militias

Post-9/11 Wars Created the Foot Solders of Far-Right Violence

Historian Kathleen Belew says that war affects not only veterans, but makes an entire society more receptive to the possibility of violence. 

The Highland Park Horrors Won't Break the Gun Cult's Mythic Hold on America

by Thomas Lecaque and J.L. Tomlin

The myth of the armed citizen has little to do with the American revolution or the vision of the founders. It's all about the right's desire for a revolution to come. 

Kathleen Belew: Is Trump Laying Groundwork for a 2024 Coup?

Historian Kathleen Belew joins Hari Sreenivasan and Bill Moyers to discuss a new documentary, "Preserving Democracy." 

Militias Were Hiding in Plain Sight Before 1/6. They're Still a Threat

by Kathleen Belew

The January 6 attack on the Capitol and the election results was not a one-off coup attempt; it was a recruitment event for the militant far right which increasingly threatens democracy.

America as a Tactical Gun Culture

by Chad Kautzer

"Vigilantism is fueled by an individualist notion of sovereignty more dangerous than any military-grade weaponry. It rejects the freedom of others as equal to one’s own and views any attempt to support such equality as tyranny."

Kathleen Belew on Her "Field Guide to White Supremacy"

Belew discusses the impact of the Charlottesville civil lawsuit verdict, the ongoing prosecutions of Capitol rioters, and the ongoing problem of white supremacist, neo-Nazi and right-wing extremist organizations. 

D.C. Attorney General to Sue Proud Boys, Oath Keepers for Role in January 6 Assault

"The lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., cites the modern version of an 1871 law known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, which was enacted after the Civil War to safeguard government officials carrying out their duties and protect civil rights."

Kathleen Belew: The Mainstreaming of White Supremacy

The historian discusses the normalization of far-right ideology on Ezra Klein's podcast, featuring guest host Nicole Hemmer.

The Long Prologue to the Capitol Hill Riot

Historian Kathleen Belew notes the continuities in far-right and white power culture that have endured since the 1970s and were on display in the Capitol riot. 

Exposing the ‘Disguise’: UChicago Historian Kathleen Belew Spotlights the Rising White Power Movement

“I think if people really understood and grappled with the fact that (Oklahoma City) was the work of a widespread terrorist movement that was deeply organized, had people in every region of the country,” she says in the interview, “I think that people would treat it very, very differently."

The Plot Against Whitmer Won’t Be The Last White Supremacist Threat

by Kathleen Belew

I'm very concerned that more violence is imminent, and that these ideologies pose an imminent threat to our democracy and to people going about their everyday lives.

The Plot Against Gretchen Whitmer Shows the Danger of Private Militias

by Mary B. McCord

There is no right in any state for groups of individuals to arm themselves and organize either to oppose or augment the government.

FBI Arrests Plotters to Kidnap Michigan Governor, Highlighting Trump's "Liberate Michigan" Rhetoric

On October 8, the FBI announced multiple arrests in a plot to kidnap Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, whose support for lockdown measures to fight COVID-19 moved Trump to call on right-wing mobs to "Liberate Michigan." 

Feds Say They Thwarted Militia Plot To Kidnap Whitmer

The FBI announced that it thwarted a conspiracy to kidnap Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer who has drawn attacks from the far right over her advocacy for lockdown policies to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

A Pro-Trump Militant Group Has Recruited Thousands of Police, Soldiers, and Veterans

It is difficult to know how many of the people--many retired or active military and law enforcement--listed in an Oath Keepers database are active members of the far right group, but the organization's history and the prospect of political violence mean it should be taken seriously.

The Militia Menace

by Tom Mockaitis

The time has come to stop mincing words about militias and other far-right extremist groups. They are at best-armed vigilantes and at worst domestic terrorists acting on behalf of a racist ideology 

White Vigilantes Have Always Had A Friend In Police

American Studies scholar Nick Estes argues that the acceptance of vigilante groups by the police reflects a long history of cooperation between official law enforcement and informal groups to defend white supremacy. 

The Militias Against Masks

After its emergence in the 1990s, the Michigan militia movement was dormant until the Obama years. The state's COVID lockdowns have brought a mix of libertarians, racists and anti-government radicals into a prominent public role again. 

One of these Stories about Guns in Public Places is not Like the Others. Here’s Why.

by Jonathan Blanks

As guns have become an increasingly common sight at protests and government buildings, it’s clear that carrying them means different things — and presents different risks — for black and white Americans.

The Private Militias Providing "Security" for Anti-Lockdown Protests, Explained

Nicole Hemmer and Jared Yates Sexton offer historical perspective on the growing presence of armed groups at protests.