Extremist Propaganda Remained at Historic Levels in 2021

Key findings from the ADL’s 2021 report include:

·  Throughout 2021, at least 38 RMVEs groups distributed propaganda, but three groups – Patriot Front, New Jersey European Heritage Association (NJEHA) and Folkish Resistance Movement (FRM formerly known as Folksfront) – were responsible for 91 percent of the activity.

·  As was the case in both 2019 and 2020, Texas-based Patriot Front was responsible for the vast majority of propaganda distributions. As revealed in their communications, these high propaganda numbers were driven by a weekly propaganda quota, which members are required to meet. Patriot Front was responsible for 3,992 incidents in 2021, more than 82 percent of the national total.

·  ADL recorded 352 propaganda incidents that included overt anti-Semitic language or specifically targeted Jewish institutions, marking a 27 percent increase from 277 such incidents in 2020. A number involved targeting Jewish institutions directly, such as stickers proclaiming “Hitler was right” attached to a menorah outside a California synagogue in October.

·  There were at least 183 incidents of RMVEs banner drops on highway overpasses and other high visibility locations, a 40 percent increase from the 130 recorded in 2020.

·  In 2021, ADL documented 108 RMVEs 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 RMVEs events were privately planned unannounced flash demonstrations. Patriot Front held the two largest flash demonstrations in 2021, including a July event in Philadelphia and a December demonstration at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

·  There were 232 incidents of RMVEs propaganda distribution on college campuses, marking a steep decline from 630 in 2019. Though dozens of RMVEs groups distributed propaganda in 2021, there were no large campaigns focusing on targeting campuses, potentially because of the pandemic and lack of students on campus. Patriot Front was responsible for 190 of the 232 on campus incidents.

“Anti-Semitic 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 is disturbing that RMVEs 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.”

ADL will hold an online public webinar today at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT as part of its “Fighting Hate from Home” series where Segal and other ADL experts will share additional information on recent propaganda distributions and the groups involved. Press may register here.

In response to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and in response to the overall increase in domestic extremist activity in recent years, ADL last year announced the PROTECT Plan to mitigate this threat while protecting civil liberties.

For more information, see the full report here. For region-specific data and additional information on the incidents, visit ADL’s H.E.A.T Map.

The article is published courtesy of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).