'The Alt-Right is Killing People': A New SPLC Report

 

The following statement was submitted by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

This week, we released The Alt-Right is Killing People, a new report that examines the deadly alt-right — a movement that continues to access the mainstream and reach young recruits like white supremacist killer Dylann Roof and many others.

Two formative moments helped breed a young generation of far-right activists who were raised on the internet: the murder of the unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin and Gamergate, a controversy where female game developers and journalists were systematically threatened with rape and death. 

These events magnified the belief that white identity is under attack by multiculturalism and political correctness.

Gradual indoctrination has become increasingly easy, particularly within social media where tech companies long ignored the warning signs that their platforms were contributing to the radicalization of lethal far-right extremists.

Unfortunately, punctuated violence is expected to continue. The alt-right is redoubling its efforts at youth recruitment, intensifying its rhetoric, and calling for radical, individual action.

Here are a few key statistics from the report: we counted more than 100 people killed or injured in at least 13 fatal episodes related to the alt-right; 2017 was the most violent year of the alt-right movement; these perpetrators were all male and all are American with the exception of one Canadian; the average age of the alt-right killers is 26 with the youngest being 17. All but three were under the age of 30 at the time they are alleged to have killed; and while some certainly displayed signs of mental illness, all share a history of consuming and/or participating in the type of far-right ecosystem that defines the alt-right.

Click here to review to full report.