A survey from the University of Chicago’s Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST, an international security affairs research institute) found most Americans don’t want political violence, yet millions would fully endorse it..A poll conducted June 26 and released last month found 31 million Americans, including one-in-six Democrats, supported violence to reinstate US abortion laws..“Use of force is justified to ensure members of Congress and other government officials do the right thing,” was supported by 17% of those polled, equal to 44 million Americans. The percentage of Democrats who agreed was 2.5 times what it had been six months prior. .Seven percent of respondents, equal to 18 million Americans, would support force to put Trump in the presidency. Of these 68% believe the 2020 election was stolen and 49% believe the 2024 elections are set up for the same..However, the survey found most Americans have no appetite for political violence. The survey found 81% of Democrats, 78% of Republicans, and 60% of Independent voters would support bipartisan solutions to prevent political violence, the equivalent of 200 million people..The report also found about 40% of Americans share at least one attitude reflecting deep distrust of American democratic institutions..Trump was viewed as a threat to democracy by 52% of those polled vs 33% for Biden. About 30% of both Democrats and Republicans believe the well being of them or their loved ones was gravely at stake depending on who wins the 2024 presidential race. Yet, 27% of Republicans and 11% of Democrats believe the vote is rigged against their party..Respondents were also asked if “a secret group of Satan-worshiping pedophiles is ruling the US government.” In all 5.6% strongly agreed, while 6.8% agreed, and 21.4% said they neither agreed nor disagreed. Disagreement polled at 18.1% and strong disagreement at 47.2%. However, 55% people who would support Trump returning to rule by force agreed or strongly agreed with the statement..There was more support for the statement that “Political elites, both Democrats and Republicans, are the most immoral and corrupt people in America.” Here, 15.2% strongly agreed, 29.3% agreed, and 34.9% neither agreed nor disagreed, leaving 15.1% who disagreed and 4.4% who strongly disagreed..The CPOST study was not the first to find support for violence..In 2020, Democracy Fund’s Voter Study Group found 21% of Americans said physical violence would be justified “if the opposing party wins” the presidential election..A 2018 poll from the Buckley Institute found one-third of college students agreed “physical violence can be justified to prevent a person from using hate speech or making racially charged comments.”.Proof of the willingness of Americans to use violence for political causes has abounded in recent months..Pro-life pregnancy centres have suffered at least 67 attacks since the leak of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v Wade. Republican Congressman Tim Walberg’s Michigan office shares space with a pro-life organization. In June of 2021, the location was vandalized while a CompassCare office in New York was firebombed. .Family Research Council’s Arielle Del Turco documented 543 attacks against churches between Jan. 2018 and Mar. 2023. Some were abortion-related attacks and others were related to LGBTQ issues, often coinciding legislation prohibiting children from transgender surgery. The Department of Homeland Security has warned the stance of churches on “sociopolitical issues” elevates their risk of suffering violence before the 2024 election..Trans-issues have been a focal point for some of the threats and violence. School board president Sonja Shaw suffered threats of death and dismemberment after the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education in California stopped letting teachers hide students’ gender transitions from their parents..In April, Students and activists chased and assaulted former NCAA women’s swimmer Riley Gaines following a speech at San Francisco State University opposing transwomen in women’s sports. A male in a dress hit her, prompting police to barricade her in a room while the hostile crowd dispersed..Last year at Yale Law School, police had to escort Alliance Defending Freedom’s general counsel, Kristen Waggoner, through a threatening crowd that pounded on the walls to cancel a debate..Activists threatened to blow up Target stores after the chain removed some Pride-themed displays of infants’ and toddlers’ clothing. “We will not tolerate intolerance nor indifference,” said one such bomb threat, which called store executives “pathetic cowards.”.A mass shooting that left six dead at The Covenant School in Nashville was done by a trans-identified person. After the far-Left Southern Poverty Law Center added Family Research Council to its “hate list,” a deranged shooter attempted to kill FRC’s entire staff and wounded wounding a building manager. The shooter was convicted of domestic terrorism.
