There has been a 30% increase in antisemitic propaganda being distributed in the United States, which amounts to an average of 20 daily incidents, according to a Tuesday release by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
The ADL described the current amount of White supremacist propaganda distribution as reaching “historic levels,” with a total of 7,567 incidents recorded in 2023. This number represents a 12-percent increase from 2022, according to the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Center on Extremism’s annual assessment.
The data found that 2023 held the highest level of incidents since the ADL began tracking this information in 2017. This was the second consecutive year that ADL has recorded record-breaking propaganda distribution incidents, which the ADL said illustrated a “troubling trend that coincides with other data showing that antisemitism and other forms of hate are on the rise.”
The increase in distribution was largely attributed to the white supremacist group Patriot Front reincorporating antisemitic phrases into their propaganda, the ADL said.
Adding to the influx in propaganda, large numbers of supremacist groups shared celebratory online reactions to the October 7 attack by Hamas, where some 1200 Israelis were murdered and over 250 more kidnapped.
Propaganda against the LGBTQ+ community
Additionally, the ADL found that anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda being shared by white supremacists increased by 141%, jumping from 68 incidents in 2022 to 164 in 2023.
“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 Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “Hardly a day goes by without communities being targeted by this odious rhetoric that terrorizes and harasses people at increasingly disturbing rates. This growing threat reminds us we must stay committed to the fight against all forms of hate.”
Where is the data coming from?
The data included incidents involving the distribution of racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ fliers, stickers, banners, graffiti, posters and laser projections by members of various white supremacist groups.
While more than 50 different white supremacist groups and networks distributed propaganda, three of them, Patriot Front, National Justice Party (NJP) and Goyim Defense League (GDL), were responsible for 92% of the activity, the ADL reported.
In 2023, white supremacist propaganda was reported in every US state except Hawaii and Alaska, the report found, with the highest levels of activity in Virginia, Texas, California, and New York.
"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, Vice President for the Center on Extremism. "In addition - the hateful messages pushed by such propaganda are as diverse as their targets. That's why our citizen's toolkit, Responding to Hate Propaganda: What You Need to Know, includes step-by-step instructions on what to do when you see hateful propaganda in your hometown, so you can safely document these incidents and help protect your community."