Potential Extremist Reactions to Y2K Detailed in ADL Report
U.S. Newswire, December 20, 1999
NEW YORK, Dec. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- As the year comes to a close, concerns
have intensified about possible Y2K extremist reactions. The arrest in
Seattle of an alleged terrorist last week serves as a case in point. The
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) identifies similar threats to national security
from extremists and militia groups in its report, "Y2K Paranoia: Extremists
Confront the Millennium."
The report examines the varied reactions and expectations of elements on the
fringes of society and warns of the potential for violence. Y2K Paranoia
focuses on anti-government militia and "patriot" groups with theories of a
government conspiracy, certain religious fundamentalists and cults
predicting an apocalypse with Jews playing a conspiratorial or Satanic role,
and far-right
extremists seeking to blame the so-called Y2K bug on Jews and the federal
government. Many of the groups are disseminating hate-filled propaganda on
the Internet.
"Millennial cults, extremist groups and racial ideologues this year are
bringing their assorted baggage to the Y2K happening," said Abraham H.
Foxman, ADL national director. "The heightened expectations of the year
2000, mixed together with the widely reported possibility of computer
meltdown, have generated a barrage of predictions and hysterical propaganda
from those on the farthest fringes of society. While not all of these groups
call for explicit action, many of their followers are hoping, expecting or
preparing for the worst. We can only hope that these people will not act
rashly or violently on their fears and expectations."
Predicting The Apocalypse
The Prophecy Club -- Members are selling books that warn of a
government plan to establish an evil dictatorship and imprison "true
believers" in concentration camps.
Aum Shinrikyo -- The Japanese cult responsible for the 1995 Tokyo
subway attack is predicting Armageddon. Authorities fear the violence-prone
group could strike again.
Gershon Salomon -- As leader of the Movement for the Establishm ent
of the Temple, Salomon reportedly has asserted that he and his followers
must "liberate" the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, destroy the Dome of the Rock
Mosque and build the Third Temple
foretold by the prophets.
Concerned Christians -- Authorities believe that the group may
resort to violence in the streets of Jerusalem to hasten the Second Coming
of Christ. Concerned Christians achieved notoriety last January when its
followers were arrested and deported from
Israel.
Yisrayl "Bill" Hawkins -- Hawkins, the leader of the House of
Yahweh, and his followers are awaiting the return of Jesus in a compound in
Abilene, Texas. The group reportedly is stockpiling arms.
Robert Millar -- The leader of a Christian Identity settlement in
Muldrow, Okla., Millar's white supremacist teachings include predictions of
a series of disasters after 2000 that will remove the wicked from the earth.
The settlement, dubbed Elohim City, reportedly is heavily armed.
Extreme Right Hatemongers
National Socialist White Revolutionary Party -- Believes that an
impending Russian nuclear, chemical and biological assault on the United
States will lead to the forming of a globalist government.
James Wickstrom -- An Identity minister in Michigan with links to
Posse Comitatus, a loosely organized group of Identity survivalists,
Wickstrom predicts Y2K will bring widespread chaos perpetrated by the "Jew
and antichrist world system." He claims
there's a Jewish conspiracy to downplay Y2K and insists the NATO strikes
against Serbia were intended to divert attention from an impending world
disaster.
Christian Defense League -- The virulently anti-Semitic Christian
Defense League in Arabi, La. believes Y2K is actually a Jewish plot to take
over the world.
Church of Israel - Dan Gayman, leader of the Missouri-based Church
of Israel, a white supremacist group, predicts civil chaos, especially among
"non-whites" whom he singles out from among welfare recipients as the most
likely to resort to "unbridled killing" if the Y2K bug results in a
temporary suspension of government entitlement programs. He advises
followers to keep a "shotgun handy."
National Association for the Advancement of White People (NAAWP) --
Predicts a doomsday Y2K scenario that includes a stock market crash, a run
on the banks and general mayhem.
Militia and "Patriot" Groups
John Trochman and the Militia of Montana -- On his Web site,
Trochman repeatedly refers to "secret" military reports that suggest an
imminent U.S. government takeover.
NORFED -- Indiana organization claims the computer systems at the
Federal Reserve and other world financial institutions will malfunction,
causing the international monetary system to collapse.
Col. James "Bo" Gritz -- A former Green Beret and presidential
candidate for the extremist Populist Party, Gritz has trained hundreds of
anti-government zealots to fight a so-called "New World Order."
EDITORS NOTE: ADL experts are available for interviews on the findings of
Y2K Paranoia or for more information on extremist groups and world
terrorism.
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