In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, Republicans and their supporters have been quick to point fingers, blaming Democrats and the left for his murder, via supposed aggressive and violent rhetoric. It is allegedly the left which has a problem with inciting people to violence, but is this true, and even if it is, are Democrats and the left as bad as Republicans and the right for inciting violence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some may also suggest that this sort of finger-pointing is in itself a form of dangerous rhetoric, but then again, is the truth dangerous in this instance? Is that perhaps the reason why Republicans are so quick to distort the narrative, paint themselves as victims, and blame Democrats for anything they can? Because based on the facts, that appears to be what’s going on here. Let’s take a look at the available information, and see what conclusions can be reasonably drawn:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Political Violence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whilst conservative Republicans have been full of claims that the liberally-minded Democrats are inspiring and causing violence, the reality is quite different. Based on the evidence, most US political violence is carried out by right-wing extremists<\/a>, and this uncomfortable truth is one that Trump’s own government has been taking steps to erase from the public eye<\/a>. The trend of the political right being more violent is not a new one<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To offer up a quote from the DOJ’s now-redacted article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Militant, nationalistic, white supremacist violent extremism has increased in the United States. In fact, the number of far-right attacks continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism. Since 1990, far-right extremists have committed far more ideologically motivated homicides than far-left or radical Islamist extremists, including 227 events that took more than 520 lives.[1] In this same period, far-left extremists committed 42 ideologically motivated attacks that took 78 lives. A recent threat assessment by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concluded that domestic violent extremists are an acute threat and highlighted a probability that COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors, long-standing ideological grievances related to immigration, and narratives surrounding electoral fraud will continue to serve as a justification for violent actions.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Every piece of available evidence supports the argument that the right and Republicans are driving more violence than the left and Democrats, yet this evidence is not good enough for some. Unfortunately for those who prefer denial of facts, the evidence is not going to change to suit their narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Most Dangerous US States<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Delving deeper into the idea that left-wing Democrats are more inclined to incite violence than their conservative Republican cohorts, let’s see which US states are the most dangerous. I’ll highlight Republican states in red, and Democrat states in blue, for clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Homicide (per 2022): <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n So, of the top 10 states with the highest murder rate in the USA in 2022, eight of those – including the worst state, and four of the top five – are Republican-controlled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aggravated Assault:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Seven of the top ten states for aggravated assault are Republican states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rape:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
State<\/strong><\/td> Homicide Rate<\/strong><\/td><\/tr> Louisiana<\/mark><\/td> 16.1<\/td><\/tr> New Mexico<\/mark><\/td> 12<\/td><\/tr> South Carolina<\/mark><\/td> 11.2<\/td><\/tr> Alabama<\/mark><\/td> 10.9<\/td><\/tr> Arkansas<\/mark><\/td> 10.2<\/td><\/tr> Missouri<\/mark><\/td> 10.1<\/td><\/tr> Alaska<\/mark><\/td> 9.5<\/td><\/tr> Tennessee<\/mark><\/td> 8.6<\/td><\/tr> Maryland<\/mark><\/td> 8.5<\/td><\/tr> Georgia<\/mark><\/td> 8.2<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n State<\/strong><\/td> Assault Rate<\/strong><\/td><\/tr> New Mexico<\/mark><\/td> 603.3<\/td><\/tr> Alaska<\/mark><\/td> 540.2<\/td><\/tr> Arkansas<\/mark><\/td> 519.4<\/td><\/tr> Tennessee<\/mark><\/td> 507.6<\/td><\/tr> Louisiana<\/mark><\/td> 502.1<\/td><\/tr> South Carolina<\/mark><\/td> 401.3<\/td><\/tr> Missouri<\/mark><\/td> 374.2<\/td><\/tr> Michigan<\/mark><\/td> 352.7<\/td><\/tr> Colorado<\/mark><\/td> 350.1<\/td><\/tr> Montana<\/mark><\/td> 335.7<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n