Extremist genocide surges in the last decade in the US

WASHINGTON — The number of extremism-related genocides in the United States over the past decade has been at least three times higher than the decade since the 1970s combined, according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League.

The report, which was provided to the Associated Press ahead of its public release on Thursday, also found that all extremist killings identified in 2022 were linked to right-wing extremists, with an especially high number of white supremacists. were related to. Racist shooting at supermarket in Buffalo, New Yorkwhich killed 10 black shoppers, LGBT nightclub shooting kills five in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“It is no exaggeration to say that we live in an age of extremist genocide,” said a report from the group’s Center for Extremism.

From the 1970s to the 2000s, there were between two and seven extremism-related genocides every decade, but the number surged to 21 in the 2010s, the report found. .

This trend has continued since then, with five extremist massacres in 2021 and 2022.

Victims have also increased. Between 2010 and 2020, 164 people died in ideological extremist-related genocide, according to reports. This is by far the longest time in any of his decades, except his 1990s, when there were federal bombings. oklahoma city building Killed 168 people.

Extremist killings are committed by people associated with extreme movements or ideologies.

A combination of factors contributed to the increase in numbers from 2010 to 2020. There have been shootings inspired by the rise of the Islamic State group. A small number of police officers were also targeted after civilian shootings, while others were linked to increased fomentation of violence by white supremacists. Mark Pittcavige, Senior Fellow at ADL’s Center for Extremism, said:

The center tracks killings related to various forms of extremism in the United States and compiles them into annual reports. There were 25 extremism-related killings last year, down from 33 the year before.

93% of killings in 2022 were by firearms. The report also noted that, for the first time since 2011, no police officers were killed by militants last year.

With the Islamic State group’s decline, the main threat in the near future is likely to be white supremacist shooters, the report found. It’s one worrying trend, said Oren Segal, vice president of The Center on Extremism.

“You can’t just sit on the sidelines and accept this as the new normal,” Segal said.