Another Virus on the Loose: Coronavirus and White Supremacy Make a Terribly Toxic Combination

The other week, a neo-Nazi in Missouri allegedly planned to car-bomb a hospital that’s treating coronavirus patients. Just days before, white supremacists used social media to discuss turning the virus into a bioweapon, trading thoughts on targeting Jews, law enforcement and others through bodily fluids and other personal contact.

Meanwhile, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories related to the virus are running rampant on far-right social media, while anti-Asian attacks skyrocket.

White supremacist terrorism was already a dire threat to our communities and national security. During this pandemic, the threat posed by these extremists is even more pronounced.

This week, there’s finally a glimmer of hope: The federal government took an important step forward, designating a white supremacist group based in Russia as a terrorist organization.

But this is just one of many much-needed changes to how we approach the threat of white supremacy — a threat made all the more urgent by this pandemic.

It's no surprise that a crisis like this would be exploited by the most hateful and cynical among us; that’s been the case since the beginning of mankind. But the tools and tactics of the 21st century create unique risks.