Anti-Semitism, White Supremacy Growing With Far Right GOP Help
At a time when anti-Semitic and white supremacist propaganda are showing up at record levels, Republican lawmakers are resisting efforts to more closely monitor such fringe groups because the organizations often mimic far right, Republican conspiracy theories.
And as they push back on efforts to watchdog over white supremacists, Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla. and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., continue to demonize immigrants as presenting an “invasion” from Central America.
Adding to the toxic brew is an increase in so-called Christian nationalists, who support authoritarian and thinly veiled anti-Semitic viewpoints.
“I am a Christian and I say it proudly, we should be Christian nationalists,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
Her opinion was not alone as a new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution found that more than half of Republicans believe the country should be a strictly Christian nation, either adhering to the ideals of Christian nationalism (21 percent) or sympathizing with those views (33 percent).
According to the survey, half of Christian nationalism adherents and nearly 4 in 10 sympathizers said they support the idea of an authoritarian leader in order to keep Christian values in society. The survey also found correlations between people who hold Christian nationalist views as well as Anti-Black, anti-immigrant, antisemitic views, anti-Muslim and patriarchal views.
Asserting the superiority of one religion and demonizing one group can easily morph into demonizing another group, whether it is Jews, African Americans, Muslims or other minority groups.
While many Republicans fear offending their far right constituencies, the amount of white supremacist propaganda remained at historic levels in 2021, with a 27 percent rise in anti-Semitic messaging, according to a new report by the Anti Defamation League (ADL) Center on Extremism. Jews are just 2 percent of the U.S. population, but are the targets of more than 60 percent of religiously motivated hate crimes, according to FBI data.
And while the membership of the various anti-Semitic and white supremacist groups is relatively small, their actions can have outsized effects in prompting major acts of violence, like the 2022 murder of 10 African Americans in Buffalo, N.Y. and the 2022 massacre of of 19 students and two teachers in Texas. In both cases, the killers had repeated far right slogans and beliefs.
In the wake of both attacks last year, Senate Republicans voted down a bill to monitor domestic terrorism. Republicans, at the time, said the proposed “Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act” was unnecessary and that Democratic President Joe Biden already had the authority to organize a response to violent extremism. Democrats said the bill was needed to boost the government’s response to rising incidents of violent extremism and could address potential restrictions on guns.
Last week, Rep. Jamie Raskin, R-Md., the ranking Democrat of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, wrote committee chair, Rep. James Comer, R- Ky., urging all Republicans to join committee Democrats in signing a draft pledge denouncing “white nationalism and white supremacy,” as well the use of related conspiracy theories, including the “Great Replacement.”
The 26 Republicans sitting on the committee refused to sign the letter. A spokesperson for the committee Republicans said the letter was an attempt to “distract” from the Biden administration’s record on border crossings.
Gosar asked if Democrats were “changing our culture” with their border policies, prompting a response from Raskin who said such claims are like the far-right claim that white Americans are purposely being replaced as the dominant race in the country by minorities and immigrants, the so-called “Great Replacement” theory of the far right.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Oversight Committee Republicans said, “It’s shameful that Democrats are calling efforts to protect the American people from the worst border crisis in history racist.”
Oversight Committee member Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said “We don’t have a white supremacy problem, we have an illegal immigration problem.”
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said Raskin’s letter was “unproductive” and that Raskin’s “sole focus is showboating and ignoring Biden’s open border policies.”
Greene was clearly concerned with the politics of fighting far right wing terror when she pushed for legislation to declare the antifa movement as a terrorist organization. Antifa is a loosely organized movement that is often considered as allied with Democratic policies. Greene and others have claimed without evidence that the Capitol insurrection was the act of the Democrat-backed antifa.
Greene’s plan was rejected by the House after experts said antifa was not a cohesive group and could not be considered as one terrorist organization, as compared with groups like the Oath Keepers and other right wing organizations that participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by trump supporters.
The ADL Center on Extremism reported that in 2022, a significant increase in white supremacist propaganda efforts included the distribution of racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ fliers, stickers, banners, graffiti and posters, as well as laser projections. The report shows a 38 percent increase in incidents from 2021, with a total of 6,751 cases reported in 2022, compared to 4,876 in 2021. It is the highest number of white supremacist propaganda incidents ADL has ever recorded.
In addition, 2022 saw anti-Semitic propaganda more than double, rising from 352 incidents in 2021 to 852 incidents in 2022. Propaganda was reported in every U.S. state except Hawaii, with the highest levels of activity in Texas, followed by Massachusetts, Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Utah, Florida, Connecticut and Georgia.
“Propaganda campaigns allow white supremacists to maximize media and online attention for their groups and messaging while limiting the risk of individual exposure, negative media coverage, arrests and public backlash that often accompanies more public activities,” the report said.
It also noted that propaganda which affects entire communities, allows a small number of people to have an outsized impact.
At least 50 different white supremacist groups and networks distributed propaganda in 2022, but the report said that three of them, Patriot Front, Goyim Defense League and White Lives Matter were responsible for 93 percent of the activity.
