CA Led U.S. In White Supremacist, Antisemitic Propaganda In 2022: ADL

CALIFORNIA — Propaganda efforts by white supremacist groups reached a five-year high nationwide in 2022, according to a report Thursday from the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism. In California, 296 separate incidents in which antisemitic, racial and otherwise hateful material was distributed were among 6,750 reported nationwide last year.

The distribution of racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ fliers, stickers and banners, images, posters or graffiti increased 38 percent from 2021, and has increased fivefold since 2018, according to the report. Antisemitic propaganda alone more than doubled in 2022, rising to 852 incidents from 352 incidents in 2021.

The ADL H.E.A.T. Map shows Hawaii was the only U.S. state that didn’t report a single incident of white supremacist propaganda last year. The highest levels of activity were in Texas, followed by Massachusetts, Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Utah, Florida, Connecticut and Georgia.

Cities across Southern California saw the distribution of antisemitic materials on multiple occasions. Beverly Hills, a city with a significant Jewish population, saw four rounds of antisemitic flyers distributed across the city.

Many other Southern California cities saw antisemitic flyers, including Culver City, Westwood, the San Fernando Valley and Orange County. In October, a massive, antisemitic sign was dropped over the San Diego (405) Freeway, making reference to Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West who made hateful and antisemitic remarks in 2022.

Up North, the University of California, Davis campus saw multiple incidents of antisemitic graffiti and banner drops, as did Sacramento State University, according to KCRA.

Such incidents prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to create a council on Holocaust and Genocide Education in October - a decision he made “in the wake of a disturbing increase in antisemitic hate,” according to a news release from the governor’s office.

“An attack on any of our communities is an attack against all Californians and our state will not stand by as the forces of hate instigate acts of violent extremism that put lives at risk,” Newsom said in a news releasee.

Hate crime laws in California provide protections based on race, religion and ethnicity. California law also offers protections based on sexual orientation, disability and gender identity.

Propaganda campaigns, intended to frighten and harass those who see the hateful messages, are limited-risk operations by white supremacist groups that give a few people an outsized voice, the report said.

At least 50 different white supremacist groups and networks distributed propaganda in 2022, the report said. Three of them were responsible for 93 percent of the activity:

Patriot Front, whose members espouse white supremacist and neo-fascist views, was behind the majority — 80 percent — of the propaganda, a distinction the Texas-based group has held since 2019. It was active everywhere but Hawaii and Alaska, and was most active in Massachusetts, followed by Texas, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Utah.

Goyim Defense League, an antisemitic network with crossovers with white supremacist groups whose ultimate goal, the report said, is to expel Jews from the United States, was responsible for at least 492 propaganda incidents, about 58 percent of antisemitic incidents and 7 percent of incidents overall. Its propaganda was reported in 43 states, but was most active in California, followed by Florida, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Illinois and New York.

Multiple California incidents in 2022 were attributed to the Goyim Defense League, including the banner dropped over the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles in October.

White Lives Matter, a network of white supremacists who engage in “pro-white activism” on a designated day each month, was responsible for 6 percent of propaganda incidents in 2022, and about 14 percent of antisemitic propaganda. The group was active in 36 states, most often n Washington, followed by Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, North Carolina and Texas.

The ADL said the massive uptick in antisemitic propaganda was driven by the growth of the Goyim Defense League, but also noted the formation of other antisemitic white supremacist groups in 2022 that were responsible for 7 percent (62 percent) of the incidents nationwide:

Texas-based Aryan Freedom Network, NatSoc Florida, Iowa-based Crew 319, Southern California-based Clockwork Crew (aka Crew 562), Florida Nationalists and the short-lived, New York-based Aryan National Army.

» Click here for the full report.