Unhappy Ranchers: US Sees Anti-Government Militia Groups Rise by a Third

While reports of armed rebel groups in the Middle East have been front page news in recent times, it seems there are signs of rebellion in other parts of the world, with the number of anti-government militia groups in the US increasing by a third over the past 12 months, researchers say.

With armed, anti-government protestors continuing their siege of a US government building in Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, activists say there has been an alarming rise of militia groups over the course of 2015. 

According to the Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC) — an organization that monitors extremist groups — there are currently 276 active anti-government militia groups in the US; an increase of 37 percent since 2014. 

There are concerns that extremist groups are more and more often taking to arms when dealing with governmental disputes. 

Heidi Beirich, director of intelligence at the SPLC, said that the worrying rise in armed rebel groups stems from a previous stand-off between government officials and heavily armed anti-government activists in the Nevada desert in 2014. 

New: Antigovernment Militia Groups Grew by More than One-Third in 2015 https://t.co/s1an9llJv6 pic.twitter.com/jgFHiM5dGR

— SPLC (@splcenter) January 4, 2016

​During the incident, armed activists gathered at the ranch of Cliven Bundy, who had longstanding disputes with the US government over grazing rights. 

@RindelsAP If the Bundy Boys had been jailed when they organized armed insurrectionists in Nevada in 2014, this would not have happened.

— Steve Sebelius (@SteveSebelius) January 3, 2016

​Bundy argued that government officials hadn't paid him more than US$1 million in grazing fees and a stand-off ensued, only to be resolved when the government backed away from the planned cattle round-up in order to prevent violence. 

However, the government was seen by many to have buckled to the concerns of activists during the incident, empowering other ranch owners and workers to take similar action when engaged in disputes. 

"We believe these armed extremists have been emboldened by what they saw as a clear victory at the Cliven Bundy ranch and the fact that no one was held accountable for taking up arms against agents of the federal government," Ms Beirich from the SPLC said. 

"When the federal government was stopped from enforcing the law at gunpoint, it energized the entire movement," she added.

Members of an armed anti-government militia, monitor the entrance to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters near Burns, Oregon.

© AFP 2023 / Rob Kerr

"The fact is, Bundy is still a free man and has not paid the money he owes to the federal government — and the militiamen who aimed rifles at federal agents have gotten away with it." 

The Nevada dispute of 2014 has also had a direct impact on the current showdown in Oregon, with Cliven Bundy's sons involved in leading the dispute. 

In the current wrangle, protestors have accused the US government of unfairly punishing ranchers who refuse to sell their land. 

Meanwhile, others have gathered to support Oregon ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond, who were sentenced to prison for lighting a fire that spread to government land they leased for cattle grazing. 

UPDATE: Oregon ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr and son Steven will seek clemency from President Obama, attorney announces. #ORmilitia

— Les Zaitz (@LesZaitz) January 4, 2016

​The Hammonds say the fires were lit to reduce the growth of invasive plants and protect their property from wildfires; however they were convicted and sentenced to prison over arson offences.