Violence by right-wing militia groups did not materialize on Election Day anywhere in the country, as some experts feared, but they say the threat has not yet evaporated, as President Donald Trump continues to make unfounded allegations that Democrats are trying to "steal" the election.
As vote counting continued Wednesday, former Vice President Joe Biden saw his lead widen in key swing states. Chatter on militia message boards — warnings on which experts take seriously — turned into claims of fraud and threats of violence.
On the membership only site "My Militia" there are dark hints of violence. "We lost the vote through chicanery and fraud and I fear the worst may be yet to come," writes one self-described militiaman, whose whereabouts cannot be known. "Harden your hearts and your bodies brothers and sisters, but pray it doesn't come to that and the Republic can be saved." Another writes: "I'm ready to take action right now or in a moment's notice. We should all be ready."
While none are believed to pose significant risks, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island are home to nearly a dozen armed right-wing militia groups, according to a survey by the GBH News Center for Investigative reporting. And even in New England, where these groups' ranks are comparatively thin, experts have concluded that they do pose a threat of potential violence.
In other states, the threat is higher. Last week, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) and MilitiaWatch concluded that Oregon, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin are at high risk for increased militia activity following the election.
In Michigan, members of an armed militia group were arrested by federal agents who alleged they were planning to overthrow, kidnap and possibly murder the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer. Last summer, some of the same militiamen entered the state capital in Lansing and demanded an end to lockdown measures while brandishing semi-automatic weapons. The Southern Poverty Law Center connected leaders of the group to the far-right Boogoloo Movement.
ACLED concluded that New England was at low risk of violence from armed militias. But there have been some tense interactions. Over the summer, armed white men in camouflage stood by with automatic weapons as a stream of multi-racial Black Lives Matter protestors passed through downtown Concord, N.H. The event ended without conflict.
According to a self-reporting survey, there are eight armed militias in Massachusetts, three in New Hampshire and one each in Rhode Island and Maine. In Massachusetts, they are recruiting under names that include the 508 Militia, the 1st New England Militia and the Maine Patriot Militia.
The Anti-Defamation League of New England has been monitoring militia activity in New England for a long time. Regional Director and Vice President Robert Trestan said: “It is certainly possible that, depending upon the results of the election and other contingencies, that volatile individuals associated with the militia movement might plot or attempt some act of violence in the days, weeks, or months ahead, but it is not really possible to quantify the risk, given how dependent it would be on unknown outcomes and developments.”
In the My Militia discussion sites, armed men and women are warning ominously of violence in the post-election period to head off a “coup.” One member wrote, “We are NOT going to let this nation succumb to blackmail or an Obama 'color revolution'.” There is an overwhelming belief expressed on these sites that the Black Lives Matter and antifa movements are intricately attached and together are poised in some organized way to invade white, suburban and rural communities.
Jessica Stern, a professor at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies and an expert on counterterrorism, said she does not believe militia groups in New England pose much of a threat. Before Tuesday's election, she told GBH News that there was no credible threat at the polls. As far as the threat of disruptions in the post-election period, she said, "I have a lot of confidence in the Boston FBI."
A spokesperson for the Boston FBI told GBH News they would not comment on any concerns specifically about militia groups. “The FBI does not track and monitor groups. Our focus is not on speech or membership in particular groups, but on individuals who commit violence and other criminal acts. We do not police ideology.”
Arie Perliger, a professor in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, said concern about militia-inspired unrest is warranted in other parts of the country, but she said, “I'm skeptical if we see any substantial activity by these groups here.”
Perliger is author of a new book titled “American Zealots: Inside Right-Wing Domestic Terrorism.” He said not all militia groups are as dangerous as they would like to you to believe when they dress up in camouflage. He says the public has to differentiate “militias with actual military capabilities, and militias which are mainly social associations with limited training or visibility.”
The latter, some conclude, make up the bulk of so-called militias in this area. That does not mean that Massachusetts is safe from extremists.
“There is … substantial far-right violence in Massachusetts, mainly in suburban areas and Western Mass,” said Perliger. “However, such incidents are mostly not part of some organized violent campaigns.”
And the threat has not passed, particularly as Trump announces preparations to contest the election results.
