ExtremismFurious Extremists Call for More Violence Around Inauguration Day
In the immediate aftermath of the November 2020 presidential election, pro-Trump and other extremists announced their initial plans to protest President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington D.C. While it is impossible for anyone to predict with certainty how the events of the next week may unfold, recent history has shown that we cannot ignore potential threats from political and other right-wing extremists.
In the immediate aftermath of the November 2020 presidential election, pro-Trump and other extremists announced their initial plans to protest President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington D.C. Those calls for largescale protests on or around January 20 attracted renewed interest following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, with threats of additional extremist violence circulating on numerous online platforms.
While it is impossible for anyone to predict with certainty how the events of the next week may unfold, recent history has shown that we cannot ignore potential threats from political and other right-wing extremists.
January 17: Called off, or Recalibrated?
There is increased online chatter about nationwide armed protests between January 16 and 20, and in Washington D.C. starting on the 17th and running through Inauguration Day.
This threat is largely traceable to antigovernment boogalooers, who were planning a January 17 march in D.C. to support gun rights and protest government overreach. That event, under the names “Tree of Liberty” and “Refuse to be Silenced,” was cancelled in the wake of the January 6 violence. Protests at state capitols were likewise announced for January 17, and while these events were not explicitly cancelled, there is little online evidence of organized planning.
The relatively muted leadup to these events does not necessarily mean they will be small. For one, there are several more formal boogaloo cells located across the country and they may be using encrypted messaging services to communicate privately. Secondly the fact that the protests are happening in state capitals across the country and not in a centralized location means there is less coordination needed to secure rides or lodging.
The wild card here is that a flier advertising the January 17 boogaloo event has been shared widely online and has the potential to attract non-boogaloo adherents. Ironically, given boogalooers’ profound distaste for President Trump, and their disinterest in the election outcome, their state rallies may end up providing a gathering point for energized pro-Trump extremists eager for another opportunity to rail against the democratic process.
A January 12 post on social media platform MeWe underlined the right’s perennial fears of antifa and the left, claiming all upcoming events are an “antifa false flag” entrapment effort, and “patriots” should stay home.
