Organizational Dynamics

Joshua D. Freilich John Jay College of Criminal Justice The Organizational Dynamics of Far-Right Hate Groups in the United States: Comparing Violent to Non-Violent Organizations

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Focus on
Group & organization NOT the individual/individual psychology

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

This Research
We investigate which factors distinguish violent far-right hate groups from nonviolent ones in the United States

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Some Facts
Most terrorist groups do not last more than one year Majority of extremist organizations do not engage in violence

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Significance of Research on Violent Far-Right Extremist groups

Far right extremists pose a threat to public safety in the U.S.
Individuals linked to FarRight hate groups have committed spectacular attacks

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Significance of Research (cont.)

Far-Right extremists are the 2nd most serious threat in US Far-Right extremists most active in committing fatal homicides in US

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Significance of Research (cont.)

Approximately 1,000 hate groups currently exist in the U.S. (SPLC, 2012) Membership & number of groups has been rising since 2008

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Significance of Research (cont.)

Useful to lawenforcement, police, homeland security Few empirical studies on this topic

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Extremist Crime Database (ECDB) (1990-2008)

Examines 275 randomly selected domestic far-right extremist groups Identified from annual hate group listings compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

ECDB (cont.)
Each group must have existed for at least three years during this period Must be headquartered in the United States Includes both violent and non-violent groups

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

What is a Far-Right Extremist Group?

ECDB- A far right group is an identifiable organization (has a name) composed of two or more individuals that adhere to a far-right ideology and seeks political objectives to further the ideology. The group must also have some command and control structure that no matter how loose or flexible provides an overall organizational framework and general strategic direction (Jones and Libicki, 2008 and Minorities at Risk Organizational Behavior (MAROB).

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Far-Right Ideology (ECDB)

Groups that subscribe to aspects of the following ideals: fiercely nationalistic, anti-global, suspicious of centralized federal authority, reverent of individual liberty (especially their right to own guns and be free from taxes), believe in conspiracy theories that involve a grave threat to national sovereignty and/or personal liberty and a belief that one's personal and /or national way of life is under attack and is either already lost or that the threat is imminent, and a belief in the need to be prepared for an attack either by participating in or supporting the need for paramilitary preparations and training or survivalism. The mainstream conservative movement and mainstream Christian-right are not included.