The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is warning that the “alarming trend” of white supremacist hate propaganda distribution remain at an all-time high.
Noting that incidents across the United States in 2021 reached historic levels, with a total 4,851 cases of racist, antisemitic and other hateful messages reported by the ADL, the organization pointed to a “surge in antisemitic hate [flyers]” that occurred in January and February in at least 15 states.
The ADL said that 2021 marked the second-highest level of incidents reported since ADL began tracking such data – with an average of about 13 incidents per day in 2021, and nearly double the 2,724 cases reported in 2019. In 2020, the use of propaganda distributions as a tactic peaked at 5,125 incidents nationwide.
The ADL’s Center on Extremism found that at least 38 white supremacist groups were behind hate propaganda efforts in 2021 in 49 states and the District of Columbia.
“White supremacists more frequently are resorting to hate propaganda as a tactic to spread their noxious ideas and recruit new membership,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said. “It’s particularly disturbing that at a time of when violent antisemitic assaults are on the rise, these groups are dialing-up their hateful rhetoric against Jews and canvassing entire communities with hate literature. This is an alarming trend that needs to be checked, now.”
According to the ADL, hate propaganda is the go-to tactic for white supremacist groups. In the past few weeks, dozens of incidents have been reported in at least 15 states, on college campuses and across entire neighborhoods.
ADL’s Center on Extremism reported that most of those incidents “were perpetrated by the virulently antisemitic Goyim Defense League, whose fliers blame Jews for spreading COVID, threatening the ‘white race’ through increasing diversity, and having too much power, among other hateful tropes.”
The advocacy group explained that the problem is nationwide, with hate propaganda appearing in almost every state in 2021. The highest levels of activity occurred in Pennsylvania (473), Virginia (375), Texas (327), Massachusetts (272), Washington State (228), Maryland (217) and New York State (212).
“In 2021, ADL documented 108 white supremacist events, more than double the 53 events held in 2020, and the most events recorded in any of the past five years. Nearly half of the white supremacist events were privately planned unannounced flash demonstrations,” the ADL documented in its 2021 report on white supremacist propaganda.
“Antisemitic and racist propaganda has shock value but limits the risk of individual extremists’ exposure,” said Oren Segal, Vice President of ADL’s Center on Extremism. “It’s disturbing that white supremacists and antisemites can mobilize supporters quickly to target neighborhoods in multiple states. This activity is more coordinated than ever before, often incubated and amplified online, and communities need to be prepared.”
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)