Concerns over political violence, voter intimidation grow ahead of midterms – National & International News – FRI 4Nov2022

Concerns over political violence, voter intimidation grow ahead of midterms. Haiti: Police regain control of fuel depot seized by gangs.

NATIONAL NEWS

Concerns over political violence, voter intimidation grow ahead of midterms

A recent ABC/WaPo poll shows that 88% of American adults are concerned about an increasing risk of political violence in the country, with 63% reporting they are “very” concerned. Those reporting concerns include both liberals, conservatives, and independents. Who the participants blamed for stoking political tensions varied depending on where on the ideological spectrum they are: 31% blame Republicans Party, 25% blame Democrats Party and 32% said both parties are equally to blame.

It would appear that these fears are unfortunately well-founded. On Oct. 28th, the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center and the Capitol Police issued a joint memo warning law enforcement of a heightened threat environment around the midterm elections. The memo specifically identifies threats from individuals driven by ideological grievances, including those who “leverage election-related issues to justify violence”.

The agencies issued that memo the very day a lone assailant broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and assaulted her 82-yar-old husband Paul. While the memo warns that public political figures might be at greater risk, it also took note of threats to view “election-related infrastructure, personnel, and voters involved in the election process as attractive targets — including at publicly accessible locations like polling places, ballot drop-box locations, voter registration sites, campaign events, and political party offices”. 

Voter intimidation

This is already happening. Voters in several states have already reported instances of voter intimidation centering on ballot drop-boxes. Ballot drop-boxes were a major focus of bogus election fraud conspiracies in 2020. This year, “2000 Mules”, a documentary by right-wing conspiracy theorist Danesh D’Souza, has breathed new life into those claims. “2000 Mules” claims a vast conspiracy took place in 2020 involving Democratic groups paying operatives to harvest and cast illegal ballots. There’s no evidence for any of these claims, and the film has been thoroughly debunked.

Regardless, many who cling to the belief that the 2020 election was “stolen” despite all evidence to the contrary have answered the film’s call to action by monitoring these ballot drop-boxes and intimidating voters who use them. Disinformation analyst Emma Steiner describes “2000 Mules” as “an endless template for taking a picture of someone over video and saying that, oh, actually what they’re doing here is criminal. You can trust me on this. And, you know, we need to find out who this person is and report them to the authorities”.

In Michigan, one group has trained volunteers to set up hidden cameras to monitor drop boxes. The group also tells volunteers to carry guns in case they encounter “criminals” while watching the boxes. Voters in Arizona have reported being filmed by people carrying guns when using drop-boxes. Even more disturbing, a pastor in Philadelphia says that trucks with MAGA flags have been parading around Black neighborhoods to intimidate residents.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Haiti: Police regain control of fuel depot seized by gangs

For over six weeks, armed gangs have been in control of a major fuel depot in the port near Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. The gangs not only halted distribution of fuel but also blocked deliveries of food and medicine coming through the port. The blockade exacerbated a year-long political and humanitarian crisis which recently prompted interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry to call for an international armed intervention. In part, Henry was requesting support for Haiti’s police force, which has so far been powerless to wrest control of the country from the gangs who’ve held sway for months.

On Wednesday, Haitian police launched and operation to seize the depot at Cité Soleil from gang control. Gunshots rang out for an entire day, but the police have not confirmed any casualties. Henry congratulated the police on retaking the port. While restoring order at the port will help ease some vital shortages, it’s unlikely this is a turning point in bringing Haiti’s crisis to an end. The gangs have funding from prominent Haitian political figures who reside abroad, and a seemingly endless supply of American weapons.

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