In America, far-right terrorist plots have outnumbered far-left ones in 2020
This has been so in most years for the past quarter-century
Graphic detail
Oct 27th 2020
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020...nl_today_4
IN THE FINAL days of America's presidential-election campaign, each side has attempted to portray the other as a threat to domestic security. Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, criticised President Donald Trump for refusing to disavow white supremacists, including the Proud Boys, a thuggish right-wing group, in the first presidential debate. Mr Trump responded: “Somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left, because this is not a right-wing problem.”
The president insists that Antifa, a loose collection of left-wing anti-fascism activists, is a domestic terrorist organisation, and far more troublesome than the far right.
A new report by the Transnational Threats Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think-tank, suggests that far-right terrorism is a much greater threat than far-left terrorism.
The CSIS analysed 61 terrorist incidents reported between January 1st and August 31st and categorised them into four groups: religious, far-right, far-left and other. It drew on databases compiled by research groups and press releases from the FBI and the Department of Justice, cross-checked against criminal complaints and news reports. Hate crimes, protests, riots and civil unrest, including the disturbances after the killing of George Floyd by a policeman in Minneapolis, were excluded.
The CSIS found that far-right groups—including white supremacists, anti-government extremists and involuntary celibates, or “incels”—were behind 67% (ie, 41) of the terrorist attacks and foiled plots this year.
Far-left ones have been responsible for 20%, up from 8% in 2019. In all there were 71 attacks last year; except for a dip in 2018, the total number of attacks has been rising for the past six years, driven mainly by an increase in right-wing terrorism.
The protests and unrest sparked by the Floyd killing were a popular target for right-wing groups. Vehicles were their weapon of choice. According to CSIS, 11 of the far-right terrorist incidents reported in the first eight months of the year were vehicle attacks, which require little expertise or resources but can still terrify, maim and kill.
Only one such attack was carried out by the far-right in America between 2015 and 2019. Curiously, terrorist incidents have been less lethal in 2020 than in previous years—only five have resulted in deaths (excluding that of the perpetrator). In each of the past five years between 22 and 66 people were killed.
The predominance of far-right terrorism is nothing new. Since 1994 more terrorist incidents have been associated with the far right than with all other groups combined.
Over that period religious terrorism has caused more deaths—a grim distinction accounted for by the attacks of September 11th 2001 alone. But in 14 of the 21 years between 1994 and 2019, right-wing attacks were responsible for more than half of the fatalities, and in 2018 and 2019 for more than 90%.
So far, American law enforcement has been slow to respond to far-right domestic terrorism. But there are signs that this might change. A report published this month by the Department of Homeland Security labelled white supremacists as “the most persistent and lethal threat” to the country.
The CSIS warns that current conditions could lead to an increase in partisan violence, especially in the aftermath of the election. Far-left and far-right extremists see each other in action at protests and online. Each side, perceiving the other as a threat, arms itself accordingly. And so the threat of bloody escalation grows.
This has been so in most years for the past quarter-century
Graphic detail
Oct 27th 2020
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020...nl_today_4
IN THE FINAL days of America's presidential-election campaign, each side has attempted to portray the other as a threat to domestic security. Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, criticised President Donald Trump for refusing to disavow white supremacists, including the Proud Boys, a thuggish right-wing group, in the first presidential debate. Mr Trump responded: “Somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left, because this is not a right-wing problem.”
The president insists that Antifa, a loose collection of left-wing anti-fascism activists, is a domestic terrorist organisation, and far more troublesome than the far right.
A new report by the Transnational Threats Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think-tank, suggests that far-right terrorism is a much greater threat than far-left terrorism.
The CSIS analysed 61 terrorist incidents reported between January 1st and August 31st and categorised them into four groups: religious, far-right, far-left and other. It drew on databases compiled by research groups and press releases from the FBI and the Department of Justice, cross-checked against criminal complaints and news reports. Hate crimes, protests, riots and civil unrest, including the disturbances after the killing of George Floyd by a policeman in Minneapolis, were excluded.
The CSIS found that far-right groups—including white supremacists, anti-government extremists and involuntary celibates, or “incels”—were behind 67% (ie, 41) of the terrorist attacks and foiled plots this year.
Far-left ones have been responsible for 20%, up from 8% in 2019. In all there were 71 attacks last year; except for a dip in 2018, the total number of attacks has been rising for the past six years, driven mainly by an increase in right-wing terrorism.
The protests and unrest sparked by the Floyd killing were a popular target for right-wing groups. Vehicles were their weapon of choice. According to CSIS, 11 of the far-right terrorist incidents reported in the first eight months of the year were vehicle attacks, which require little expertise or resources but can still terrify, maim and kill.
Only one such attack was carried out by the far-right in America between 2015 and 2019. Curiously, terrorist incidents have been less lethal in 2020 than in previous years—only five have resulted in deaths (excluding that of the perpetrator). In each of the past five years between 22 and 66 people were killed.
The predominance of far-right terrorism is nothing new. Since 1994 more terrorist incidents have been associated with the far right than with all other groups combined.
Over that period religious terrorism has caused more deaths—a grim distinction accounted for by the attacks of September 11th 2001 alone. But in 14 of the 21 years between 1994 and 2019, right-wing attacks were responsible for more than half of the fatalities, and in 2018 and 2019 for more than 90%.
So far, American law enforcement has been slow to respond to far-right domestic terrorism. But there are signs that this might change. A report published this month by the Department of Homeland Security labelled white supremacists as “the most persistent and lethal threat” to the country.
The CSIS warns that current conditions could lead to an increase in partisan violence, especially in the aftermath of the election. Far-left and far-right extremists see each other in action at protests and online. Each side, perceiving the other as a threat, arms itself accordingly. And so the threat of bloody escalation grows.
