI office in Cincinnati. “I wouldn’t be surprised if a senator or member of the House were killed,” said Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine). “What started with abusive phone calls is now translating into active threats of violence and real violence.”
Who commits the violence?
There are threats and acts of violence from the left, but there are indications that most of the perpetrators are right-wing extremists. Of the more than 440 extremism-related murders in the past decade, more than three-quarters were committed by right-wing extremists or white supremacists, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Last year, 26 of the 29 political murders were committed by right-wing extremists. According to a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, right-wing extremists have been involved in 267 plots and attacks since 2015, compared to 66 for left-wing extremists. A University of Maryland study of political violence since 1948 found that, despite famous attacks in the 1960s and 1970s by left-wing radicals such as the Weather Underground, right-wing violence was nearly twice as common. The deadliest act of domestic terrorism in US history occurred in 1995, when right-wing extremist Timothy McVeigh bombed a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. On January 6, 2021, a mob of hundreds of Trump supporters broke into the US Capitol to try and stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory, injuring more than 110 police officers and hiding lawmakers.
What about left-wing violence?
It does occur, albeit less frequently. In 2017, a supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders opened fire on a GOP congressional baseball practice, during which Rep. Steve Scalise from Louisiana was seriously injured. The 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in response to the murder of George Floyd by a police officer were largely peaceful, but arson, looting and vandalism in several cities caused an estimated $2 billion in damage. The far-left antifa movement has engaged in violent clashes with police and right-wing groups, especially in Portland, Oregon, where an antifa activist killed a Trump supporter in 2020.
Who will be the target?
Civil servants at all levels of government. A Seattle man was accused of appearing at the home of Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal with a gun in July, shouting threats and profanities. Republican Representative Brian Mast of Florida received nearly 500 calls in 2018 from a man threatening to kill Mast’s children. The Justice Department says more than 1,000 threats have been reported against election officials this year alone. In Congress, many lawmakers are bolstering personal security. sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) has spent nearly $900,000 for his own protection, while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) spent nearly $600,000. Every morning, staffers put together a folder of photos of people Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) so she could recognize them. “I just don’t know how seriously people are going to take this unless someone gets hurt,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
What have political leaders said?
Democrats have consistently condemned perpetrators of political violence, while many Republicans have not. The attack on Pelosi’s husband, for example, became the subject of vicious jokes and conspiracy theories in conservative media and among some Republican candidates and officials. After that attack, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) – a GOP pariah since he voted to impeach Trump – his fellow Republicans: “If you convince people that politicians are rigging elections, drinking baby blood, etc., you will get violence.” Guns and threats are increasingly common in GOP ads. In one video, Representative Ken Buck (R-Colo.) waves a gun and challenges President Biden to “come and get it.” After Representative Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) posted an animated video of him killing Ocasio-Cortez and attacking Biden, only two Republicans in the House voted to censor him. “We’re a tinderbox now,” said Robert Pape, a political scientist at the University of Chicago. “The difference between right and left is that you get lightning strikes on the right. It just happens over and over.”
Public support for violence
An alarming number of Americans now endorse the use of force to achieve political ends. A poll last year found that 30 percent of Republicans and 11 percent of Democrats agreed with the statement: “Because things have gotten so far off track, perhaps true American patriots should resort to violence to save our country.” to save.” According to a recent YouGov poll, more than 40 percent of Americans believe a civil war is possible within the next decade. “I fear the country is entering a historic phase with more organized domestic violence than we have seen in 100 years,” said Philip Zelikow, former executive director of the 9/11 Commission. Scholars say the violence will only worsen if lawmakers and conservative media continue to encourage extremists to talk about “replacing” white Christians and that Democrats are traitors and communists stealing elections. “There used to be violent political feelings among fringe groups that were rejected by major political parties,” said Rachel Kleinfeld, who studies polarization and violence at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Now violent stances are being taken by mainstream members of the right and growing in acceptance by the left.”
This article was first published in the latest issue of The week magazine. If you want to read more, try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
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