Extremist propaganda across the nation is rising.
Fueled by a sense of empowerment, there’s a surge in white supremacist propaganda nationwide, according to the Antidefamation League, a nonprofit group in New York that works to reduce anti-Semitism, discrimination, and other forms of intolerance.
That means more fliers or other information left in the open with messages such as “Anti-racist is code for anti-white,” or “Keep America American,” by extremist groups.
Nationwide, cases doubled in one year: 2,700 cases reported compared to about 1,200 in 2018.
“Hate starts with words but it doesn’t end there,” said James Pasch, regional director in the Anti-defamation League’s Cleveland office. “White supremacists see propaganda distribution as a convenient and anonymous way to spread their message, and we can’t allow their language to seep into our everyday lexicon.”
The Cleveland office in Ohio also serves West Virginia, Kentucky and western Pennsylvania.
The Antidefamation League earlier in February released a report on the number of white supremacist propaganda incidents last year. That includes distributing racist fliers, stickers, and posters.
Throughout Postindustrial America, some of the highest number of reports were in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and Kentucky.
There were about 114 incidents reported in Pennsylvania, 239 in New York, 167 in Ohio, 51 in West Virginia, 74 in Michigan, 136 in Illinois, 60 in Tennessee, 146 in Kentucky, 12 in Alabama, 63 in Wisconsin, and 70 in Indiana.