The appeal of late April to anti-government extremists

After six weeks, the standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge came to a close this week when the last four holdouts surrendered. The last four individuals surrendered themselves and were quickly taken into custody and charged for “Conspiracy to Impede Officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation, or threats”.

A trial date has been set for these four (what do we call them?…I favor militia members even if their paramilitary group was an ad hoc one) persons. April 19th, provided there are no delays will be the day they get their day in court.

And that’s a weird coincidence.

April 19th resonates with anti-government extremists for a number of reasons and it’s unclear if the day in 2016 will be yet another motivating event for those who see the United States as an illegitimate entity serving of violent overthrow or fade into obscurity.

While we’re waiting to find out, here’s a little reference of significant events on and around April 19th and their context:

April 5th:

  • 2014: Beginning of the Bundy Ranch standoff. It’s unclear if this event will stand the test of time but at least for now the Bundy name carries some street cred within the anti-government extremist community.

April 15th:

  • Tax day. Income taxes are due on this day. Many anti-government extremists see federal income taxes as illegal.

April 19th:

  • 1775: The beginning of the American Revolution with the battles of Lexington on Concord. A great deal of imagery is pulled from the revolution among anti-government extremists. Perhaps an attempt to convince the broader population about the ‘nobility’ of their aims or to reassure themselves throughout the hardships they face, they do seem to feel a responsibility to usher in a second revolution and, I’d argue, this is the lens through which almost all anti-government extremists look through.
  • 1985: Siege of The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA) compound by federal law enforcement. The group adhered to a version of ‘Christian Identity’ which incorporates a number of racist, anti-government and apocalyptic beliefs. While the siege was non-violent, members attempted to exact revenge by plotting to kill federal authorities that were involved in their arrest and prosecution.
  • 1993: Siege of the Branch Davidian Compound in Waco, Texas. FBI and ATF officials ended a 51 day siege which resulted in the deaths of 76 people. The siege was interpreted as an attack on freedom of religion by many anti-government extremists.
  • 1995: Oklahoma City bombing by Timothy McVeigh at a federal building in Oklahoma City which resulted in the deaths of 168 people. McVeigh was inspired by what he saw as illegal overreach by the federal government in events like the Waco and Ruby Ridge standoffs.

April 20th:

  • 1889: Adolf Hitler’s birthday. Not directly related to anti-government extremism BUT the ideology did have a strong connection with white supremacy back in the day and while the influence of that ideology has lessened it hasn’t gone away.

So what does all this mean? Are anti-government extremists more of a threat around April 19th than at other times of the year?

Certainly it appears the ‘movement’ (if we can talk about it in generalities) appears to be in worse shape after Oregon than before. Militia members expressed dismay and disappointment that Americans didn’t rise up en masse in support of them. Perhaps more troubling (for them) are the mutual recriminations bouncing around the internet. Charges of ‘keyboard warriors’, FBI ‘plants’ and arguments about who is and isn’t a real patriot threaten to keep the movement from being able to coalesce anytime soon.

But a fractured, disheartened movement isn’t necessarily a less dangerous one. Just last year, a young man disappointed that his ideology was disorganized and spending more time fighting battles on Facebook than in the real world:

We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet. Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me.

That man was Dylan Roof and by the time he was caught he killed nine people.