The Hard Left's Call To Arms

Armed right-wing militias in the United States have long been considered a threat to the public, however, in general, the government has often turned a blind eye. Protected by several constitutional amendments, these groups are free to organise, and even protest while armed to the teeth in military-grade gear.

Nonetheless, the clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia last year between white supremacist 'militia' groups and anti-fascist (Antifa) counter-demonstrators were a wake-up call for many. After one such right-wing demonstrator rammed a group of protesters, killing one and injuring many, some on the left began to believe that the state had failed to protect them, and in response began to take these matters into their own hands...

Enter 'Redneck Revolt', a left-wing group that resembles in many ways the right-wing militias it claims to defend against. Using the same constitutional protections, its members carry and train with firearms, and preach of a time where they may be forced to use such weapons to defend those on their side of politics. Moreover, the group attempts to draw membership from the same pool of working-class people who often fall victim to white supremacist ideologies, and instead draw them towards a left-leaning worker solidarity.

Stephanie March's article for ABC News profiles this new development and the motivations and ideology of this group. It looks both at the controversy this has caused within left-wing circles and the factors which have pushed many away from a doctrine of non-violence. Taken in context it is just one more piece of the larger story of an increasingly fractured America, one in which political differences have grown so large that people are now contemplating taking up arms against their own fellow countrymen.