When it comes to domestic terrorism in America, the numbers don’t lie: Far-right extremists are behind far more plots and attacks than Islamist extremists.
There were almost twice as many terrorist incidents by right-wing extremists as by Islamist extremists in the U.S. from 2008 to 2016, according to a new report from The Nation Institute’s Investigative Fund and The Center for Investigative Reporting’s Reveal.
Looking at both plots and attacks carried out, the group tracked 201 terrorist incidents on U.S. soil from January 2008 to the end of 2016. The database shows 115 cases by right-wing extremists ― from white supremacists to militias to “sovereign citizens” ― compared to 63 cases by Islamist extremists. Incidents from left-wing extremists, which include ecoterrorists and animal rights militants, were comparatively rare, with 19 incidents.
While the database makes a point of distinguishing between different groups within right-wing extremism, lead reporter David Neiwert told HuffPost that “those are all gradations of white supremacy, variations on the same thing.” When it comes to right-wing extremism, attackers are also “mostly men” and “almost purely white,” Neiwert said.
Attacks by right-wing extremists were also more often deadly, with nearly a third of right-wing extremist incidents resulting in deaths compared with 13 percent of Islamist extremist cases resulting in deaths. However, the sheer number of people killed by Islamist extremists ― a total of 90 people killed ― was higher than the death toll at the hands of right-wing extremists ― 79 people killed.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has focused his rhetoric and policies almost entirely on countering Islamist extremism, and not white supremacist extremism.
“As with a lot of things related to Trump and the Islamophobic right, the reality is viewed through an upside-down looking glass,” Neiwert said. “The reality is the most significant domestic terror threat we have is right-wing extremism.”
The Investigative Fund’s findings reflect those of previous studies of domestic terrorism. The New America Foundation, for instance, which has been tracking deadly terror incidents on U.S. soil since the Sept. 11 attacks, also finds an almost two-to-one ratio of attacks by far-right extremists to Islamist extremists, with 21 deadly attacks by far-right extremists, compared to 11 by Islamist extremists.
Despite the facts, many Americans still associate terror attacks with Islamist extremistsrather than far-right extremists, Neiwart noted.
“I think the larger perception in the public ― and this includes many progressives and liberals ― is the inversion of the reality: that the greatest threat we face is Islamist radicals,” Neiwert said. “And it’s reflected in the way the press report upon various kinds of domestic terror attacks: When it’s a white domestic terrorist, they underplay it, write it off to mental illness.”
The media has a long history of double standards when it comes to covering terrorism ― starting with how slow mainstream media is to label attacks by white perpetrators as “terrorism,” and quick to label them as such when attackers are perceived as nonwhite or “other” ― and specifically, Muslim.
Part of problem is the complex nature of how officials choose to categorize attacks as terrorism. The FBI has specific criteria its uses to classify terrorist incidents ― but the public doesn’t always agree with officials’ labels. For instance, many people condemned the government for not labeling Dylann Roof a terrorist after he killed nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, even though he specifically said he was there “to shoot black people,” according to witnesses.
“There’s actually a debate over whether what Dylann Roof did was domestic terrorism, when it so plainly is domestic terrorism,” Neiwert told HuffPost. “A lot of this has to do with embedded judgements about where these threats come from ― and that has to do with fear-mongering around Islamophobia.”
The solution, according to Neiwert, lies with the government first acknowledging the scale of the problem of far-right extremism, and then dedicating resources to fighting it.
So far Trump has shown a clear double standard in his response to terrorism: After Islamist extremists attacked London on June 3, for instance, Trump condemned the violence on Twitter the same day ― but after an attack in Portland, Oregon, by a white supremacist on May 26, Trump waited more than two days before tweeting about it. After the London attack, Trump also called on the courts to reinstate his travel ban on certain Muslim-majority countries ― which was roundly criticized. After the Portland attack, Trump made no calls to change policy to prevent future attacks.
The Trump administration also reportedly just dropped funding for nonprofit Life After Hate, a group that helps people leave the white supremacist movement.
