2019 Tacoma attack

Last updated

2019 Tacoma attack
USA Washington location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Northwest Detention Center
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Northwest Detention Center, Tacoma, Washington, United States
DateJuly 13, 2019 (2019-07-13)
Target U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center
Attack type
Arson
Weapon Propane tank
Deaths1 (the perpetrator)
Injured0
PerpetratorWillem van Spronsen
Motive Anarchism

On July 13, 2019, Willem van Spronsen firebombed a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Tacoma, Washington. He was shot dead by police while attempting to ignite a propane tank. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Incident

The incident took place at 4:00 a.m. at the Northwest Detention Center, a privately owned detention center for undocumented immigrants. [1] Four officers arrived at the scene and called out to van Spronsen, who they claimed was wearing a satchel and carrying flares, before reporting "shots fired". According to the statement by the Tacoma Police Department, Van Spronsen, who was reported to have been carrying a rifle, "attempted to ignite a large propane tank and set our buildings on fire" and "continued throwing lit objects and firebombs at the buildings and cars". Officers promptly shot him dead. [2] [4] [5]

Friends of van Spronsen reportedly received farewell letters from him before the incident. [2]

Perpetrator

Willem van Spronsen (1950–2019) was a carpenter and a resident of Vashon, Washington, [6] [1] who had been arrested previously during a demonstration at the same ICE detention center in June 2018. [1] [7] In the earlier incident, he had a physical altercation with a police officer during an effort to free a protester who was detained. Police alleged that van Spronsen was armed with a baton and a folding knife. [1] According to police, van Spronsen was an anarchist who claimed to be associated with a designation known as antifa, a broad category of antifascist action frequently mistaken for an organized group. [8] In a letter written before the attack, he wrote "I am antifa." [9] Van Spronsen's daughter, who describes herself as an advocate of liberal pacifism, said her father was a supporter of anarchism but had written that she disagreed with him "on some principles, such as the use of force and weapons in the fight". [10]

Van Spronsen had been active in social media under the pseudonym "Emma Durutti", a portmanteau of the names of historic anarchists Emma Goldman and Buenaventura Durruti. Van Spronsen had once been a member of the Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club and had attended Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011. [6]

Van Spronsen had formerly been involved with Alcoholics Anonymous. [10]

Van Spronsen had written a manifesto detailing what he viewed as a political justification for attacking the ICE facility. [8] [11] [12] In this document, van Spronsen said that "it's time to take action against the forces of evil", citing "highly profitable detention/concentration camps and a battle over the semantics". [13]

Terrorism classification

The GEO Group, which runs the facility, called the attack an act of terrorism in a public statement they released saying "This video footage shows the seriousness of the threat to our employees and immigrants housed at the Tacoma Processing Center. We commend the Tacoma Police Department for its heroic actions in responding to this horrific act of terrorism." [14]

Seth Jones, a terrorism analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said of the attack and of Van Spronsen's beliefs "The problem is not that people have views that are against fascism, against white supremacy, against racism. That's certainly defensible, and in fact it's a good thing. The problem is when you start getting into violence. That's where you start to cross a line in the U.S., and that's where it starts to get into the terrorism arena." [9]

In June 2020, the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) assembled a database of 893 terrorism incidents in the U.S., beginning in 1994. [15] [16] [17] Though the database did not link any murders to Antifa, it highlighted von Spronsen's death as the only death resulting from an anti-fascist attack, according to an analysis by The Guardian . [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buenaventura Durruti</span> Spanish anarchist militant (1896–1936)

José Buenaventura Durruti Dumange was a Spanish insurrectionary, anarcho-syndicalist militant involved with the CNT and the FAI in the periods before and during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. Durruti played an influential role during the Spanish Revolution of 1936 and is remembered as a hero in and by the anarchist movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Racist Action</span> North American far-left political cells

Anti-Racist Action (ARA), also known as the Anti-Racist Action Network, is a decentralized network of militant far-left political cells in the United States and Canada. The ARA network originated in the late 1980s to engage in direct action and doxxing against rival political organizations on the hard right to dissuade them from further involvement in political activities. Anti-Racist Action described such groups as racist or fascist, or both. Most ARA members have been anarchists, but some have been Trotskyists and Maoists.

Anti-abortion violence is violence committed against individuals and organizations that perform abortions or provide abortion counseling. Incidents of violence have included destruction of property, including vandalism; crimes against people, including kidnapping, stalking, assault, attempted murder, and murder; and crimes affecting both people and property, as well as arson and terrorism, such as bombings.

In the United States, domestic terrorism is defined as terrorist acts that were carried out within the United States by U.S. citizens and/or U.S. permanent residents. As of 2021, the United States government considers white supremacists to be the top domestic terrorism threat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Right-wing terrorism</span> Terrorism motivated by right-wing and far-right ideologies

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Multiple terrorist attacks have occurred in Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Detention Center</span>

Northwest Detention Center is a privately-run detention center located on the tide flats of the Port of Tacoma in Tacoma, Washington, USA. The detention center is operated by the GEO Group on behalf of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The NWDC's current capacity is 1575, making it one of the largest detention centers in the United States. Numerous hunger strikes have been launched by inmates of the NWDC to protest the Center's poor conditions. Detainees have repeatedly reported overcrowding, a lack of medical attention, and severely unsanitary conditions, especially during COVID-19: "they're not even offering us soap."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in the United States</span> Systematic or threatened use of violence to create a general climate of fear