Most recently, a “National Day of Hate” against Jews planned by white supremacists for Saturday, Feb. 25, triggered sweeping warnings from law enforcement and Jewish security officials.
The Anti Defamation League said there had been protests by anti-Semitic groups in Ohio and Georgia on Saturday and anti-Semitic materials distributed in at least four other states.
There was no violence reported as synagogues and Jewish institutions boosted security procedures, reassuring their congregants and requesting extra police patrols. Among the groups responding to the alert was the Secure Community Network, a group that coordinates security for Jewish people and organizations across the country. The network provides various services including intelligence sharing, facility assessments and training.
The Secure Community Network was founded in 2004 under the auspices of The Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The network works across 146 federations, 50 partner organizations, more than 300 independent communities.
In 2021, the Goyim Defense League and White Lives Matter groups called for a nationwide display of bigotry and hate during the weekend of Dec. 18–19. Individuals associated with the Goyim Defense League distributed propaganda in multiple states, while people supporting the “White Lives Matter” movement distributed propaganda and held roadside flash demonstrations in several states.
The ADL’s Center on Extremism documented Goyim Defense League propaganda distributions in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Texas and Vermont. In most cases, the propaganda contained anti-Semitic claims, including “every single aspect of the Covid agenda is Jewish” or “Antifa is a Jewish Militia.”
As it has been since 2019, the Texas-based Patriot Front was responsible for 80 percent of propaganda distributions in 2022. The group distributed propaganda in every state except Alaska and Hawaii but was most active in Massachusetts, followed by Texas, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Utah.
The Patriot Front rebranded in 2018 to a focus on “patriotism,” moving away from its previously, blatant neo-Nazi and white supremacist rhetoric. Rather than traditional white supremacist language and symbols, the Patriot Front has used phrasing like “For the Nation Against the State,” “Revolution is Tradition,” “Reclaim America,” “America First” and “One Nation Against Immigration.”
The Goyim Defense League overlaps with other white supremacist groups and movements and was responsible for at least 492 propaganda incidents in 2022. That amounted to about seven percent of the total propaganda nationwide and 58 percent of the year’s anti-Semitic propaganda incidents. There were just 74 Goyim Defense League propaganda incidents recorded in 2021.
“Goyim Defense League’s overarching goal is to expel Jews from America. To that end, their propaganda casts aspersions on Jews and spreads antisemitic myths and conspiracy theories in hopes of turning Americans against the Jewish people,” the report said. “Goyim Defense League’s 2022 propaganda blames Jews for a variety of perceived social grievances, including immigration, pornography and abortion.”
Goyim Defense League propaganda was recorded in 43 states, with the most in California, followed by Florida, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Illinois and New York.
White Lives Matter, a network of white supremacists, engages in “pro-white activism” on a designated day each month. The group was responsible for 6 percent of propaganda incidents in 2022 and roughly 14 percent of the anti-Semitic propaganda incidents.
The Center on Extremism recorded 430 incidents of White Lives Matter propaganda in 2022, more than three times the 140 incidents recorded in 2021. The incidents were in 36 states with the highest number in Washington, followed by Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, North Carolina and Texas.
White Lives Matter propaganda includes messages about the so-called “great replacement” conspiracy theory that contends that immigration is being increased by Jewish and Democratic groups to minimize the power of whites. Some of the propaganda promotes or shares links to the anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi propaganda film, “Europa: The Last Battle.” The film claims to show an alternate version of history, where Jews steer events through systems of international finance.
The national White Lives Matter Telegram channel has more than 11,400 subscribers, with individual channels for each state run by local administrators.
According to the White Lives Matter website, “When our pre-Columbian forefathers left their European homes…they found a common cause and a common identity as Americans. From the varied nations and cultures of Europe a new nation was forged in the flames of conquest.”
“To be an American is to be a descendant of conquerors, pioneers, visionaries, and explorers. This unique identity was given to us by our ancestors, and this national spirit remains firmly rooted in our blood.”
White Lives Matter propaganda also has mingled with materials from other white supremacist groups and movements, including the Goyim Defense League, Folkish Resistance Movement, New Jersey European Heritage Association, League of the South and various Active Clubs.
The Folkish Resistance Movement (FRM) was responsible for 170 propaganda distributions in 2022, roughly three percent of propaganda nationwide and 17 percent of anti-Semitic propaganda incidents recorded in 21 states. Most of the propaganda was reported in Texas, with the remaining 20 states averaging five incidents each.
The group was formed in 2019 and called itself Folksfront. In 2021, it rebranded as the Folkish Resistance Movement with propaganda featuring crossed runes that resemble a swastika and explicit white supremacist slogans such as “Our blood is our faith, our race is our nation” and “Blood and soil.” An estimated 84 percent of the group’s propaganda is anti-Semitic, including a broken Star of David accompanied by phrases such as “Break Debt Slavery” or “Resist Zionism.”
