JUNE 2020 by CSIS
The Escalating Terrorism Problem in the United States

“Over the rest of 2020, the terrorist threat in the United States will likely rise based on several factors, including the November 2020 presidential election.”

https://www.csis.org/analysis/escalating-terrorism-problem-united-states

“Based on a CSIS data set of terrorist incidents, the *most significant threat* likely comes from white supremacists, though anarchists and religious extremists inspired by the Islamic State and al-Qaeda could present a potential threat as well.”

1994-2020
893 terrorist attacks & plots in the US
57% Right-wing terrorists
25% left-wing terrorists
15% religious terrorists
3% ethnonationalists
0.7% terrorists with other motives

1994 - 1999
Right-wing attacks/plots predominant and accounted for over 50% of all incidents in 2008 as well as every year since 2011, with the exception of 2013.

1990s: Most right-wing attacks
targeted abortion clinics

Since 2014:
most right-wing attacks focused on
—individuals (often targeted because of religion, race, or ethnicity)
— religious institutions

Facilities and individuals related to the government and police have also been consistent right-wing targets throughout the period, particularly for attacks by militia and sovereign citizen groups.

2000-2005
↓ in right-wing activity coincided with
↑ in left-wing activity

Most left-wing attacks were claimed by
—the Animal Liberation Front
—the Earth Liberation Front

And targeted property associated with:
animal research
farming
or construction

Past 6 years:
right-wing terrorism
—majority of incidents
—grown in quantity

“This increase is reminiscent of the wave of right-wing activity in the 1990s that peaked with 43 right-wing incidents in 1995.”

2016, 2017, and 2019
“right-wing terrorist events matched or exceeded the number in 1995, including a recent high of 53 right-wing terrorist incidents in 2017.”

2018:
right-wing activity ↓
29 incidents

2019:
right-wing activity ↑
44 incidents

Religious attacks and plots have also shown some increases during this period—notably in 2015, 2017, and 2019—but at a significantly smaller magnitude than right-wing events.

Fatalities
“In 14 of the 21 years between 1994 and 2019 in which fatal terrorist attacks occurred, the majority of deaths resulted from right-wing attacks. “

“In eight of these years, 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭-𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 attackers caused 𝐀𝐋𝐋 of the fatalities, and in three more—including 2018 and 2019—they were responsible for 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 % of annual fatalities.”

“..while religious terrorists caused the largest number of total fatalities (bc of 9/11) right-wing attackers were most likely to cause more deaths in a given year.”

“Internet and social media sites continue to host right-wing extremist ideas such as the Fourteen Words (also referred to as the 14 or 14/88) coined by white supremacist David Lane, a founding member of the group the Order.”

Far-right also use computer games & forums to recruit.

* right-wing extremists have adopted some foreign terrorist organization tactics
* al-Qaeda and other groups have also adopted tactics developed by right-wing movements.

“This rise in right-wing activity is of national concern; it is not isolated to one region and affects cities of varying sizes.

Over the past six years. these incidents occurred in 42 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.”

White supremacist networks
highly decentralized

“Many white supremacists also adhere, in varying degrees, to the Great Replacement conspiracy which claims that whites are being eradicated by ethnic and racial minorities—including Jews and immigrants.”

Christchurch & El Paso shooters espoused the most radical view of the [GR] conspiracy, known as Accelerationism.

(Violence is foundational to accelerationists)

“Both shooters, violent accelerationists, claim that the demise of Western governments should be accelerated to create radical social change and establish a whites-only ethnostate”

Inspiration:

“White supremacists draw inspiration from individuals abroad and at home.
White supremacist actors have also travelled abroad seeking paramilitary training and networking opportunities.”

Spring 2018
members of the Rise Above Movement (RAM) travelled to Ukraine to celebrate Hitler’s birthday and train with the Azov Battalion, a paramilitary unit of the Ukrainian National Guard, the FBI says is associated with neo-Nazi ideology.

https://twitter.com/lululemew/status/1162384024591044610?s=21 https://twitter.com/LuluLemew/status/1162384024591044610

White supremacist neo-Nazi orgs
(Nationalist Socialist Movement
American Nazi Party
Vanguard America
and others)
often adhere to the “Zionist Occupied Government” (ZOG) conspiracy theory—that Jews secretly control the U.S. government, the media, banks, and the United Nations.

(The idea of ZOG is adopted/adapted from a turn of the 20th century (Russian) Czarist “forgery which has proven to be the most resilient piece of disinformation in history” that was disseminated worldwide and translated into multiple languages by the KGB)

More on forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion:

Henry Ford also created an American interpretation of the forgery which claimed that Hollywood was also run by Jews—that conspiracy theory is still going on the far right.

The influence of Henry Ford’s version of the early 1900’s Russian forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion:

I wanted to add those references in here bc the average person might not know the origins of these conspiracy theories.

Little more history, evolution:

THE RISING SPECTER OF TERRORISM
CSIS “data suggest that right-wing extremists pose the most significant terrorism threat to the United States, based on annual terrorist events and fatalities.”

“Over the next year, the threat of terrorism in the United States will likely increase based on several factors, such as the November 2020 presidential election and the response to the Covid-19 crisis.”

“the November 2020 presidential election will likely be a significant source of anger and polarization that increases the possibility of terrorism.

Some—though not all—far-right extremists associate themselves with Trump and may resort to violence before or after the election.”

“As U.S. Department of Justice documents have highlighted, some far-right extremists have referred to themselves as “Trumpenkriegers”—or “fighters for Trump.”

If President Trump loses the election, some extremists may use violence...”

“developments associated with Covid-19—such as prolonged unemployment or government attempts to close “non-essential” businesses in response to a second or third wave—could increase the possibility of terrorism. “

“Some far-right extremists have threatened violence and railed against federal, state, and local efforts to take away their freedoms by requiring face coverings in public indoor settings, closing businesses, and prohibiting large gatherings to curb the spread of the virus. “

“...some anti-vaxxers—who oppose vaccines as a conspiracy..—have threatened violence in response to Covid-19 response efforts.

A polarizing event...school shooting or racially-motivated killing—could spark protests that extremists attempt to hijack.”

“Terrorism feeds off lies, conspiracies, disinformation, and hatred. Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi urged individuals to practice what he called “satyagraha,” or truth force. “

“Satyagraha is a weapon of the strong; it admits of no violence under any circumstance whatever; and it always insists upon truth,”

“...that advice is just as important as it has ever been in the United States.”

Attaching this threaded report too ICYMI:
https://twitter.com/lululemew/status/1276581744318263299?s=21 https://twitter.com/LuluLemew/status/1276581744318263299