Terrorism is the use of violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government or its people in furtherance of a political or social goal. It may be safe to assume that when one thinks of terrorists, thoughts turn to the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, ISIS, and perhaps even Russia. However, our Justice Dept. reports that White supremacists and other like-minded groups have committed the majority of the terrorist attacks in the United States these past few years.

White nationalist and White supremacist terrorists include individuals who believe White people and “White identity” in western countries are under siege, and who pursue the destruction of pluralistic values inherent to the American way of life. The white supremacist “great replacement” conspiracy claims that White people are being systematically replaced across the Western world by “multiculturalists” and Jews. These beliefs mirror the arguments put forth by the 1930’s Nazis in an uncanny way. White supremacist groups were responsible for 41 of 61, or 67%, of all terrorist plots and attacks in the first eight months of 2020. These groups were also responsible for 49 homicides in 26 attacks from 2000 to 2016, more than any other domestic extremist group. Experts say that violent White supremacy has been the most persistent and lethal domestic threat to our nation in recent years.

The Justice Dept. also reports that “far-left and far-right violence was deeply intertwined” and that far-left groups, including anarchists and antifascist organizations, were responsible for 12 attacks and plots in 2020, or 20% of the total amount - up from 8% in 2019. In 2021, there were 73 terrorist attacks and plots and the number of fatalities increased from 5 in 2020 to 30 in 2021. This level was roughly comparable to 2019, in which there were 35 fatalities from domestic terrorism.

Past domestic terrorism events include several fatal shootings during BLM protests, and the FBI’s arrest of 13 men plotting to kidnap and kill the governor of Michigan. More recent incidents include the attack on an FBI building in Cincinnati, and the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of our House Speaker, in their San Francisco home. The Justice Dept. further warns that violence could continue to escalate due to increasing polarization, growing economic challenges, concerns about racial injustice, and the persistence of the coronavirus.

Pending Legislation: S.1591 - Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2023
Sponsor: Sen. Dick Durbin (IL)
Status: Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Chairperson: Sen. Dick Durbin (IL)