Violent Extremism in the U.S.

White supremacists and other right-wing violence are currently the deadliest active domestic extremist movements in the U.S., according to data from several civil rights groups that track hate crimes and extremist violence.

Over the last decade, right-wing extremists committed more than 70% of extremist-related murders, according to a report published earlier this year by the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism.

The Government Accountability Office similarly reported in 2017 that right-wing extremists were responsible for 73% of fatal extremist incidents since 9/11.

The most common groups victimized by these extremists are those who are Black, Hispanic, or part of a multi-racial couple or family.
It's important to note that right-wing domestic extremism is an umbrella term under which various right-wing ideologies fall in the U.S. Most in recent years have been committed by white supremacists but crimes committed by people who are anti-government, anti-Semitic, homophobic, Islamophobic, xenophobic, and fascist, among other things, also fall under this category.

Though there are varying definitions, under the federal U.S. criminal code domestic terrorism is defined as, quote, "Acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State...intended to intimidate the population and influence the government."

We spoke to the Southern Poverty Law Center to help break down what's contributing to the rise of these movements and what Americans can do to counteract the problematic perceptions of what they look like.

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