Now that former President Trump is out of power, right-wing hate and anti-government groups will likely surge. Notably, the Oklahoma City bombing occurred with former President Bill Clinton in office. For one, extremist activity tends to decline when perceived allies are in power and increase when perceived enemies, predominantly Democrats, are in power. There are a plethora of signs that extremists will only become more dangerous in the years to come. In a 2020 Military Times survey, 57% of servicemembers of color said they personally experienced racist incidents.

A 2019 Military Times poll of active-duty servicemembers found that 36% reported seeing signs of white nationalism or racist ideology in the armed forces – an alarming 14-point surge from the year prior. More than 30 current and former military members were charged for crimes related to the Capitol riot, and numerous police officers from across the country appear to have taken part in the assault. The Oklahoma City bombing and the Capitol attack show that extremism is prevalent in the ranks of our military and police forces - and is growing. And many of the 267 incidents were also perpetrated by anti-government extremists. More than a quarter of those incidents and almost half of those deaths were caused by people who supported white supremacy or were part of groups that championed that ideology. Capitol that killed five people and injured more than 100 police officers.Īll told, right-wing extremists have been involved in 267 domestic terror incidents and 91 fatalities since 2015, according to a new Washington Post analysis. 6 of this year, when hundreds of extremists launched an assault on the U.S. A few months later, armed anti-government extremists stormed Michigan’s statehouse in opposition to the state’s COVID-19 restrictions. In January 2020, three members of The Base, a white nationalist group, were arrested for plotting to murder a couple allegedly engaged in antifascist activity. These groups have proven their danger time and time again. Our nation is home to 566 active anti-government groups - 169 of which are militias, which the SPLC defines as groups that actively engage in military-style training - and 128 white nationalist groups. While more than 25 years have passed since the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, the connections between McVeigh and extremists of today feel shockingly similar.įor one, anti-government and white supremacist groups are alive and well. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill could occur again – and take even more innocent lives. Unless we take drastic action now, deadly attacks like the Jan. The Southern Poverty Law Center has been tracking domestic hate and extremism for decades, and we are seeing alarming, violent threats from extremists.

And McVeigh was briefly a member of the KKK and had a record of racist comments.įast-forward to today, and the threats of extremists are all too similar. McVeigh and his anti-government co-conspirator Terry Nichols had connections with an extremist militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen - the very same organization whose members were arrested for plotting to kill Michigan Gov. But Americans were horrified to learn that it was actually carried out by an American citizen who had served in the military for three years. The bombing was originally suspected as an attack perpetrated by foreign terrorists. The Oklahoma City bombing sent shockwaves through the country. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck packed with explosives - injuring more than 650 people and killing 168, including 19 children. Twenty-six years ago this week, an Army veteran with fierce anti-government beliefs carried out what was then the worst terrorist attack to ever occur on U.S.

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