Active Clubs is a nationwide network of localized white supremacist crews that often overlap with the White Lives Matter network and other white supremacist groups. Active Clubs was responsible for 92 propaganda distributions in 2022 in 16 states, mostly in Virginia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Active Clubs is inspired by Robert Fundo, founder of the Rise Above Movement, a neo-Nazi gang based in Southern California whose members were involved in violent activity at protests throughout California in 2017.
Several new anti-Semitic, white supremacist groups were formed in 2022 including the Texas-based Aryan Freedom Network, NatSoc Florida, the Iowa-based Crew 319, the Southern California-based Clockwork Crew (Crew 562), Florida Nationalists and the short-lived, New York-based, Aryan National Army.
In 2022, white supremacist groups increasingly used banners, often draped over highway overpasses, to publicize their hate. The Anti Defamation League recorded at least 252 banner drops, a 38 percent increase from the 183 counted in 2021. Typical messages on banners were “No More Foreign Wars,” “Revolution is Tradition” and “Liberty or Death.”
The neo-Nazi National Socialist Club (NSC) held 32 events, including protesting the Somali population in Maine, a literary event in Rhode Island and several drag queen story hour events in Massachusetts. In June, 31 members of Patriot Front were arrested near Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, after police stopped a U-Haul truck near a “Pride in the Park” event. The Patriot Front members found inside the truck were dressed uniformly and equipped with riot shields, and were charged with criminal conspiracy to riot.
Earlier in the year, three white supremacists associated with the National Socialist Movement were arrested for their alleged role in the hate crime assault of a Jewish man during a January neo-Nazi roadside rally in Orlando, Fla. The man, David Newstat said he was assaulted on Feb.4, 2022, and that he was spit on, pepper-sprayed and punched.
NatSoc Florida (NSF) is a small but growing neo-Nazi group based in Duval County, Fla. The group, whose name is a reference to national socialism, openly promotes anti-Semitism, fascism and white supremacy via online posts, in-person demonstrations and extensive propaganda distribution.
The New Jersey European Heritage Association (NJEHA) is a small, New Jersey-based white supremacist group. The group spreads propaganda online and by distributing fliers in central New Jersey.
The League of the South (LoS) is a white supremacist, anti-Semitic group that advocates for southern secession and an independent, white-dominated South. It organizes white supremacist rallies, conferences and flash demonstrations, and attends events organized by other white supremacist groups.
The report identified various symbols used by white supremacist and neo-nazi groups, including the “Totenkopf,” German for “death’s head” or skull and typically refers to a skull-and-crossbones image. During the Nazi era, Hitler’s Schutzstaffel (SS) adopted one Totenkopf image as a symbol. Among other uses, it became the symbol of the SS-Totenkopfverbande (one of the original three branches of the SS, along with the Algemeine SS and the Waffen SS), whose purpose was to guard the concentration camps. After the war, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists resurrected the Totenkopf as a hate symbol because of its importance to the SS and it has been a common hate symbol since.
Multiple parentheses, also known as the “echo,” is a typographical practice used by some anti-Semites online. It typically consists of three pairs of parentheses or brackets used around someone’s name or around a term or phrase. When used around someone’s name — such as (((Natalie Weiss))) — it is intended by the user to indicate to others “in the know” that the person being referred to is Jewish.
Numeric hate symbols also are used, including the number 109, white supremacist numeric shorthand for an anti-Semitic claim that Jews have been expelled from 109 different countries. The number 110 is used by white supremacists to urge that the United States or some other specific location be the next and 110th place to expel Jews.
The sonnenrad or sunwheel is an ancient European symbol appropriated by the Nazis to portray the “Aryan/Norse” heritage. In Nazi Germany, the Nazi Party, the SA and the SS all used sonnenrad symbology at times, which has led neo-Nazis and other modern white supremacists to adopt such images. One sonnenrad version popular among white supremacists includes two concentric circles with crooked rays emanating from the inner circle to the outer circle. Often white supremacists will put another hate symbol such as a swastika in the center of the inner circle.
Another slogan, “14 Words,” refers to the popular white supremacist slogan, “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” The term reflects the white supremacist worldview in the late 20th and early 21st centuries “that unless immediate action is taken, the white race is doomed to extinction by an alleged ‘rising tide of color’ purportedly controlled and manipulated by Jews.”
Here is the List of 26 Republicans who refused to sign the House resolution denouncing white supremacy:
James Comer, Kentucky; Jim Jordan, Ohio; Mike Turner, Ohio; Paul Gosar, Arizona: Virginia Foxx, North Carolina; Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin; Gary Palmer, Alabama; Clay Higgins, Louisiana; Pete Sessions, Texas; Andy Biggs, Arizona; Nancy Mace, South Carolina; Jake LaTurner, Kansas; Pat Fallon, Texas; Byron Donalds, Florida; Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota; Scott Perry, Pennsylvania; William Timmons, South Carolina; Tim Burchett, Tennessee; Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia; Lisa McClain, Michigan; Lauren Boebert, Colorado; Russell Fry, South Carolina; Anna Paulina Luna, Florida; Chuck Edwards, North Carolina; Nick Langworthy, New York; and Eric Burlison, Missouri.