Echoes of April
by Dr. Amy Cooter, Deputy Director ICDE
April is a dangerous month. It hosts the anniversaries of key historical moments and more recent acts of mass violence that are important for multiple nostalgic, far-right groups’ trajectories and ideologies. This does not mean that future violence from these groups is more likely in April relative to other months, but it does mean that the events and meaning these groups attach to them is instructive for understanding their ongoing actions and motives.
This weekend will host four anniversaries that are important in this milieu. The most salient is likely the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing that happened on April 19, 1995. This attack killed 168 people—many of them children—and, for a time, changed many Americans’ understanding of terrorism. While domestic militias have consistently distanced themselves from the bomber and his destruction, some neo-Nazis and accelerationist groups celebrate the bombing as exemplifying the devastation they believe society “needs” to be reforged into something exclusively supportive of white people.
The bombing was an act of referential violence, intentionally carried out on the anniversary of the 1993 conflagration at Waco, Texas. This event was the culmination of a confrontation between a cult leader and his followers on one side, and the federal government on the other. The cult leader was facing likely charges for sexually abusing minor children, but people from all over the country who watched buildings dramatically explode in flames and thick smoke were largely unaware of these accusations. Many viewers instead saw this event as proof that the federal government was increasingly tyrannical and that they, too, could fall victim to violence for simply being social outcasts or having niche religious beliefs.
Militias and some other groups continue to center the events at Waco in their ideology and identity. While more recent events, such as allegations of “stolen” elections, for example, may also be espoused, Waco still looms large. It continues to be regularly cited as a motivating reason militia members arm themselves, regularly practice with guns, and say they are prepared to act against the government or individual politicians if needed to protect their version of America.
This year, ICDE and ARC are not seeing any indications that militias or any other groups are planning to celebrate this weekend’s anniversary through referential violence, but referential or copycat actions are always a concern for key events in the nostalgic group landscape.
Other events happened in past Aprils that generally affirm members of militias and, sometimes, other groups, to notions of ideal patriotism at this time. Militias in particular reference the April 18, 1775, Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and the “shot heard round the world” the following day at Lexington Green that marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Some also note the April 30th inauguration of President George Washington as part of their historical commemoration. To some nostalgic group members, these events exemplify not only what the Founding Fathers did, but also what they should be prepared to do in defense of their nation. Contemplating these lessons in the days leading up to significant anniversaries likely amplifies their potential for action
April also hosts the official start date of the Civil War: April 12, 1861—a date that is referenced by some neo-Nazi contingents within the nostalgic group spectrum. Their focus is on lost opportunities, a war they believe the South should have won to create a white ethnostate and either exclude or permanently subjugate all others. They sometimes also point to April 29, 1992—the start of race riots in Los Angeles following a lack of consequences for police brutally beating a Black man—as an example of threats that could supposedly spread to their neighborhoods if other racial groups continue to gain power. Some neo-Nazi groups, with a contrasting motive, celebrate April 4, 1968, the day that Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. For them, this is an example of the kind of violence needed to regain white political and social power. The potential for these conversations to collectively stoke and maintain outgroup hostilities that could lead to violent action is likely heightened as well.
Neo-Nazis and other overtly racist groups also celebrate April 20th as Adolf Hitler’s birthday. For them, Hitler’s hate, violence, and development of concentration camps in particular exemplify a continuing goal. They revere Hitler as someone who stood up for white supremacy in a measurable and laudable way, changing the course of global society, and representing
April 20th is also the anniversary of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, which was the first school shooting that besieged the general public’s consciousness and amplified fear of other future attacks. This shooting was probably not intended as a referential act corresponding to Hitler’s birthday, given that the attacker’s original, planned date for the attack fell through. However, the correspondence amplifies the symbolic importance of the day for some actors in this nostalgic group space regardless of the shooters’ own intent. The Columbine perpetrators continue to be lauded by contemporary school shooters and other violence actors, serving as one frequent source of referential violence in various recent mass shootings.
April thus serves as a potent reminder of the complex and often volatile landscape of nostalgic, far-right groups. The convergence of anniversaries, ranging from foundational moments in American history to acts of mass violence, provides a rich and disturbing tapestry of meaning for these groups. These groups’ intense focus on these symbolically charged dates likely amplifies internal narratives, reinforces shared grievances, and potentially elevates the risk of both referential and copycat actions. ICDE suggests that law enforcement, tech companies, and others working to prevent violence from nostalgic group actors have enhanced awareness and protocols around potential threats made during this time.
