New Wave of Terrorism
They were scenes that could be mistaken for a movie, not for the nightly 6pm news bulletin. The footage splashed across the world of the individuals who stormed the Capitol just last month was spookily predicted by some following the U.S election, and has become an increasingly louder movement seen throughout 2020. The rise of “right wing terrorist groups” is broadening the definition of what we perceive traditional terrorism to be, and has now trickled into Western organisations.
Rioters at the U.S Capitol. Source: Politico.
In unusual scenes earlier in February, Canada was the first country to declare far-right group the Proud Boys a terrorist organisation. They join a list that includes al-Qaeda and ISIS, in a move that aims to tackle “ideologically motivated violent extremism”. Members of the group also attended the rally that stormed the U.S Capitol, which resulted in five deaths. It was this specific act that provided the Canadian Government with a trove of information that ultimately led to their outlaw. In addition, neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division were also banned, after it was found they participated in the violent Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, 2017.
One of the primary causes of the rise in violent right-wing groups have undoubtedly stemmed from Donald Trump’s election loss, to which White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed the U.S Government was conducting its review. But these groups must have been simmering quietly for some time. So, what are the driving forces behind this new wave of modern terrorism?
The Proud Boys, now outlawed in Canada. Source: Forbes.
Canadian security analysts have identified the increase in alliances between these right-wing groups and transitional organisations in the United States and Europe. Recently, the FBI briefed U.S Senators of the concern surrounding domestic terrorism groups whose violence is triggered by local influences including the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements. Given the deeply rooted grievances among these groups relating to racism and misogyny, the similarly minded individuals of these right-wing groups perhaps feel a sense of threat and a need to advocate, just as these movements continue to do.
Brenton Tarrant who opened fire in a New Zealand mosque in 2019, where 59 died. Source: SkyNews.
According to feminist researchers, there has been a sharp increase in toxic masculinity among disgruntled middle-class white males and are therefore seeking like-minded men who share these extremist views. The Global Terrorism Database from the University of Maryland reported that there were 310 terrorist attacks which caused 316 deaths between 2015-2019, mainly committed by right-wing extremists and white nationalists. The UN Security Council’s Counterterrorism Committee reported a 320 per cent increase in global right-wing terrorism in the previous five years. Further to this, attacks have been spread beyond the United States and Canada, which we have seen take place in New Zealand (2019), Germany (2019) and Norway (2019).
In addition, right-wing terrorism was a hot topic at the 2019 Munich Security Conference which ranked this particular threat among space security, cyber security and emerging technologies as the greatest concerns. It has not gone unnoticed that there appears to be a decline in the rate of Islamic led terrorist attacks, with a seemingly accelerated rate of this new wave of societal threats.
According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, right-wing terrorism involves the use of violence to achieve a goal of racial/ethnic superiority, anger towards women, anger at certain government policies (i.e abortion), anger stemming from the incel (involuntarily celibate) movement and anger towards the government. Experts also are led to believe there are structural problems due to the large emphasis law enforcement agencies placed on gathering intelligence relating to Islamic led groups.
Self-confessed incel who later went on to commit mass killings. Source: DH News Toronto.
On the topic of incel, they are a major challenge for law enforcement authorities given this large subculture often intersects with the right-wing movement, and is difficult to gain intelligence from. Many of these men express their loneliness, hatred and misogyny in online forums, where white supremacist groups are able to indoctrinate vulnerable young men. Two years ago, a misogynist incel subculture was allegedly responsible for a Toronto van massacre that killed ten people. While Canadian authorities have worked to de-platform websites that incite hatred, it is difficult to police ‘lone-wolf’ attacks by right-wing affiliated men who are so often isolated they become radicalised by a steady stream of misogynist propaganda. Following a machete attack in Toronto by self-confessed incel Alek Minassian in 2018, he claimed the mass killing was down to being “part of a movement of angry young men upset they can’t attract women”. He described it as a “day retribution and incel rebellion”, and is a “movement of angry incels like myself that are unable to get laid”.
Across in the United States, Former State Department counterterrorism official Jason Blazakis believes there is a reluctance to shift resources to new threats, thus allowing these groups to somewhat flourish. Under the Trump Administration, there was a fear of speaking out to place a larger emphasis on gathering intelligence and addressing the threat that right-wing extremists were increasingly posing.
Additionally in Europe, much of the rise in right-wing violence is believed to be due to the backlash from immigration, and in addressing the spike in violence, the U.K and Germany have outlawed a number of organisations. Furthermore, due to a lack of order and co-operation with the U.S counterterrorism sectors there have been delays in responding to European requests for legal assistance and sharing intelligence related to right-wing organisations. The transatlantic co-operation has therefore been hugely inconsistent, with the disconnect largely attributed to the Trump Administration hesitant to use the phrase ‘right-wing terrorism’ as many of these groups wavering on the political spectrum were in fact his supporters. However the former deputy co-ordinator at the State Department counterterrorism bureau Chris Harnisch rejected this idea, noting that “I think we laid a strong foundation, and I think the Biden administration will build on it”.
And so, we now wait and see what will occur from here. It is an issue that like Islamic-led terrorism prays on vulnerable groups and in the case of right-wing individuals, are commonly young angry misogynist males found lurking in online chat rooms. Although steps have been taken by the Governments to address the prominent threat, it may be little too late given the influence the Trump administration had over its supporters and the difficulty in managing online communication through the spread of propaganda.