Militant leader, officials declare subgroup ‘threat’, call for violence against members

Militant officials have called for citizens to violently “confront” members of a particular subgroup after the regime’s leader recently declared it a “threat” to the country. 

“[They are] a threat to the country,” the leader said about his political opponents last month in a fiery speech to the masses. “They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not recognize the will of the people.” 

“[They] are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country,” he added, flanked by armed soldiers. “They spread fear and lies –- lies told for profit and power.” 

“[They] believe that for them to succeed, everyone else has to fail,” he continued, adding that if not properly dealt with, these citizens will turn the country into “a nation of fear, division and darkness.” 

“They embrace anger.  They thrive on chaos.  They live not in the light of truth but in the shadow of lies. But together — together, we can choose a different path.  We can choose a better path.  Forward, to the future.  A future of possibility.  A future to build and dream and hope.” 

The autocrat also accused his political opponents of having placed a “dagger to the throat” of the country’s way of life and urged the masses to “stop the assault” being perpetrated by the group. In particular, he directed incendiary rhetoric against his predecessor who was ousted in a coup, as well as his followers. 

Last week, the country’s officials publicly urged citizens to violently rise up against the division of the country’s citizens. 

“The word ‘hypocrites,’ it doesn’t even go far enough to call them out on what they’re doing,” one official said before calling for “literally a call to arms in our country.” 

“We’ve got to kill and confront that movement,” said another official Tuesday. 

Media outlets sympathetic to the regime also used the leader’s rabble-rousing speech to further alienate the subgroup and its members. 

“But how do you identify [them]?” wrote one news organization. “They are not an interest group, a political party or an organization with a membership list. Unless they are wearing the conspicuous [accessory], it’s difficult to know who identifies as them..."

“[They] are a variant. The disease is white supremacy,” wrote another.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that most citizens believe the regime leader uses the country's law enforcement as his “own personal Gestapo” to harass and intimidate his political opponents, including the subgroup's leader.

The remarks raise questions about their relevance to Genocide Watch Founding President Gregory Stanton's “Ten Stages of Genocide”. In this policy model, the stages may or may not be linear or sequential. 

The stages include Classification, in which the group in power singles out a certain group and creates an “us versus them” mentality, as well as Polarization, where the dominant group propaganda spreads hate and anger against the victim group. Other stages include Symbolization, where a certain symbol is adopted to refer to the victim group, such as a yellow star or a red hat. In the Discrimination stage, the group in power denies equal treatment to the target group, who may receive different or harsher sentences for the same or lesser crimes committed by the dominant group, and may be refused entry to schools or other areas, particularly if identified by a symbol. 

In the Dehumanization stage, the group in power denies humanity to members of the victim group, comparing them to vermin or disease.

Other stages include Preparation for mass killing, Extermination and Denial that crimes were committed.