When asked directly "to condemn white supremacists and militia groups and to say that they need to stand down," Pres. Trump told the Proud Boys––a far right Islamophobic and misogynist hate group––to “stand back and stand by" during last night's debate. twitter.com/i/events/13111…
The Proud Boys rejoiced at Trump’s implicit endorsement & decision not to condemn white supremacy. Members immediately began sharing the group's logo with his words, and started selling a “Stand By” shirt.
The Proud Boys, founded by a noted racist, anti-Semite, and Islamophobe, are a group of violent, far-right extremists who often express racist beliefs. They have appeared alongside other hate groups at extremist gatherings like the ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville.
President Trump’s attempt to lay blame on violence from “the left” is inaccurate and ignores the true threat of far-right extremism in America. According to a recent study, “the most significant terror threat to the U.S. likely comes from white supremacists.”
This @CSIS report found that right-wing extremists were responsible for nearly two-thirds of terror attacks and plots in the U.S. last year, and for over 90 percent between January 1 and May 8, 2020. csis.org/analysis/escal…
President Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security declared in a September 2019 report that “White supremacist violent extremism, one type of racially- and ethnically-motivated violent extremism, is one of the most potent forces driving domestic terrorism.”
But the Trump administration has reportedly “redirected resources from countering far-right, racism-fueled domestic terrorism” and continued to push the false narrative that the primary threat of violence comes to the left.
Guns are a key tool for far right violence. In a report on right-wing terror attacks between 1993 and 2017, the @ADL concluded that “overwhelmingly, firearms and explosives were the most common weapons,” with over a third of incidents involving “use or planned use of firearms.”
President Trump’s words have a history of inspiring violence. A few weeks ago, one of his supporters shot and killed two protestors in Kenosha, and last year, the El Paso shooter’s white supremacist manifesto echoed President Trump’s anti-Latino racism.
In all, a May 2020 investigation from ABC News found 54 cases invoking Trump in connection with violence, threats, and alleged assaults. Meanwhile, the @splcenter reports that the number of hate groups in the U.S. has increased by 55% since 2017.
Words have consequences, and President Trump’s steadfast refusal to condemn white supremacists like the Proud Boys tells voters all they need to know about what he stands for.
Read more information on the intersection of armed intimidation and extremism in @Everytown’s comprehensive report: everytownresearch.org/report/covid-a…
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