It's Time to Talk About Far-Right Extremism

November 3, 2020 | Written By - Sophia Casa '23

If you’ve looked on any news channel within the last six months, you’re bound to notice some differences in coverage. There are the obvious ones: the pandemic, protests for racial justice, and the 2020 election. But there is another story, one that for the past several years has been hiding behind anonymous chat rooms and conspiracy theories, occasionally popping into national news only to just as quickly disappear. But not anymore. Far-right extremism is on the rise and these last few months are proof of that. Earlier in October, the FBI uncovered a plot by far-right militia group, The Wolverine Watchmen, to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in response to her COVID-19 restrictions. In the now infamous presidential debate in Cleveland, President Trump was instructed by moderator Chris Wallace and Democratic challenger Joe Biden to condemn the white supremacist militia group, The Proud Boys, which Trump refused to do, instead telling the extremist group to, “Stand back and stand by.” All the while, the fringe conspiracy theory QAnon has run rampant on mainstream social media platforms, prompting the House of Representatives to condemn and reject QAnon on October 2nd. At the very same Cleveland debate, rather than assess these groups as possible threats, President Trump brushed them off, claiming that extremism is not “a right wing problem.” But a boiling point has been reached. It’s time to finally acknowledge and inspect right wing extremism and it’s possible legacy on our country.

Contrary to popular belief, the definition of right wing extremism does not stem directly from the Republican party, rather it is defined as two different factions: “groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly anti government, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely.” These sentiments have endured for generations, acting as focal points for movements like the Creativity Movement or events like the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. Their tactics have also persisted: right wing extremists spread their ideology and tailor their messages to address specific grievances, such as anti-choice, anti-LGBT, antisemitic, and racist messages. But the change in the mode through which these communications air has proved to be a defining moment in the spreading of far-right ideologies. Social Media sites like 4chan, Gab, and Parler are hotbeds for extremism because they are able to take a single idea and give it a global audience. More publicity lends more legitimacy and even credibility to these theories as right wing ideology gains more and more followers.

There are many possible reasons for the rise of right wing extremism. There’s the conservative shift in American politics and the use of social media; even rising pandemic fears can be seen as the cause of this increase. A fine example of this is QAnon. A baseless theory, it depicts Donald Trump as a savior-like figure and the sole barrier between the people of America and a shadowy league of democrats, billionaires, and celebrities running a child sex-trafficking ring in order to extract a chemical known as andrenochrome with life extending qualities. This theory emerged on far-right message board 4chan posted by an anonymous user, “Q,” but it slowly encroached onto other right wing sites like 8chan and then again onto more mainstream sites, like Facebook and Twitter. Using hashtags like #SaveOurChildren, the conspiracy effectively rebranded and preyed on social media users whose concern for their own children caused them to join QAnon’s ranks. This has been the case during the pandemic especially. By spending more time at home and on the computer, people are discovering these alt-right movements and giving them even more publicity and encouragement. The final piece of this extremism puzzle is the current social climate. These groups’ anti-COVID restriction ideals helped to reel in more members and more attention. President Trump’s role in this can’t be ignored either. He is the foundation for the QAnon theory and is supported by many other fringe groups, like The Proud Boys. Whether from the Capitol or on the forums of the internet, right wing groups and their ideas are spreading like wildfire.

This then presents the question: What can be done? In such a polarized era of politics and in a time when hate is commonplace, what would even make a difference? Far-right extremism isn’t new, but it’s a plague that’s gone long untreated and requires immediate action. State and Federal governments need to keep on intervening and investigating these matters by arresting members who pose harm to the community and by paying attention on social media forums. Action is also required of the President, who needs to debunk these baseless theories as he is one of the only people who has the power to reach these groups and affect change. There is a need to assess these groups and their threat levels, since they can pose significant danger to public safety. Far-right extremism will never disappear, but it’s high time to confront it.