Washington, D.C. — Violent extremism driven by right-wing, racially motivated ideologies is growing at an alarming pace in the United States, but government action has not kept pace to combat it, according to a new analysis from the Center for American Progress.
From the murder of 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh to the recent arrest of a Coast Guard officer charged with planning attacks on prominent Democrats and journalists, the Trump administration should acknowledge this rising threat and reverse course from a policy of ignoring all but Islamic extremism.
“The Trump administration must recognize the severity of this threat and understand how overheated rhetoric—including the president’s own words—can fuel the violence,” said Simon Clark, a CAP senior fellow and author of the issue brief.
The issue brief offers six ways to better address the problem:
- Acknowledge the problem of domestic terrorism rather than dismissing these as isolated incidents
- Gather and publish credible statistics on the scale of the threat and the ideologies driving it
- Collaborate with European and nongovernmental partners to study the ideological, financial, and organizational connections among far-right groups
- Call out the overheated rhetoric, promotion of conspiracy theories, and demonization of minorities that have encouraged violence
- Remove hate content from private platforms
- Ensure that law enforcement has the tools it needs to combat domestic terrorism
Read the issue brief: “Confronting the Domestic Right-Wing Terrorist Threat,” by Simon Clark.
For more information, or to talk to an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected], or 202-478-6327.