Caroline Orr BuenoNov 28, 2022
I wrote an article diving into the statistics on far-right extremist violence compared to far-left extremist violence, and to say the least, it’s not a “both sides” problem. An estimated 75% of extremist killings in the US over the past decade are attributed to far-right extremists, compared to 4% attributed to far-left extremists — and that’s on the high end of the estimates for far-left extremist violence.
https://weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/violent-extremism-in-america-is-a
Violent extremism in America is a far-right phenomenon

The stats are irrefutable. Trying to make it a "both sides" issue just distracts from the real deadly threat — which comes from the far-right.

Weaponized
Show threadCaroline Orr BuenoNov 28, 2022
The ADL, which publishes annual reports on extremist violence, found that all but three of 29 extremist killings in 2021 were attributable to far-right extremism. Looking at data from the past decade (2012-2021), the picture remains very similar: far-right extremists are responsible for 75% of extremist killings, compared to 4% attributed to far-left extremists.
Show threadCaroline Orr BuenoNov 28, 2022
The New America Foundation, which breaks down the categories of extremist violence a bit more than ADL, found that only one extremist killing since 9/11 is attributable to left-wing extremism, compared to 122 deaths attributed to far-right extremism. Here’s what that looks like visualized:
Show threadCaroline Orr BuenoNov 28, 2022
Another analysis, conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), found that just one deadly extremist attack since 1994 was attributable to antifascists (“antifa”). During the same time period, right-wing extremists carried out attacks that resulted in 329 deaths.
Show threadCaroline Orr BuenoNov 28, 2022
But it’s about more than just the static numbers — it’s also about the rise in far-right extremist violence, which is shown below in yellow. Far-left extremist violence is shown in dark grey, and extremist violence categorized as “other” is shown in light grey. As you can see, far-right extremist violence accounts for nearly all of the rise of domestic extremism over the past two decades.
Show threadCaroline Orr BuenoNov 28, 2022
Furthermore, far-right extremist attacks are more likely to result in deaths & injuries than far-left extremist attacks. This has a lot to do with the overlap with America’s gun culture: 83% of extremist murders over the past decade were firearms-related, and far-right extremist violence is significantly more likely to involve firearms than far-left extremist violence.
Show threadCaroline Orr BuenoNov 28, 2022
I also addressed the “what about antifa?” trope that is commonly used to deflect from discussions of far-right extremism & to try to make extremist violence seem like it’s a matter of two unruly sides “clashing” with each other. But the depiction of antifa put forth by the far-right (and the former POTUS) is largely detached from reality & has become a catch-all term for any/all left-wing activists or just perceived opposition, and is commonly used to identify targets for harassment or worse.
CatmikkJan 6, 2023
Show threadCaroline Orr Bueno
Disturbingly, some national security & intelligence officials in the Trump admin said they were pressured into reporting false numbers and exaggerated threat profiles in order to falsely inflate the threat of violence posed by “far-left groups” and overplay their role in violence during protests. In other words, the Trump admin was trying to manufacture a threat of violence while simultaneously failing to adequately address the growing threat of far-right extremist violence. Really, really bad.
Nov 28, 2022 at 7:40pmWeb
Show threadCaroline Orr BuenoNov 28, 2022
In an effort to falsely inflate the threat of “antifa” violence, far-right disinformation actors & propagandists, along with far-right activists & influencers, produces a steady of stream of propaganda about “antifa” that is then disseminated through social media & right-wing media — and at times, makes it way into law enforcement intelligence reports and even influences policing decisions. I’ve documented this dangerous pattern extensively on Twitter for over 5 years. A few examples are below.
Show threadCaroline Orr BuenoNov 28, 2022
Similarly, I have also documented how far-right activists, influencers, propagandists, and politicians carried out an expansive and coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at getting “antifa” labeled as a domestic terror threat, which was really an effort to criminalize dissent and left-wing activism more broadly. This involved falsely linking “antifa” to mass shootings and other acts of violence in an attempt to make people mentally associate “antifa” with “violence” and “terrorism”.
Show threadCaroline Orr BuenoNov 28, 2022
Importantly, the specter of antifa also played a major role in the far-right’s plan for Jan. 6th. This effort involved everyone from far-right militias like the Oath Keepers, to Fox News & Alex Jones, to Trump himself, and it built on the disinfo campaign that had brewing for 4 yrs at that point. The plan was to instigate fights with “antifa” at the Capitol, then blame the violence on “antifa” and use that to give Trump a rationale for invoking the Insurrection Act. But antifa didn’t show up.
Show threadBob Blaskiewicz 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇬🇱Nov 28, 2022
@rvawonk I remember how clear that intention was, how clearly explosive the rally was going to be, and how much explicit leaders were about staying home.
Show threadJennifer DoyleNov 28, 2022
@rvawonk LOL. "Antifa" was busy in Georgia supporting free & fair elections! On January 6 we slept in and had a late brunch.
Show threadGrowingFamilyNov 29, 2022
@rvawonk Caroline, I am so happy to see you on here!
Show threadJudith PakosinskiNov 29, 2022
@rvawonk the word was out, at least in Portland, that the better idea for that day was to not get played and to stay home.
Show threadSparkle TeaNov 30, 2022

@rvawonk

I am still thrilled that people on the left did not take the bait.

