News Observation | Polarized Political Climate Promotes Political Violence and Threats Violence in the United States | Politics
Currently, the opposition and struggle among social parties in the United States are intensifying, and this tense political atmosphere is reflected in the frequent occurrence of political related violent threats and attacks in the United States.
On August 9th, a man named Craig Robertson was killed in an arrest operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Provo, Utah, United States. The reason why the FBI wants to arrest him is that he made a violent threat to US President Biden on social media.
Craig Robertson's neighbor, Nila Rollins: First there was a loud noise, then there was another, one after another. I thought their house was on fire, with smoke and red lights everywhere.
According to US media reports, on the eve of Biden's visit to Utah earlier this month, Craig Robertson wrote online: "I heard Biden is coming to Utah. I want to find my old camouflage suit and clean my sniper rifle." The man claimed to be a supporter of Trump, and he threatened to eliminate not only Biden, but also Vice President Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and the prosecutor who accused Trump. CNN stated that this incident is part of an increasingly worrying political environment in the United States, filled with violent threats, and represents a disturbing trend.
Former US Secret Service agent Matt Dolty: Undoubtedly very big. Moreover, law enforcement officers find it difficult to determine what constitutes a serious threat posture and what constitutes a direct threat.
Within half a month before this incident, a Texas man was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for threatening death to Arizona election workers; A Michigan woman has been charged with helping her mentally ill son purchase a gun. Her son threatened to shoot Biden and the Democratic Governor of Michigan.
According to CNN, the Chief of the U.S. Congressional Police recently stated that threats against congressmen have increased by over 400% in the past six years. The 2022 report of the Congressional Police Department stated that the department handled approximately 9600 cases of threatened congressmen in 2021, compared to approximately 4000 in 2017, an increase of 140% in four years. The National Urban Alliance of the United States stated in its 2021 report that 81% of elected local officials reported encountering political threats, and 87% believed that the situation was getting worse.
Former US Secret Service agent Matt Dolty: Threatening remarks are increasing, and direct threats are also increasing. For police, screening and identifying which resources to deal with which cases is crucial for information sharing.
Experts believe that such threats are not limited to verbal communication, but have repeatedly occurred.
On October 28, 2022, the husband of then Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Pelosi was attacked by a man who broke through a window at her home in San Francisco, resulting in a skull fracture, injuries to both hands and right arm. The man takes a right-wing stance and claims to be "tired of lies from Washington.".
In June 2022, the police arrested a man holding several knives, zip ties, and a gun near the residence of Supreme Court Justice Brett Cavano, who claimed to have planned to kill the conservative Justice appointed by Trump.
In June 2017, a gunman who was dissatisfied with the Republican Party launched an attack on a congressional baseball training ground in Virginia, including Republican whip Steve Scalis. At least five people were injured and the gunman was killed. Scalis was once on the brink of death.
Concerns about the threat of political violence in the United States
A special investigation report released by Reuters recently showed that since the Capitol Hill riots on January 6, 2021, there have been over 200 cases of political violence in the United States, resulting in at least 39 deaths. The United States is facing the most severe wave of political violence since the 1970s.
Operator: Butler County 911 call. Do you have any emergency situations?
Reporter Kristen King: My name is Kristen King, and my husband was just shot.
On November 5, 2022, Kristen King's husband Anthony King was shot three times in the head by his neighbor Austin Cooms.
Operator: Do you often have conflicts? Is there any holiday?
Reporter Kristen King: He has been bothering my husband four times because he thinks he is a Democrat. I can't believe what just happened. My husband just left like this. He is the love of my life.
Just because he suspected that his neighbor had different political views, Austin Combs shot and killed him. But the truth is, the murdered Anthony Kingston has been a Republican for over a decade. According to Reuters statistics, there have been 213 cases of political violence in the United States since the Capitol Hill riots on January 6, 2021, and the murder of Anthony King is one of them. And this incident is just a microcosm of the escalating political violence in the United States.
Reuters reporter Peter Eisler: We have found that the political violence cases we have identified are consistent with what many experts say, that our country is currently in a state of long-term political violence.
Reuters pointed out that in the socially polarized United States, political violence has reached its most severe level since the 1970s. Another phenomenon is that more and more Americans are supporting violent means to achieve political goals.
The Guardian published an article last month titled "Anger and Radicalization: More and More Americans Saying Political Violence is Reasonable.". The article introduces the results of a public opinion survey conducted by the University of Chicago in late June, which showed that an increasing number of supporters from both parties expressed that it is reasonable to resort to violence in order to achieve the political issues they support. On the Republican side, the proportion of respondents who support using violent means to bring Trump back to the White House has increased from 4.5% to 6.9%, which translates to an increase of approximately 6 million people in adult numbers within a few months, estimated to reach 18 million people.
Meanwhile, Democrats have also shown support for political violence. The survey found that the number of people who support the use of force to force members of Congress to do what is called "the right thing" increased from 9% in January to 17% at the end of June, with Democrats showing the largest increase.
Robert Pepper, a political science professor at the University of Chicago: What we can actually measure and observe is whether the political violence in this country is increasing or decreasing. And these emotions are growing, which is important. It's not because these people all engage in political violence, but because it helps to legitimize political violence, and it's also these people who ultimately engage in political violence. Political violence is now entering the mainstream, and we have seen consequences in all aspects of society.
Analysts warn that Trump's multiple lawsuits are further igniting partisan disputes in the United States, and the country needs to prepare for more political violence.
