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| A Jewish-run shop vandalized by Nazis in 1938. |
MAGA Bomber
On October 22nd an explosive device was found in the mailbox at the residence of George Soros, an American billionaire investor, who is a well-know supporter of progressive and liberal causes. Soros is a common boogeyman in right-wing media. He is blamed of everything from paying off protesters up to controlling the economy and politics, acting as some kind of puppet master.
Soros, born in 1930, is Jewish and a survivor of Nazi Germany-occupied Hungary. Soros's Jewish roots have incited antisemitic far-right figures to attack him with similar rhetoric as was used by the Nazis during his youth. Various conspiracies of Jews somehow running the world have been prevalent since the early days of fascism.
On the 23rd, an another device addressed to Hillary Clinton was intercepted by Secret Service. On the 24th, a device addressed to former President Barack Obama and another device in CNN's mail room in New York were found. All of the apparent targets of these attacks are people that right-wing media and politicians attack regularly in their rhetoric. US President Donald Trump has called news media, especially CNN, the "enemy of the American People!" This term has been used by authoritarian leaders throughout history, and yes, even by the Nazis.
Soon after the suspect was thankfully arrested, images of his van started spreading online. This is a photo of the guy's van. As you can see in the image, there is practically a list of the targets the bombs were sent to with crosshairs overlayed on top. There is also positive imagery of President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. This van has earned the suspect the nickname "MAGA Bomber" after Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. He is also on tape attending a Trump rally.
Many in the media have expressed concern for the aggressive rhetoric used by the President and others on the right. CNN's president Jeff Zucker said "There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media" in this article.
Calling It Like It Is
Another tragic act of politically motivated violence took place on October 27th. The weapon of choice was every mass murderer's favorite, an AR-15. 11 dead at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The suspects social media reveals a far-right antisemitic agenda. He apparently wrote in one post "There is no #MAGA as long as there is a [a slur for Jews] infestation" just days before the attack.
If you get the impression that violence committed by far-right figures is common, you'd be right. According to the Government Accountability Office 73% of all deadly terror attacks since September 11, 2001, have been committed by white supremacist, anti-governmental and neo-Nazi extremists. One of Trumps trademark "qualities", according to his supporters, is calling it like it is. OK, sure: There is an epidemic of right-wing terrorism in the US.
Conclusion
There was a third right-wing terrorist attack the same week I didn't even cover. Read about it here. The media over-focusing on radical Islamist terror acts often overshadows what, in my opinion, is the real motivator behind these attacks, namely far-right ideologies. This post might be considered more political than my other ones, but frankly it's important to call out these worrying developments. Let's hope that the current generation doesn't repeat the mistakes that led to WWII.
Thanks for reading!
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