VOA慢速英语--极端分子在美国国会大厦袭击后面临谴责

In the past, right-wing extremism incidents mostly took place in rural parts of the United States.

They include when right-wing extremists occupied a federal bird sanctuary¹ in Oregon in 2016. In 1992, there was a conflict between white separatists and federal agents in Ruby² Ridge³, Idaho. And in 1995, extremist Timothy McVeigh bombed a federal building in Oklahoma City and killed 168 people.

But the attack by rioters on the U.S. Capitol targeted the heart of American government. It also brought together large numbers of people who belong to extremist groups, giving them the chance to establish links to each other.

One expert said the incident might let them work together toward other violent actions. The events have "a radicalizing effect," said Brian Michael Jenkins. "The battle of Capitol Hill is now part of mythology⁵," he added. Jenkins is a terrorism expert and adviser⁶ to the president of the RAND Corporation research center in California.

Mary McCord is a former acting⁷ U.S. assistant attorney general for national security. She said the environment for the attack had been building throughout the term of former President Donald Trump⁸.

She listed the 2017 "Unite the Right" white supremacist demonstration⁹ in Charlottesville, Virginia in which one person was killed. She also listed demonstrations¹⁰ at state capitols by armed protesters angry about COVID-19 public health safety orders and mass shootings by people expressing racial or anti-government hatred¹¹.

"All have led to this moment," said McCord in an email to the Associated Press. She is now a visiting law professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

The Southern Poverty Law Center watches U.S. extremist groups. It has recorded a 55 percent increase in the number of what it calls white nationalist hate groups since 2017.

Among those who attacked the Capitol on January 6 were members of the Oath Keepers. They are an extremist group that seeks members among the military and police. The Proud Boys were there too. There were followers¹² of QAnon, which spreads conspiracy¹³ theories, and people who are angry about race, religion and other issues.

"January 6th was kind of a Woodstock of the angry right," Jenkins said. Woodstock was a 1968 rock music performance that brought thousands of young people together. "The mere¹⁴ fact those groups were coming together...sharing this anger...it is going to have effects," he said.

Many extremists being held

The Federal Bureau of Investigation¹⁵ warned of planned armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington for President Joe Biden's swearing in ceremony. That proved false. Some wonder if the groups have become less involved.

Also, Trump is no longer president and his social media reach has been blocked. Twitter has banned him. But now, some are clearly angry that Trump condemned¹⁶ the attack. They are also angry that he failed to come to the rescue of rioters who were arrested while he was still president. Many are still being detained and face serious charges.

On the internet, some people who were members of the Proud Boys appear to have turned against Trump. As an outgoing president, Trump did not pardon any of the many Capitol attackers. "No pardons for middle class whites," one angry extremist wrote on Telegram, a private messaging service.

Another said: "I cannot wait to watch the GOP completely collapse¹⁷...a true nationalist movement will arise." GOP stands for Grand Old Party, a popular name for the Republican Party.

Believers in QAnon are also surprised that Trump left office without doing anything about their belief that the U.S. government is filled with evil people.

Among them was Ron Watkins, who helps run a website about QAnon conspiracy theories. "We gave it our all. Now we need to keep our chins up and go back to our lives as best we are able," Watkins wrote on Telegram.

Jenkins said he hoped extremist groups and other people who saw Trump as a leader would become a national movement. But the widespread condemnation¹⁸ of the Capitol attack could cause the movement to decrease.

"I think given the events of this past year, and especially what we've seen in the last couple of months, this puts us into new territory," Jenkins said. "And you don't put this back in the box that easily."

Words in This Story

sanctuary – n. a place where someone or something is given shelter

radical⁴ – adj. having extreme political or social ideas

conspiracy theories – n. a theory that explains an event or situation as the result of a secret plan by powerful people or groups

mythology – n. ideas that are believed by some people that are not true; anc

1 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

2 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

4 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

5 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

6 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

9 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

10 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

11 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

12 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

13 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

14 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

15 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

16 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

17 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

18 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。