Lots of people were warning us all about it.
Nice restraint.

(I mean I'm not talking about AntiFa, but they don't make such distinctions.)

Show threadBabu SarkerNov 30, 2022
@rvawonk
Show threadSir Dr Rusty o the Isle 🖤💛❤️Nov 30, 2022
@rvawonk Never forget the role of #TraitorMurdoch in the #USInsurrection. He would like you to forget he stoked it, for years.
#uspolitics
Show threadRyan Michael (he/they)Dec 5, 2022
@rvawonk I am against n*zis (idk how searches work here, so safety censoring), and so many communities were so vocal with warnings and the like. I'm so grateful for that, bc that meant we knew to stay home *and actually did so*
Show threadmarie_cast Nov 29, 2022

@rvawonk

@Adirondack

The current “Antifa board game” outrage in France is the result of the same disinformation campaign. Far-right activists inundated the Fnac website and social media with bad reviews and comments. Since we are still not used to those tactics being used in France (sigh), they got what they wanted, the game was removed from sale, and most of all, they generated some outrage.

https://www.sudouest.fr/economie/conso-distribution/polemique-autour-du-jeu-antifa-la-fnac-retire-sa-commercialisation-sous-pression-de-l-extreme-droite-13158351.amp.html

Polémique autour du jeu « Antifa » : la Fnac retire sa commercialisation sous pression de l’extrême droite

Interpellée sur les réseaux, notamment par des élus Rassemblement national, la Fnac a fini par s’excuser et a retiré de la vente un jeu de société baptisé « Antifa » dont l’objectif est de « lutter contre l’extrême droite »

Sud Ouest
Show threadCaroline Orr BuenoNov 29, 2022
@marie_cast @Adirondack it’s like a rotating circus. A world circus.
Show threadSir Dr Rusty o the Isle 🖤💛❤️Nov 30, 2022
@rvawonk Excellent work
Show thread5klp471Dec 3, 2022
@rvawonk Who told tha loses they get to dictate terms?
Show threadMilennialZeroDec 4, 2022
@rvawonk You are doing seriously important work. If we are to be saved, it will require more people like you. Thank you.
Show threadStan FletcherDec 8, 2022
@rvawonk So basically they designated all branches in the US Armed Forces terrorist organizations.
Show threadThe Spoonless KitchenNov 29, 2022

@rvawonk I remember I used to reply "Antifa isn't a thing. Stop trying to make antifa a thing." with the "Stop trying to make fetch happen" gif everytime I saw one of these in the wild on the site-which-shall-not-be-named.

Let's be real, that was a lot of times. Always, I was the one hidden under "Show more replies" or "Show more replies that may be offensive."

I also liked to post this article.

https://www.wired.com/story/antifa-social-media-rumor-forks-washington/

Show threadold_babyNov 28, 2022
@rvawonk i don't mean to sound like a dick but this was obvious at the time, who is surprised by this?
Show threadSabNov 28, 2022

@old_baby @rvawonk Sometimes it's important to document things even when they're not surprising, even though it might not seem all too intuitive.

Take the current world championship in Quatar. Not a single person on planet earth with any knowledge of the situation is remotely surprised that FIFA is deeply corrupt and that infrastructure was built using modern day slavery. Still, we need to cover these things and to turn assumptions into knowledge. :)

Show threadTerritanNov 30, 2022

@old_baby @rvawonk Sometimes, you just have to repeat it for the ones in the back, undecided or just not paying attention.

It might also be fair to replace “undecided” with “willfully ignorant.” Either way, it doesn’t hurt to remind them of the truth (so they have no excuse).

Show threadVee, TheVGMLoverNov 28, 2022
@rvawonk Yeah... what isn't Trump doing that's really, really bad and plunging America into death-filled misery? =-=
Show threadRobNov 28, 2022
@rvawonk there she is! Yea. Missed the Orr posts.
Show threadStephen Rockower MDNov 28, 2022
@rvawonk Re: Threat levels. Are you surprised? I'm not.
Show threadRadicalWoman111Nov 28, 2022

@rvawonk
Funny how people are ratting out everything we knew Trump and his administration were doing.

There'll be more.

Show threadamyseekstruthNov 28, 2022
@rvawonk that tracks
Show threadTeach Honest HistoryNov 28, 2022
@rvawonk This is a very interesting and provocative claim. What is the source of this information?
Show threadJohn_G_R_WilsonNov 29, 2022
@rvawonk
Show threadDimplesNov 29, 2022
@rvawonk And DHS has admitted to creating false dossiers on individuals who took part in various protests against police brutality at the request of the former administration.
Show threadAlgoCompSynth by znmeb #MaskUpNov 30, 2022
@rvawonk Did said national security and intelligence officials directly break the law? Because their underlings here in Portland violated peoples' constitutional rights, killed a man without a trial, and used less-than-lethal weapons on peaceful protestors acting on orders from those officials.
Show threadJohn ShirleyNov 30, 2022
@rvawonk I wish it were surprising.
Show threadCatmikkJan 6, 2023
@rvawonk I remember this. It’s a pattern of behavior we saw everywhere. Filthy.