Hate Crime at record highs in US cities, military extremism report: The week in extremism
A report into extremism in the military has been hailed by some as evidence the problem has long been overstated. But the report contains little data, and hardly reaches that conclusion. Meanwhile, record levels of anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate crimes contributed to a record-breaking year for hate crimes overall across the nation’s biggest cities. And a New Year’s Eve Texas drag show is canceled after a social media uproar from conservatives.
It’s the week in extremism.
Pentagon military extremism report: Good news or bad?
Last week, USA TODAY broke the story that the Pentagon had finally released a report into the extent of extremism in the US armed forces. Our analysis concluded the report contained little in the way of new data, and was thin on details about how bad the problem actually is. That hasn’t stopped supporters of the military from claiming the report actually exonerates the armed forces.
A Wall Street Journal editorial on Jan. 1 titled “The Military’s Phantom ‘Extremists' ” claimed “The U.S. military isn’t packed with violent extremists,” a result that “won’t surprise Americans who have spent time in uniform, but it should calm the media frenzy about right-wing radicals in the armed forces.”
As evidence, the Journal notes the researchers behind the study looked at court martials for extremism and only found one such case a year. But the authors of the report also acknowledged almost no cases of military extremism ever reach court-martials, since “nearly all of these cases were addressed through administrative action, non-judicial punishment, or referral to command for appropriate action.”
The report didn‘t provide any new data on those cases, and also noted that extremism has been rising in the military in recent years. Still, conservative media outlets used the report to conclude there was no evidence for concern about cases of military extremism and that the Biden administration’s concerns in this regard are “unfounded.”
That’s in contrast to what extremism experts who viewed the report said: “While it notes that extremist activity in the military vs. the total population of extremist activity isn’t disproportional, there is ‘some indication that the rate of participation by service members is slightly higher and may be growing.‘ Leaders should be interested in how the authors arrived at that conclusion and what data it is based on,” Bishop Garrison, who headed the military’s Countering Extremism Activity Working Group, told USA TODAY.
Heidi Beirich, who has studied extremism for decades and co-founded the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, told USA TODAY: “Surely the Armed Forces should be held to a higher standard than the public when it comes to extremism, given the danger radicalized active-duty soldiers pose in terms of terrorism. I’d suggest that the Pentagon not consider that comparison to be the appropriate one.”
Record levels of hate crime in big cities
Hate crimes in America’s 10 largest cities hit another consecutive record according to an annual report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University.
The study tallied preliminary data that 2,173 hate crimes were reported to police in 2023 in the 10 cities, an increase of 11% from 2022.
Anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate crime especially spiked. In New York, anti-Jewish hate crime rose 12.6% and in Los Angeles it rose 48%. In New York, anti-Muslim hate crime rose 22% and in Los Angeles it rose 40%, according to the study.
In a larger study of 25 American cities, hate crimes also increased an average of 15% from 2022.
Texas restaurant cancels drag show
A restaurant in Grapevine, Texas, canceled a drag performer from its New Year’s Eve show Sunday after pressure against the event built on social media from conservatives.
The drag performance at Piaf Kitchen + Wine + Bar was canceled “For the safety of our Performers, and Staff, and for a pleasurable experience for our Guests ... to ensure a more universally enjoyable and safe experience for everyone,” the restaurant posted on social media.
The event was targeted with hundreds of online complaints after advertisments appeared for the show, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
A proposed law banning drag shows in Texas was struck down by a federal judge as unconstitutional in September.
In 2022, USA TODAY reported on how a drag show in nearby Roanoke Texas illustrated how drag shows have become a front-line in the US culture wars.
Statistic of the week: One in Four
That’s how many Americans believe it is “probably” or “definitely” true the FBI instigated the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to a new poll from the Washington Post and the University of Maryland.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hate crimes spiked to record levels in big cities in 2023
