Come one, come all: Individual-level diversity among anti-fascists
Department
Sociology and Criminal Justice
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2021
Abstract
The present study examined the individual differences of radical anti-fascist sympathizers who were federally charged for crimes committed in Portland, Oregon, between May and October of 2020. Anti-fascist sympathizers were also compared to other types of individual extremists on demographics (age, gender, and ethnicity). The anti-fascist sympathizers examined in this study were on average 28 years old, male, and white. The most frequent federal charges were assault on a federal officer, failure to obey a lawful order, and civil disorder. Using Bruce Hoffman’s criteria for defining terrorism, these data show that this sample of radical anti-fascists’ targeting and tactics do indeed warrant examination from terrorist scholars. Given that radical anti-fascist sympathizers have waged a sustained campaign of prolonged violence, more research is needed on the antecedents to their joining such movements and the efficacy of policy recommendations to diffuse them.
Journal Title
Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict: Pathways toward Terrorism and Genocide
Journal ISSN
17467586
Volume
14
Issue
2
First Page
209
Last Page
224
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1080/17467586.2021.1913202