Fears of political violence are growing as the 2024 campaign heats up and conspiracy theories evolve

[ificandream]

Link: https://apnews.com/article/depape-paul-pelosi-qanon-conspiracy-theories-violence-390ad310fa34b0edb925d88540a7ddcd

BY ALI SWENSON AND MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Updated 8:53 AM PST, November 18, 2023
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The man who bludgeoned former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer last year consumed a steady diet of right-wing conspiracy theories before an attack that took place with the midterm elections less than two weeks away.

As the 2024 presidential campaign heats up, experts on extremism fear the threat of politically motivated violence will intensify. From “Pizzagate” to QAnon and to “Stop the Steal,” conspiracy theories that demonized Donald Trump’s enemies are morphing and spreading as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination aims for a return to the White House.

“No longer are these conspiracy theories and very divisive and vicious ideologies separated at the fringes,” said Jacob Ware, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who focuses on domestic terrorism. “They’re now infiltrating American society on a massive scale.”

A federal jury on Thursday convicted David DePape of attacking Paul Pelosi at his San Francisco home on Oct. 28, 2022. Before the verdict, DePape testified that he had intended to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage and “break her kneecaps” if the Democratic lawmaker lied to him while he questioned her about what he viewed as government corruption. She was in Washington at the time of the assault.

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What I think we'd care not to admit. But yeah, ...

[Lunabell]

1. And yet some dumbassed judge lifted the orange blobfather's gag order.

Good lord, does someone have to die before they take his calls to violence seriously?

[onecaliberal]

2. That is the point. They want a lot of people to die. All Dems in fact.

I guess no one has the balls to stop these people. Why are the ones making threats not getting arrested?