Urges Federal Bureau of Investigation to categorize white supremacists as domestic terrorists.
Impact
The resolution seeks to prompt the FBI to prioritize investigations and prosecutions of such crimes by designating them as domestic terrorism. By doing so, it would allocate more resources to these cases, recognizing that the FBI has been directing more resources towards domestic terrorism investigations than towards hate or gang crimes. This could lead to more comprehensive law enforcement responses and increased support for local agencies that may be ill-equipped to handle the unique challenges posed by white supremacist violence.
Summary
Assembly Resolution AR94 urges the FBI to classify crimes committed by members of white supremacist and white nationalist groups as domestic terrorism. This resolution highlights the alarming rate at which white extremists have been committing violent acts, often using firearms in public places. Recent mass shootings, such as those in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, are cited as evidence of this growing threat. The resolution argues that the FBI's current classification of these acts as hate crimes or gang-related crimes fails to adequately reflect the nature of the violence being committed.
Contention
A significant point of contention surrounding AR94 is the classification of domestic terrorism itself. There is currently no federal crime specifically labeled as domestic terrorism, which creates challenges in prosecuting these offenders. The resolution argues for a stronger federal response to a type of violence that has been statistically shown to be more prevalent than terrorism from Islamic extremists since 9/11. Critics may point out concerns regarding the implications of such a classification on civil liberties and the potential for misuse in labeling various political expressions as terrorist activities.
This resolution deems certain conduct of members of antifa as domestic terrorism and designates antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. The resolution calls on the Department of Justice to (1) prosecute crimes of domestic terrorism by antifa, and (2) use all available tools and resources to combat the spread of such terrorism by antifa.
Condemning the atrocity that occurred in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, 2022, in which 10 Americans were killed and 3 were injured, and in which 11 of the 13 victims were Black Americans, condemning the Great Replacement Theory as a White supremacist conspiracy theory, and reaffirming the House of Representatives commitment to combating White supremacy, hatred, and racial injustice.
Condemning the atrocity that occurred in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, 2022, in which 10 Americans were killed and 3 were injured, and in which 11 of the 13 victims were Black Americans, condemning the Great Replacement Theory as a White supremacist conspiracy theory, and reaffirming the House of Representatives commitment to combating White supremacy, hatred, and racial injustice.