Today is the one-year anniversary of the white supremacist attack that killed nearly two-dozen mostly Latino shoppers inside a Texas Walmart, which (esp on the heels of Christchurch & Pittsburgh) spurred public awareness & policy attention to global WSE & terrorism 1/

In the weeks & months that followed, Congress held hearings; DHS issued a new strategic plan on domestic extremism that included WSE, & the FBI elevated racially-motivated violence to a “national threat priority.” Social media companies stepped up moderation & banned prominent 2/

accounts. Companies that support online payment processes restricted, suspended, or banned card payments, reducing extremists’ ability to fundraise on websites. 8chan was finally removed from the internet when its technical vendors cut ties. Civil society 3/

groups produced guides for teachers & parents to better recognize and respond to the threat. Prominent arrests of white supremacist terrorists & lawsuits against white supremacist extremists disrupted extremist operations. In short, the past year has seen pretty sweeping 4/

changes in the fight against far right extremism & terror. But today we face new risks, particularly in the Covid-19 era. Youth now spend unprecedented amounts of time online, increasing the risks of encountering bad actors, propaganda & extremist recruiters online. 5/

6/ They are also more socially isolated, anxious, & uncertain, which increases vulnerability to extremist propaganda that offers simplistic solutions & scapegoats. We need the same kind of public and private sector energy devoted to preventing radicalization that has been 6/

focused on preventing another attack. It's reasonable to say that immediate violent extremist attacks are probably less likely today than they were a year ago—both bc of progress in the fight against violent extremist groups and bc social isolation leaves fewer crowds & public 7/

gatherings for extremists to target for violence. But the risk of radicalization is high. The road to violent extremism is a long process; the kinds of exposure and online radicalization happening now will only be evident a year or more down the road. If we don’t focus on 8/

prevention now, the repercussions will be felt for years to come. On this one-year anniversary, my thoughts are with the victims, their families, & the entire El Paso community. But I also hope we keep the light shining on the need to stay alert to the risks of 9/

radicalization now. This thread brought to you by @MrBrianHughes & me & our work at #PERIL, where we are testing interventions to prevent & disrupt radicalization processes, along w/ @KurtBraddock & team. Stay tuned for results of ongoing empirical work as soon as fall. /end