Capitol insurgents didn’t appear overnight. KC can lead the fight against radicalism

Although a significant number of Republicans told pollsters they do not believe last week’s mob assault on the U.S. Capitol was a threat to democracy, these would-be insurgents did not need President Donald Trump’s signal to go on the attack. They came with pry bars, Molotov cocktails and weapons. Two bombs were planted around Washington, D.C. Further, we at the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights here in Kansas City have documented 45 similar rallies in 32 states on that same day, including protests in Jefferson City and Topeka.

They were led by a variety of militia groups, including Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, Proud Boys, Groypers and tea partiers. In much the same way that 40 Klansmen led 400 white people from north Georgia to attack and throw rocks and bottles at a small interracial “March for Brotherhood” in 1987, these white supremacists and militia members convened the Washington rally and spurred on the sacking of the Capitol. Simply calling them “Trump supporters” blurs the line between nonviolent Americans who have supported the president’s policies and the street militants who want to rock any multiracial democracy to the ground.

In the years since Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh emerged out of the militia movement’s shadows, paramilitary organizations have claimed to be law-abiding civic preparedness groups. Many of their members genuinely might believe that. But the events of Jan. 6 showed that these private armies have an insurrectionist character. They might claim protection by the Second Amendment, but they are much more than simple duck hunters.

Tea Party Patriots leader Jenny Beth Martin helped convene the rally before the mob started marching. She did not get to speak, however, and was not seen in the Capitol building. Many were spotted carrying the “Don’t Tread on Me” Gadsden flag popular with tea partiers. And there was more than one Confederate battle flag among the sea of Trump 2020 banners and American Stars and Stripes. The Oath Keepers kept close together, but the Proud Boys shed their uniforms in order to blend in better with the crowds.

The number of organized white supremacists has been growing dramatically since 2016. Many of the organizations are content to stay inside their own little circles, hold conferences, burn crosses or wear swastika armbands. Others, such as the Proud Boys, have raised their profiles by inserting themselves inside antiracist protests and causing a ruckus.

But a new breed, such as the Groypers, has been recruiting mainstream conservatives into their camp. Their success has helped break down the barriers between the white supremacist movement and like-minded political camps on their perimeter. The appearance of QAnon believers promoting racist or anti-Semitic conspiracy theories adds to the numbers of people who might be recruited to the cause. Surrounded by the angry white men following Trump, the numbers of these radicals have grown sharply.

What can Americans do about this new danger? First, remember there are no easy answers. Everyone needs to take up their own task, as this all extends far beyond law enforcement.

▪ Mainstream conservatives must rebuild the sharp line between themselves and the overt racists and anti-Semites.

▪ Rank-and-file antiracists who want to end unjust police killings, poverty and bigotry in all forms must add public opposition to the white supremacist movement to their agendas.

▪ Expanded voting rights must overcome voter suppression.

▪ Religious leaders must stand up and speak out, setting a moral tone that others will follow.

▪ And politicians of every stripe must create the conditions for white supremacy to take its last curtain call.

Every one of us must do our part.

Leonard Zeskind, author of “Blood and Politics: The History of the White Nationalist Movement from the Margins to the Mainstream,” is vice president of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights in Kansas City.

This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Capitol insurgents didn’t appear overnight. KC can lead the fight against radicalism."