Last Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that since the 9/11 terror attacks, nearly twice as many people have been killed in the United States from attacks by white supremacists and anti-government radicals than by Muslim jihadis.
Since the horrific massacre at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina less than two weeks ago, there have been fires in at least six predominantly African-American churches.
Now, even more alarming information has emerged via an op-ed published in the Guardian: white supremacists and extremists are joining the military to gain the training they need to attack US citizens.
According to estimates from the FBI, there are hundreds of white supremacists currently active in the US army or amongst the veteran community.
“We do encourage [our members] to sign up for the military. We can use the training to secure the resistance to our government. Every one of them takes a pact of secrecy … Our military doesn’t agree with our political beliefs, they are not supposed to be in the military, but they’re there, in ever greater numbers,” Charles Wilson, spokesman for the National Socialist Movement, one of the top neo-Nazi groups in America, told the Guardian, while claiming to have 190 active members serving right now.
“They are so desperate at the moment; they are going to let you in with a small swastika. If you are an obvious racist and shoot n*ggers and queers you might find it difficult, but generally you are fine,” Dennis Mahon, a white supremacist, told the publication.
“The soldiers learn from unconventional warfare in Iraq and they realize that they can use that type of warfare in America, and it’s impossible to stop. I tell people to learn as much as you can to improve munitions capabilities, patrolling; I want them to learn sniping and explosives, the Green Berets.”
In 2009, the Department of Homeland Security warned against veterans becoming radicalized, citing the “potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks,” and was viciously attacked by right-wing media claiming the department’s report was anti-military.
“If the US government wants to get serious about taking on white supremacist terrorism it must commit to kicking them out of the military. Like Dylann Roof, neo-Nazi veterans want a race war in the US. The government should make sure that extremists like him receive no training in the US armed forces that might help them carry out their fantasies.” Matt Kennard wrote in the Guardian op-ed.
