Fears of violence high as US election nears: Report
There are grave concerns in the Unites States about the possibility of a rise in violence on Election Day and the period after it, a report says.
“The right is not going to give up their power unless they feel threatened,” said Olivia Katbi Smith, a co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America in Portland as cited in a report by The Washington Post. “People are opening up to the idea that a riot is the language of the unheard. Property destruction is not violence.”
Extremist activists on both sides of the political spectrum could face off in Portland, Oregon, which has been a scene of protests and a symbol of divide within America.
“Could the election devolve into civil war? Unlikely,” said Drew Miller, the founder of a budding network of members-only survivalist camps. “But look at World War I: Some worthless, low-level archduke gets assassinated and things escalate out of control. I’ve got people who are concerned that all it would take is a close election and some cheating.”
With US President Donald Trump’s encouragement of hate in his rallies and the spike in gun sales as well as a rise in online chatter about civil war, concerns have grown that the situation could get out of hands on November 3.
“We’re talking about violence in US elections, and that’s insane,” said Lisa Kaplan, the chief executive of the Alethea Group, a Washington company that tracks disinformation efforts. “This is a real threat, and we have seen increased confidence among the militias.”
Clashes between right-wing militia and antifa activists have recently grown amid the nations’s protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
“Militia groups and other armed nonstate actors pose a serious threat to the safety and security of American voters,” said the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, a nonprofit organization that researches political violence and has tracked more than 80 extremist groups in recent months. The project’s report said Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Oregon “are at highest risk of increased militia activity in the election and post-election period.”
Earlier this month, Democratic nominee Joe Biden described the situation as “dangerous” in a speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
“As I look across America today, I’m concerned,” the former vice president said. “The country is in a dangerous place. Our trust in each other is ebbing. Hope seems elusive.”
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