The Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995 is viewed as one of the worst acts of terrorism in the United States before 9/11. The man responsible for carrying out the bombing is Timothy McVeigh, and is the central figure for hate crime review that I have chosen for this post. Tim McVeigh claimed that this crime was politically motivated, but after reviewing aspects of his life including his prior employment, his racist ties and ideology, it is apparent that supremacist views definitely played a role in his hate crime actions.

Timothy McVeigh is a prime example of a lone wolf whose political beliefs and belief of supremacy fueled his anger and led to his violence. As stated in previous posts, a hate crime is defined as a crime motivated by racial, sexual, or other prejudice, typically one involving violence. Because of McVeigh’s time spent handing out rhetorical literature at gun shows, as well as his frequent sending of hate mail, built the background to his hateful demeanor, and laid the groundwork for the horrific act of violence that is remembered as the Oklahoma City Bombing.

McVeigh was obsessed with the anti-government, pro-white America literature titled The Turner Diaries. This book written by William Luther Pierce, who was once the leader of the White Nationalist organization National Alliance, details the overthrow of the American government, as well as a race war and the eradication of Jews and people of color. Such obsession over this piece of literature that is referred to as the bible of the racist right, ties McVeigh into the white nationalist movement, as it also solidifies his sentiment of an anti-government future.

Although the general public views Timothy McVeigh as a monster, there are the supremacists who see his actions as necessary, and in some instances, justified. This lone wolf violent activity is the fuel to the fire when it comes to taking hateful rhetoric and turning it into action. Tim McVeigh believed that the bombing would light a fire under Americans and shine light on how corrupt and inflated the government has supposedly become. Although that is not the lens through which the majority of Americans view the situation, it is how some groups interpret the bombing, among other violent hate crimes. Hate crimes like these are the catalyst to the white nationalist movement. They start and progress discussion whether on forums or in a group setting.

Timothy McVeigh is considered a central figure, because he epitomizes the white supremacist movement in regards to a figure who spouts and spreads rhetoric in a hateful manner. It is men like McVeigh that the extreme supremacists, as well as the lurkers, look to in order to gain insight into the movement, or to justify their own beliefs and actions.