In the United States, a common definition of terrorism is the systematic or threatened use of violence in order to create a general climate of fear to intimidate a population or government and thereby effect political, religious, or ideological change. This article serves as a list and a compilation of acts of terrorism, attempts to commit acts of terrorism, and other such items which pertain to terrorist activities which are engaged in by non-state actors or spies who are acting in the interests of state actors or persons who are acting without the approval of foreign governments within the domestic borders of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-fascism</span> Opposition to fascism

Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were opposed by many countries forming the Allies of World War II and dozens of resistance movements worldwide. Anti-fascism has been an element of movements across the political spectrum and holding many different political positions such as anarchism, communism, pacifism, republicanism, social democracy, socialism and syndicalism as well as centrist, conservative, liberal and nationalist viewpoints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duma arson attack</span> Firebombing of a Palestinian home in 2015

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic terrorism</span> Terrorism committed in a country by its own natives or nationals, without support from abroad

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antifa (United States)</span> Anti-fascist political activist movement

Antifa is a left-wing anti-fascist and anti-racist political movement in the United States. It consists of a highly decentralized array of autonomous groups that use nonviolent direct action, incivility, and violence to achieve their aims. Antifa political activism includes non-violent methods like involving poster and flyer campaigns, mutual aid, speeches, protest marches, and community organizing. Some who identify as antifa also use tactics involving digital activism, doxing, harassment, physical violence, and property damage. Members of antifa aim to combat far-right extremists, including neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Ngo</span> American right-wing author and influencer

Andy Cuong Ngo is an American right-wing author and social media influencer, who is known for covering and video-recording demonstrators. He is a journalist and editor-at-large for The Post Millennial, a Canadian conservative news website, and a regular guest on Fox News. Ngo has published columns in the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 El Paso shooting</span> Mass shooting in El Paso, Texas

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boogaloo movement</span> American far-right extremist movement

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club</span> Gun club in the Puget Sound region

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Local protests in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area quickly spread nationwide in more than 2,000 cities and towns, as well as over 60 countries internationally in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. In Minneapolis, destruction of property began on May 26, 2020, with the protests involving vandalism and arson. Demonstrations in many other cities also descended into riots and widespread looting. There was police brutality against protesters and journalists. Property damage estimates resulting from arson, vandalism and looting ranged from $1 to $2 billion, eclipsing the highest inflation adjusted totals for the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

On August 29, 2020, Aaron Danielson, an American supporter of the far-right group Patriot Prayer, was shot and killed after participating in a caravan which drove through Portland, Oregon, displaying banners and signs supporting President Donald Trump, and clashing with participants in the local George Floyd protests.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Knowles, Hannah (July 14, 2019). "Armed man killed during attack on ICE detention center, police say" . Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Contreras, Brian (July 13, 2019). "Armed man attacking Tacoma's ICE detention center killed in officer-involved shooting" . Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  3. Sailor, Craig (July 13, 2014). "Tacoma police shoot and kill attacker at center for ICE detainees". Tacoma News Tribune. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  4. Menendez, Pilar (July 14, 2019). "Washington Man Accused of Hurling Molotov Cocktails at ICE Detention Center Killed by Police". Daily Beast. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  5. Padilla, Mariel (July 13, 2019). "Man Attacking ICE Detention Center Is Fatally Shot by the Police". New York Times. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Cleary, Tom (July 15, 2019). "Willem Van Spronsen aka Emma Durutti: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  7. Fedschum, Travis (July 15, 2019). "Washington ICE detention center attacker Willem Van Spronsen wrote 'I am Antifa' manifesto before assault". Fox News. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  8. 1 2 Iata, Marissa; Knowles, Hannah (July 19, 2019). "ICE detention-center attacker killed by police was an avowed anarchist, authorities say". Washington Post. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  9. 1 2 Allam, Hannah; Urquhart, Jim (July 23, 2020). "'I Am Antifa': One Activist's Violent Death Became A Symbol For The Right And Left". NPR.org. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Raftery, Isolde; Jimenez, Esmy (July 16, 2019). "'His heart was tender and large.' Daughter of antifa killed at Northwest Detention Center reflects on his life". KUOW. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  11. Krell, Alexis (July 18, 2019). "'Maybe it was his last stand.' Man killed at Tacoma detention center felt strongly about ICE". News Tribune. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  12. Horne, Deborah (July 15, 2019). "Vashon Island man sent manifesto before he was killed at detention center". KIRO. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  13. Liphshiz, Cnaan (July 19, 2019). "Man killed outside Washington detention center cites 'concentration camp' debate in manifesto". Jewish Telegraphic Agency . Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  14. "Surveillance video shows violent attack at Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma". king5.com. August 16, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  15. 1 2 Beckett, Lois (July 27, 2020). "Anti-fascists linked to zero murders in the US in 25 years". The Guardian. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  16. Jones, Seth G. (June 4, 2020). "Who Are Antifa, and Are They a Threat?". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  17. Pasley, James (July 31, 2020). "Trump frequently accuses the far-left of inciting violence, yet right-wing extremists have killed 329 victims in the last 25 years, while antifa members haven't killed any, according to a new study". Business Insider . Retrieved November 23, 2020.