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NCJRS Abstract

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NCJ Number: 162836 Find in a Library
Title: False Patriots: The Threat of Antigovernment Extremists
Corporate Author: Southern Poverty Law Ctr
United States of America
Date Published: 1996
Page Count: 73
Sponsoring Agency: Southern Poverty Law Ctr
Montgomery, AL 36104
Sale Source: Southern Poverty Law Ctr
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
United States of America
Type: Report (Technical Assistance)
Language: English
Country: United States of America
Annotation: This report describes the activities of militias and other antigovernment groups that consider themselves to be patriots and assess their dangerousness to specific groups of people and the country.
Abstract: The patriot movement has no single national organization or leadership. It consists of previously unrelated groups and individuals who share a deep distrust of the government and an eagerness to combat it. They are convinced that the public is being systematically oppressed by an illegal, totalitarian government that is intent on disarming all citizens and creating one world government. They believe that the time for traditional political reform is over and that they must secure their freedom through resistance to laws and attacks against government institutions. Patriot propaganda rests on false assumptions about Constitutional rights and mandates and tales of government conspiracies. They use the Internet, faxes, manuals, gun shows, and group activities to provide information on how to avoid tax laws, arm themselves, build bombs, and practice the techniques of guerrilla warfare. The most dedicated and dangerous are the underground Patriots who form secret cells of 2-10 people and plan terrorism and sabotage. No one knows how large the movement is. Time magazine estimated the number of Patriots as high as 12 million. The Militia Task Force has identified 441 armed militias in all 50 States. Photographs, map, glossary, and list of groups
Main Term(s): Criminology
Index Term(s): Conservatism; Domestic terrorism; Revolutionary or terrorist groups; Threat assessment
To cite this abstract, use the following link:
http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=162836

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