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White Supremacy in the United States
On January 6th, 2021, the nation watched as a violent mob attacked The Capitol, trying to halt the certification of the vote for the President of the United States. These seditious acts were inspired by months of disinformation and heated rhetoric in a polarized political environment. But in order to confront what happened, it is necessary to take a closer look at the insurrectionists themselves. These were not political protesters arguing for their rights, but rather people who were seeking to use violence and threats to overturn an election. Many of the mostly white insurrectionists spoke in apocalyptic terms of saving their country while rallying around symbols of hate: from the confederate battle flag, to neo-nazi imagery. The Department of Homeland Security now considers white supremacists to be the most “persistent and lethal threat” to the United States of America. This dialogue will explore the ideologies of white supremacy, the group
Tech digs in for long domestic terror fight
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
With domestic extremist networks scrambling to regroup online, experts fear the next attack could come from a radicalized individual much harder than coordinated mass events for law enforcement and platforms to detect or deter.
The big picture: Companies like Facebook and Twitter stepped up enforcement and their conversations with law enforcement ahead of Inauguration Day. But they ll be tested as the threat rises that impatient lone-wolf attackers will lash out.
Where it stands: Without any apparent large scale event in the immediate future, there is always a risk that radicalized individuals may feel themselves compelled to act out, said Jared Holt, a visiting research fellow with the Atlantic Council.