NCJ Number
208845
Date Published
2004
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This chapter examines the influence of organized extremist groups in incidents of racially based hate crimes in rural areas of the United States and the United Kingdom.
Abstract
Following a brief review of the etiology of racist hate crimes in urban areas, the chapter addresses the impact and popularity of White supremacists and far-right organizations in rural areas of the United States and the United Kingdom. The history of extremist organizations in the United States, notably the Ku Klux Klan, is traced, with attention to their influence on attitudes in rural communities. Also examined are recent attempts by far-right parties in the United Kingdom to gain political influence in rural areas. The chapter concludes that although some incidents of racially motivated violence in rural areas of the United State and Great Britain can be linked to organized, premeditated planning by members of racist organizations, most incidents of serious property damage and physical attacks are committed by youths acting randomly and apparently on the spur of the moment. Still, the influence of the messages and campaigns of White supremacist groups cannot be discounted when considering racially based hate crimes committed in rural areas by those unaffiliated with such groups. Aggressive youth looking for acceptable and identifiable targets for their aggression, coupled with a tendency in rural areas for homogenous White residents to resent the appearance of new residents different from themselves, may be particularly susceptible to embracing extremist views that reach them by various media. 26 references