119. The El Paso attack on 3 August 2019 was the seventh highest mass casualty in American history, with 22 casualties. The attack appeared to have a particular resonance with the ERWT community and it is highly likely that Extreme Right-Wing Terrorists view this attack as 'successful':
the large number of casualties resonates with the online [X]RW terrorist community. Online [X]RW terrorists refer to the El Paso shooter as "Saint Crusius" and "Saint Patrick"; a similar reaction was seen towards Brenton Tarrant, the perpetrator of the Christchurch attack.[1]
120. In addition to the attacks and attack-planning, we are advised that a large number of US nationals contribute to the promulgation of ERWT rhetoric online. Extreme Right-Wing Terrorists operating online in the US are also protected, in part, by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act. Posts and comments which would constitute a hate crime in the UK may be legal in the US. As a result, XRW online sites see considerable contributions from US-based activists. There are also a large number of XRW groups active across the US who are predominantly involved in street protests.
121. We are advised that the number of ERWT groups in the US is not known. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC),[2] there were 1,020 hate groups active in the US in 2018, with 148 listed as White Nationalist and 112 groups as neo-Nazi. However, not all the groups listed by SPLC would necessarily meet the terrorism thresholds in the UK.[3] Members of the Proud Boys, a right-wing nationalist extremist group, were arrested for their role in the attack on Congress in Washington, DC on 6 January 2021.[4] Whilst not banned in the US, the Proud Boys were designated as a 'terrorist entity' by the Canadian government on 3 February 2021: "Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the decision was influenced by the group's pivotal role in the 6 January riots at the Capitol in Washington, DC."[5]
122. In September 2019, it was assessed that the following are key international groups who have US and Canadian members and who incite or support the use of terrorist acts:
- Atomwaffen Division US (AWD-US) was officially founded in 2015 by members of the now defunct 'Iron March' forum. A US-based group, it took its influence from the UK group National Action (now proscribed) and was believed to have affiliated groups in ***, ***, ***, *** and ***. In March 2020, AWD claimed to have disbanded in an audio statement made by James Mason.[6] The recording indicated that the group was disbanding following FBI scrutiny of its activity. According to open-source reporting, the group re-emerged as the National Socialist Order and has a new leadership structure.
- ↑ ***
- ↑ The Southern Law Poverty Center (SPLC) is an American non-profit legal advocacy organisation specialising in civil rights and public interest litigation.
- ↑ ***
- ↑ 'Did the Proud Boys Help Coordinate the Capitol Riot? Yes, U.S. suggests', New York Times, 5 February 2021, nytimes.com/2021/02/05nyregion/proud-boys-capitol-riot-conspiracy.html
- ↑ 'Proud Boys: Canada labels far-right group a terrorist entity', BBC News, 3 February 2021, www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-5592348
- ↑ James Mason is the author of Siege, a collection of writing which advocates the use of terrorist violence. Siege is covered in more detail later in this section.
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