White supremacist propaganda distribution more-than doubled across the country in 2019 over the previous year, making it the highest year on record for such activity in the United States, according to new data released today by ADL. Pennsylvania saw an 85% increase in white supremacist propaganda while New Jersey saw a 250% surge in 2019, marking three years of exponential growth in the region.
The data show a substantial increase in incidents both on- and off-campus. A total of 2,713 cases of literature distribution – an average of more than four per day – were reported nationwide, compared to 1,214 in 2018. ADL documented 143 incidents in New Jersey in 2019, the fifth-highest in the nation. The New Jersey figure was sharply up from 41 incidents recorded in the state the previous year, and nearly 11-times higher than the 2017 figures. Pennsylvania experienced 74 incidents, spiking from 40 the previous year and nearly 300% higher than in 2017. Every state except Hawaii reported at least one incident of white supremacist propaganda, with the highest activity reported in California, Texas, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey. ADL’s H.E.A.T. Map provides a visual representation of the propaganda distribution efforts by geographic location.
“White supremacists consider propaganda distribution a convenient and anonymous way to promote their messages of hate and intolerance,” said Evan Bernstein, ADL’s Northeast Division Vice President. “While we know extremists and hate groups are emboldened by the current environment, this dramatic surge in white supremacist fliering and propaganda distribution demonstrates how bigots are increasing efforts to spread their message.”
“As our new report shows, white supremacists have only grown more brazen over the past year,” said Shira Goodman, ADL Regional Director. “Bigots see propaganda campaigns as a cheap and easy way to gain notoriety and spread their vile message. It is incumbent upon all Pennsylvanians to push back against this rising tide of hate.”
Some key data points from ADL’s Center on Extremism:
- Approximately 630 incidents were reported on college and university campuses nationwide, nearly double the 320 campus incidents reported in 2018. 15 campus-based incidents occurred in New Jersey. Campus incidents accounted for one-quarter of the total incidents of white supremacist propaganda distribution nationwide.
- White supremacists targeted a total of 433 campuses in 43 states and the District of Columbia in 2019, including eight campuses in New Jersey and eight campuses in Pennsylvania.
- During the 2019 fall semester, ADL counted 410 incidents on campuses across the United States – more than double any proceeding semester and a 159% increase from the 158 incidents reported during the 2019 spring semester.
- Nationally, ADL documented 2,083 off-campus incidents in 2019 – a 133% increase from the 894 off-campus incidents counted in 2018.
- ADL documented 20% fewer white supremacist in-person events in 2019 than in 2018, down from 95 to 76 events. The number of flash demonstrations also declined, dropping from 43 to 26 year over year.
The Perpetrators
Dozens of white supremacist groups distributed propaganda last year, but three groups – Patriot Front, American Identity Movement and the New Jersey European Heritage Association – were responsible for approximately 90% of the activity in the region and across the nation. Additional groups active locally include Feuerkrieg Division, the Daily Stormer Book Club, the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and the Base.
“The barrage of propaganda, which overwhelmingly features veiled white supremacist language with a ‘patriotic’ slant, is an attempt to normalize the white supremacists’ message and bolster recruitment efforts while targeting minority groups including Jews, African Americans, Muslims, non-white immigrants and the LGBTQ community,” said Oren Segal, ADL’s Vice President for the Center on Extremism.
The Texas-based Patriot Front was responsible for 66% of all propaganda incidents nationwide. In 2019, the group used its traditional red, white and blue color-schemed propaganda but with new messages such as “One Nation Against Invasion,” “For the Nation Against the State” and “America is Not for Sale.” Patriot Front is known to use its own version of “patriotism” to promote white supremacist and neo-fascist ideology.
For more information see the Center on Extremism blog, “White Supremacists Double Down on Propaganda in 2019.” For region-specific data and additional information on incidents, visit ADL’s H.E.A.T Map. To speak with an expert in the Center on Extremism, contact ADL Communications at adlmedia@adl.org
ADL is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education and fighting hate online, ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate. More at www.adl.org.
ADL’s Philadelphia Regional Office serves eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware.