INTIMIDATION

Car Attacks on the Rise Among Right-Wing Extremists

One of the alleged perpetrators is a leader of the Virginia Ku Klux Klan.

Right-wing extremists are increasingly using cars as weapons, as 50 vehicle-ramming incidents have been reported since protests against police brutality began at the end of May following the death of George Floyd. At least 18 of those incidents have been reported as deliberate attacks, while the remainder are yet unspecified. Video footage of some attacks have shown the drivers threatening Black Lives Matter protesters. There are 20 individuals facing charges for vehicle-ramming attacks, including a leader of the Virginia Ku Klux Klan. “The message they’re trying to send is, ‘You need to get out of the street and stop these protests,’” said Ari Weil, a terrorism researcher at the University of Chicago who has been tracking the attacks. “They’re trying to intimidate the most recent wave of BLM protesters, to stop their movement.”