Domestic Extremism Lexicon

The Domestic Extremism Lexicon is a reference aid released by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that defines different classifications of domestic extremists. The document was released on March 26, 2009, but was pulled only weeks later.^[1][2][3] The report identifies six types of active white supremacist groups in the U.S.^[2]

The report resulted in backlash, with several right wing congress members complaining it was biased and military supporters concerned about what it said of veteran's potential for radicalization. Among the criticized aspects of the report was its conflation of anti-abortion with right wing extremism and terrorism. The DHS responded to the controversy by retracting the report; one commentator accused them of backtracking on this point.^[1] A revised edition was going to be released the next year, but fearing another controversy it was delayed and eventually shelved.^[3]

References

1. David S. Cohen; Krysten Connon (13 April 2015). Living in the Crosshairs: The Untold Stories of Anti-Abortion Terrorism. Oxford University Press. pp. 224–. ISBN 978-0-19-937757-2.
2. "White Supremacy". Anti-Immigration in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Press. 2011. ISBN 978-0-313-37522-4.
3. Johnson, Daryl (2012). Right Wing Resurgence: How a Domestic Terrorist Threat is Being Ignored. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-1896-3.

External links

• DHS Domestic Extremism Lexicon
• Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence In Radicalization and Recruitment 7 April 2009