BOSTON — Hate group monitors are warning that last week’s siege of the U.S. Capitol could bring more far-right extremists on board with the conspiratorial movement.
The sight of rioters breaching the U.S. Capitol left many in shock and disbelief, but the Anti-Defamation League’s New England Office said it also encouraged others. Hate groups took to social media during and after the violent attack to praise what some referred to as a “second revolution.”
There’s now a concern that it could bring more people with similar beliefs out of the shadows in the days leading up to Inauguration Day and the months that follow.
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“These groups saw the success they had in getting in and disrupting the vote that was happening,” said Robert Trestan with the Anti-Defamation League New England Office. “In real-time, they were celebrating.”
Trestan said some of the groups in Washington during the siege have had a visible presence at events in the Boston area in 2020. He predicted that those groups may gain an even stronger support base after seeing the mob storming the Capitol.
“I think law enforcement on every level needs to be on a high state of alert,” Trestan said. “The threat exists. We need to identify it as domestic terrorism. We need to define it. We need to make sure there’s legislation that punishes people who commit these acts.”
Trestan believes social media companies should have a greater responsibility moving forward to make sure their platforms aren’t being used to delegitimize democracy or incite, inspire and support violence.