EXTREMISMExtremists Have Turned Texas into a Hotbed for Hate: Report
Texas continues to be a hotbed for extremism and antisemitism, driven by the heavy presence of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) and anti-LGBTQ+ groups that are headquartered or active in the state.
Texas continues to be a hotbed for extremism and antisemitism, driven by the heavy presence of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) and anti-LGBTQ+ groups that are headquartered or active in the state.
That’s according to a report released Thursday by the Anti-Defamation League that examined nearly three years of “alarming levels of extremist ideology and activity” in Texas, and suggested a handful of policies to combat the growing problem.
Since 2021, the report found, antisemitic incidents in the state have jumped by 89%, and there have been six “terrorist plots” in addition to 28 “extremist events” such as training and rallies. Texas also led the nation in RMVE propaganda last year; had the most residents charged in relation to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection; and, in March, saw a neo-Nazi and extreme misogynist gunman kill 8 people at an Allen shopping mall.
The report specifically noted the presence of RMVEs groups such as Patriot Front, which is based in the Dallas area and has repeatedly marched in major cities across the country, including this summer in Austin. Patriot Front was founded by Texas resident Thomas Rousseau after 2017’s deadly neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville, Virginia, and was responsible for roughly 80% of all white supremacist propaganda incidents nationwide last year. The group also was present at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Waco this year, and 31 of its members were arrested near a 2022 Idaho Pride event on conspiracy to riot charges.
The ADL report also notes the uptick in neo-Nazi activity in the state, specifically at anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrations. Experts have for years warned that extremist groups are using “groomer” panic as a way to recruit, and neo-Nazis have been a fixture at anti-drag rallies that have been organized by groups with close ties to Texas lawmakers.
Texas is also home to churches affiliated with the New Independent Fundamental Baptist movement that preaches extreme — and often violent — messages about the LGBTQ+ community, the report found. This includes Stedfast Baptist Church, a Dallas-area church whose pastor has said LGBTQ+ people “should be lined up against a wall and shot in the back of the head.”
Also driving the surge in extremism, the report found, is the heavy presence of anti-immigrant and “vigilante” groups that have been active on the U.S.-Mexico border.
