BOSTON — White supremacist and antisemitic propaganda incidents continued to spike across the country last year, especially in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, as local incidents have “grown exponentially in recent years,” the ADL reported.
White supremacist propaganda incidents hit record highs in 2023 with a total of 7,567 reported incidents — a 12 percent jump from the previous year, according to the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism’s annual report.
With an average of about 20 incidents a day, last year marked the highest level of incidents since ADL began tracking such data in 2017. This was the second straight year that ADL reported record-breaking propaganda numbers, as officials warn that antisemitism and other forms of hate are on the rise.
“At a time when antisemitic sentiment and incidents are at historic levels, white supremacists are increasingly resorting to hate propaganda to spread pernicious ideas against Jews and other marginalized groups,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.
“Hardly a day goes by without communities being targeted by this odious rhetoric that terrorizes and harasses people at increasingly disturbing rates,” Greenblatt added. “This growing threat reminds us we must stay committed to the fight against all forms of hate.”
The highest levels of white supremacist propaganda activity were reported in Virginia, Texas, California, New York, and Massachusetts last year.
Regionally, ADL recorded 339 incidents in Massachusetts last year, which was down from 465 incidents in 2022. In comparison, there were 11 reported incidents seven years ago.
“We remain concerned about the high levels of white supremacist propaganda incidents in Massachusetts which have grown exponentially in recent years,” said Ron Fish, ADL New England’s interim regional director. “There were 339 recorded incidents in 2023 in Massachusetts compared to 11 incidents in 2017.
“White supremacist propaganda aims to instill fear in marginalized communities and recruit others to their hateful cause, all while hiding behind the cloak of anonymity,” Fish added.
The most active groups in Massachusetts last year were Patriot Front (257 incidents), Aryan Circle (59), Nationalist Social Club (12), and Goyim Defense League (six).
While groups like Patriot Front distributed less propaganda overall in the area, they did stage large highly-visible protests in the Northeast and in other parts of the country in 2023.
Overall across the country, antisemitic propaganda surged by 30 percent in 2023, rising to 1,112 reported incidents last year compared to 852 incidents in 2022.
This increase was largely due to the white supremacist group Patriot Front reincorporating antisemitic phrases into their propaganda. It was also buoyed by online reactions to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel — as white supremacist leaders applauded the terrorist group and violence against Israelis.
Also, anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda by white supremacists saw a massive 141 percent increase, jumping from 68 reported incidents in 2022 to 164 incidents last year.
There were 282 documented white supremacist events in 2023, a 63 percent increase from the previous year.
“ADL has been documenting incidents of white supremacist propaganda in the United States since 2017 and we have never before seen such levels of activity,” said Oren Segal, VP for the Center on Extremism, adding, “The hateful messages pushed by such propaganda are as diverse as their targets.”
ADL’s New England leader noted that ADL’s “ Citizen’s Toolkit, Responding to Hate Propaganda: What You Need to Know,” includes guidelines on how to respond to fliering to help protect your community.
