Context:
Often, members of alt-right, white nationalist/supremacy organizations conduct violent acts that are considered isolated incidences and do not carry the same terrorism label as similar acts performed by non-white groups.
In the News:
Over the last four years, at least 13 alt-right related terrorism incidents have left 43 dead and more than 60 injured.
What do we know about members of the “alt-right” movement?
- They are overwhelmingly white and male.
- They are first radicalized online through appeals to misogyny and sexism.
- They don’t hesitate to use violence to obtain personal and political goals.
- They are motivated by racism, not “economic anxiety.”
- They dehumanize other groups, especially communities of color, but also women.
Insight from Peace Science:
Symbolic targets and threats to identity and privilege are stronger motivators to right-wing terrorism than objections to policy or material or economic factors.
In the U.S., right-wing terrorism is related to the following factors:
- Higher abortion rates
- Higher levels of female participation in the workforce
- A Democratic president
References:
“Terror Victims Donald Trump Won’t Talk About”. By Chauncey Devega for Salon. Feb. 13, 2018.
Peace Science Digest Vol 2, Issue 2: “Motivations For Domestic Right-Wing Terrorism In The United States”