Trump administration has dropped funding for a group dedicated to de-radicalizing neo-Nazis and stopping white extremism. via @playbookplus pic.twitter.com/tyhhM1mMmd
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) June 23, 2017
But it’s not just Trump that’s the problem. The Fund’s database goes back to 2008 and shows clearly how government resources have been disproportionately dedicated to tackling Islamist extremism over right-wing extremism. The government succeeded in interrupting the vast majority of Islamist extremist terror cases since 2008, for instance: 76 percent of incidents tracked were “foiled plots,” which the group noted showed “a significant investment of law enforcement resources.” When it came to right-wing extremism, only about a third of incidents were interrupted ― 35 percent ― and the majority of the cases included acts of violence that led to deaths, injuries or damaged property.
At the end of the day, it’s not only on the government to acknowledge the reality of the growing threat of far-right extremism, according to Neiwert, it’s on everyone from members of the media to average Americans.
“First thing we need to do is recognize that it’s there, it’s a problem, it’s a threat ― as great a threat as Islamists,” Neiwert said. “And it needs to be taken seriously.”
Yeah, they’re called “cops”.
“… There needs to be a desire to instill fear among the general public, change government policy, or draw attention to a political or social cause.”
That backs up your “cops” answer. Sunfire.
But within that group they have people who were defending their land, their families from unLawful government actions against them; those whose homes were invaded by “law enforcement” violently with no announcement that they were “cops”, so were defending their homes and families from what seemed to be home invasions, etc
It all depends on who is defining “terrorism”.
I live in a country where one anonymous phone call can result in a armored personal carrier rolling up filled with men who are demographically the most likely to rape, murder, beat their wives and commit suicide. These men come with body armor, m4’s, chemical weapons and the intent on pulling me out of my home no matter the cost, they will pepper peaceful streets with gunfire.
YOU TELL ME WHO THE FOOKING TERRORISTS ARE?
The cops are just the dogs on the leashes.
Other terrorists include:
Black robe wearing little wooden hammer hitters.
Just about ANYONE working in the District of Columbia.
All lawyers and anyone involved with a State or County govt.
International Bankers.
Spooks.
Capitalists.
Communists.
Raccoons.
And the occasional ground hog.
The nation is crawling with terrorists.
I really hate say this…
But the terrorists aren’t white.
Don’t forget gender too!.
They are all the government employees.
Fed..State..County…City.
Oh..and the churches they go to on Sunday.
I’d have to throw a few Neo feminists in there to.
Just to be pc.
I call bullsh! T.
Dontcha just love reading Jewish propaganda???
Matthew 13:24-30
THANKS. THIS WILL BE TOMORROWS BIBLE LESSON…………
“Propaganda Alert: Most Of America’s Terrorists Are White”
Or at least try to PASS for white.
Stinking jews.
THIS CRAP CAME RIGHT OUT OF A SYNAGOGUE PLAYBOOK AND IS REMINISCENT OF 1943 GERMANY……………………….
Bulls eye, man.
Bulls f–king eye.
What a bunch of bull crap – The Huffington Post is a left wing Marxist rag run by the Jews.
” Most Of America’s Terrorists Are White”
SEZ WHO????
THE JEWISH “SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER”????????????????????????????
THE JEWISH NNACP????????????????????????????
THE JEWISH MASONIC LODGE???????????????
Yes, we are EXTREMELY fed up with the criminals in the cabal on every level, local, state and federal.
You can’t slot us into groups because we are American Nationals. We are everywhere, on the left, right, and in the middle, and you are surrounded on every side. All of your endeavors to throw us into labeled collectives will not be successful for the majority in our country.
This author’s name is latin/jew, what’s that tell you?
It tells me that Sarah Ruiz Grossman is possibly a Marrano and she married a fella with the last name of Grossman. He doesn’t look Jewish but you can’t always tell from that. Couldn’t get his first name but then I didn’t dig very deep.
Sarah, however, is a very Jewish name..ie, Sarah Silverman, Sarah, sister of Abram…and so on.
It’s the first name Sarah that leads me to believe shes a Marrano.
America’s terrorists are largely c.i.a. or c.i.a.assets who are, low and behold, under the control of international corporations and central banks. And you can bet your freedom loving ass they’re just as male as they are white.
-thats just as “ashkanazi” as they are white………………….
looking at the map of “events”
Notice a lot of things missing?
Like Gang attacks and such… which are a form of systemic violence as a means of coercion for political or social aims.
Spreading turf and gaining control of the population.