So far, the rhetoric has largely been inflammatory posturing, but the chatter that began over the summer has taken a darker turn in recent weeks.
For some far-right militant groups, Election Day represents more than just the moment America chooses its next president. It’s become a rallying cry to prepare for a far-flung prophecy of impending civil war.
The chatter that began among these groups over the summer — primarily over the Black Lives Matter protests, the presence of antifa and coronavirus restrictions — has taken a darker turn in recent weeks. Fueled by allegations of mail-in ballot fraud, shouted from the president’s Twitter feed and conservative media outlets, a new spate of racial justice protests in places like Philadelphia and paranoia over further coronavirus restrictions, some militias have begun doomsday prepping for Election Day.
So far, the rhetoric has largely been inflammatory posturing, threats and showmanship, according to several researchers who monitor online extremism. And despite scattered reports of militia members showing up with guns to polling stations during early voting, there is no sign of the groups presenting a coordinated threat on Election Day.
But a strain of anticipation runs throughout the groups’ chatter, driven by rumblings of potential leftist violence on far-right blogs by conservative cable news personalities. President Donald Trump’s uneven disavowals of these militant groups has only been taken as an endorsement of their chest-thumping.
Some groups — like the Oath Keepers, which recruits from police and military veterans, and Patriot Front, which recruits and trains white supremacist extremists — have been frank, telling their most loyal followers to prepare for war against violent, rioting leftists on that day. During a Thursday appearance with Infowars’ Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist, Oath Keepers militia leader Stewart Rhodes said the group’s “battle-hardened veterans” would be standing vigil at polling locations to “protect” voters from “coercing and threatening” anti-Trump forces.
Many of these militant groups — which often espouse anti-government, white supremacist and pro-Trump ideologies — are disconnected and diffuse, without large bases of devoted members. But researchers and government officials say they still represent an acute threat. A recent report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found far-right extremists were behind two-thirds of reported terrorist plots and attacks in the U.S. this year. And a recent Department of Homeland Security threat assessment warned white supremacist extremists are the “most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland.”
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For some far-right militant groups, Election Day represents more than just the moment America chooses its next president. It’s become a rallying cry to prepare for a far-flung prophecy of impending civil war. https://t.co/6dKn8DexNc
— POLITICO (@politico) November 1, 2020
They’re waiting for the signal from their fearless leader. What else did Trump mean by “stand by?”
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