This single act, as shown by the documentation of the criminal justice system undeniably meets every single criteria for definition as an act of domestic terrorism as defined by section 2331 of Chapter 113b in the United States Code, which was quoted earlier. Of course this certainly isn't an isolated event. The court documents cited above themselves describe numerous acts of violence committed by Klan members throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The violent activities extended beyond these decades as well.
In 1993 members of the Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan pelted civil rights activists with rocks and bottles during a brotherhood march in Forsyth County, Georgia. Throughout the 90s, Klan members had planned bombings and church burning specifically targeting those with black congregations. In April 1997, three Klan members were arrested in a plot to blow up a natural gas refinery near Fort Worth, Texas. Three more men with links to the Klan were arrested in February 1998 for planning to poison water supplies, rob banks, plant bombs, and commit assassinations. In a July 1998 court judgment, the Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, its South Carolina state leader Horace King, and several other Klansmen were held responsible for their roles in a conspiracy to burn down a Black church (ADL, 2001).
Church burnings are a particular favorite of the Ku Klux Clan. "On the evening of June 21, 1995, members of the Christian Knights poured flammable liquids on the floor of a 100-year-old black Baptist church, ignited a fire and watched the building go up in flames." It is both sad and necessary to stress the label of "Christian" in the official name of the group that committed this crime (Macedonia vs. Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan).
Though court orders and general bad publicity has influenced the Ku Klux Klan to experience a waning membership, the Klan has found a valuable revitalizing tool in the internet. Even this new technology relies on traditional Klan themes: whites are victims of intolerance who face racial extinction from a horde of Blacks and foreigners eager to intermarry and destroy American culture and religion; America should belong to Americans, not Asians, Arabs or Jews (ADL, 2001). Again, this nationalism is mirrored in those extremist groups of international terrorist that have caused such tragedy over the last several years.
Though the beliefs of the Ku Klux Klan may not be particularly tasteful for mainstream Americans, the philosophies themselves are perfectly legal and the rights of the Klan to subscribe to and distribute these beliefs are, in fact, protected under the First Amendment. However, it is not the beliefs that are under scrutiny here,...
The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is also a domestic terrorist organization for the same reason, although it also maintains affiliations outside the U.S. (ELF, 2009). Like the AOG, the ELF preaches a message that would be perfectly legal if it were pursued strictly by nonviolent, legal means. Specifically, the ELF is dedicated to the economic sabotage of entities that, according to their definitions, are engaged in destroying the planet's environment
However, a recent study did not find 'members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to be emotionally disturbed' (Reich, p. 26). As with the KKK, the IRA trains its members in several types of terrorist actions. Ambush tactics are taught to IRA recruits; they learn how to stalk and attack targets and how to rapidly flee unnoticed. IRA members are trained in the use of a wide range of weaponry
Domestic Terrorism America is home to people with varied cultural backgrounds who have been confined into one political and geographical territory. These people may have issues and conflicts but still find themselves living together because of shared territorial borders (Zalman, 2013). The United States has managed for a very long time to contain multitude of people with diverse religious, political, and cultural views in relative harmony. Incidences of terrorist attacks that
We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds and other "pests," and the abuse of backyard dogs." (PETA, 2007) However this organization as well uses methods which are sometimes considered to be illegal. In this sense, the FBI had monitored the activities of the organization and now it considered that "environmental and animal rights militants posed the biggest terrorist threats in
In the case of domestic terrorism however, the reason for reaction is relevant in terms of internal politics. Thus, the Klan's mission, under the 1915 Act was focused on even influencing the political decisions made for the presidency of the U.S., however based on religious considerations. Aside from the fact that they stood against the increasing influence of the Black people, they also supported supremacy of the protestant religion
Terrorist Groups: Terrorism is basically defined as activities or violence that is carried out to coerce the government or civilian population to change its policies. Such activities are usually carried out due to divergent political, religious and ideological beliefs by individuals or members of an extremist group. However, the federal agencies definitions of terrorism vary depending on their operational roles and missions resulting in the lack of a universally accepted definition
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