Facing Political Violence in the Wake of Extremism
By Bekky Baker, Program Director
Lately, political violence has taken center stage in our communities. The term can be defined broadly but it encompasses violence used to reach a political end, either by a government on its citizens or by non-government groups that take extremist measures due to political views and beliefs. Political violence includes coded words and phrases such as “stolen election,” the physically brutal disbandment of protests, threatening or harassing people doing their civic duties, plotting to kidnap an elected official, and the attempted assassination of a former president. The past decade has seen a rise in this trend of this violence.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, anti-government hate groups have been growing since 2008 and in 2023 they reported the highest number of active anti-LGBTQ+ and white nationalist groups they have ever collected. Ohio itself is home to the second highest number of extremist anti-government groups.
Political violence often targets groups of people based on identity. Immigrants are one of the most targeted groups and a mainstay in political discourse this election cycle. These groups sow hate and distrust which is echoed in political rhetoric to the public at large. Compounding these hate groups and to create undue fear, political ads extrapolate stories to paint immigrants as violent criminals. Furthermore, politicians routinely call for closing the border and threaten that people are coming to steal American jobs or commit more violent crime. Hate groups utilize similar rhetoric and disinformation like the Great Replacement Theory to sow distrust and hate and to fuel political agendas.
In the midst of turmoil and uncertainty, we can find pathways to counter violence through nonviolent solutions. As election day closes in, the fear of disruption and discord at the polls looms over us. Some states are working to curb this violence by banning firearms at the polls and organizations across the country are working to create community centered peaceful presences at polling places. Second, we can learn to recognize violent rhetoric and disinformation spread by hate groups when we see it and then take steps to combat that disinformation by sharing facts and counter information. Additionally, learning de-escalation tactics will help us nonviolently approach conflict at the polls, in protests, and amongst our family and friends.
We all deserve to engage in the political process peacefully – whether we are running for office or out in the community. Below are some ways to engage in nonviolent direct action to promote civic engagement:
- Learn about nonviolence as a method to create change at our Strategic Nonviolence Intensive on September 28.
- Volunteer to be a Peace Keeper at the polls – Register here for the training.
- Sign the No Guns at the Polls Petition.
- Read more about the backfire approach to political violence.
- Create space for dialogue and combat misinformation.