During the Black Lives Matter demonstrations last summer, the Homeland Security Department deemed white supremacy groups the greatest danger to public safety.
They cluster under various guises and names. The 3 Percenters and Oath Keepers are militia groups whose symbol is a Roman numeral III.
The Boogalos and Proud Boys are racists and anti-Semites. Some wear orange hats, Crusader crosses or German pagan imagery.
QAnon followers wear or carry big Qs. They believe Democrats are deep state powerbrokers that run pedophilia rings. That’s why their slogans include “Save the Children.” Another slogan is “Trust the Plan.”
All are hate groups whose one uniter is President Donald Trump and the belief he was robbed of reelection.
They were in full force at last week’s riot in Washington, D.C., patrolling the Capitol grounds in combat gear while carrying lead pipes, sticks and bats. Some were armed with guns and explosives. Clearly, they were there for more than a rally.
Just like the Islamists who bombed the World Trade Center on 9/11, these U.S. extremists are being radicalized through social media chat groups and websites.
Today, the number of QAnon followers exceed those of ISIS.
HOW HAVE their numbers grown so quickly?
Part of the blame lies with Trump who has served to legitimize their stances.
During his entire administration, Trump has been loath to criticize hate groups. In 2017, he refused to call out white supremacists when a Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., turned violent. Instead, he said there were some “very fine people on both sides.”
When white supremacists last fall incited violence at BLM rallies, the president singled out the Proud Boys, telling them to “stand back and stand by.”
In other words, be ready for more.
When the president of the United States speaks the code language of terrorists, it emboldens them to act even more rashly.
Such rhetoric also gives credence to their initiatives, pulling them more into the mainstream. A few short years ago we casually cast such groups as the “fringe” of society. Today, they pose the greatest domestic threat to the United States.
