'Get Armed While You Can': Far-Right Midterm Rhetoric Has Experts Alarmed

[Celerity]

Conspiracy theories about election fraud, some being pushed by influential Republicans, have experts worried about the possibility of political violence.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvmpma/midterms-violence-rhetoric-politics

A dangerous narrative is brewing online, particularly in corners where “Big Lie” conspiracies about the 2020 election remain gospel. Those communities have seized on some recent polls forecasting GOP wins in the November midterms to assert that a “red wave” is all but inevitable. And some have made vague threats about “taking action”—including “taking up arms” if things don’t go their way.

“God will take care of our midterms as promised,” one user on former President Donald Trump’s platform Truth Social wrote. “A massive, absolutely overwhelming Truth Tsunami of Continental proportions that will wash away the stench of rot and corruption from the world,” another wrote. “Nothing can stop what is coming.”

This narrative is coupled with the presumption that the only way Democrats could win in hotly contested races or maintain control of the House and Senate is if they commit election fraud—baseless claims that are being amplified by influential MAGA figures. And the prospect of yet another election being “stolen” is fueling threats of violence from the right.

Extremism watchdogs have been warning about the potential for political violence in the coming weeks. SITE Intel, which tracks international terrorist activity, recently put out a memo warning that “ultranationalist users on Telegram” were hinting at violent action if Democrats “steal votes again.” “I’ll vote and also build local groups of like minds to move from OBSERVERS to PATRIOTS taking Action,” one person wrote on Telegram, according to posts documented by SITE.

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