Latest news with #YearinHateandExtremism
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hate group numbers dipped because their beliefs became mainstream, new report warns
[Source] While the number of hate and extremist groups in the U.S. decreased slightly in 2024, a new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) claims the decline reflects the growing mainstreaming of their ideologies — not a reduction in their influence. According to the SPLC's annual 'Year in Hate and Extremism' report, released May 22, the total number of active hate and anti-government groups dropped by 5% to 1,371. However, the organization warns that many extremists now feel less need to organize separately, as their views are increasingly echoed in government policies and political rhetoric. Entering the mainstream 'After years of courting politicians and chasing power, hard-right groups are now fully infiltrating our politics and enacting their dangerous ideology into law,' said Margaret Huang, SPLC president and CEO. Trending on NextShark: The report cites the adoption of anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment into state legislation as examples of extremist positions becoming normalized. As these ideas gain traction within political institutions, some former hate groups have disbanded or become less visible, according to the SPLC. Anti-government and male supremacist groups While the overall number of hate groups declined, the report found a rise in anti-government extremist organizations, which increased to 838 in 2024. These groups, which include militias and self-identified sovereign citizens, often characterize the federal government as oppressive and illegitimate. Trending on NextShark: The SPLC also noted a surge in male supremacist groups, which grew to 16 last year. These groups espouse misogynistic ideologies and strict gender hierarchies. The report links their increased visibility to political developments during the 2024 election cycle, including the candidacy of Kamala Harris. This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Trending on NextShark: Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Subscribe here now! Trending on NextShark: Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
Japan Today
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Hate groups in U.S. decline but their influence grows
By TERRY TANG The number of white nationalist, hate and anti-government groups around the U.S. dropped slightly in 2024, not because of any shrinking influence but rather the opposite. Many feel their beliefs, which includes racist narratives and so-called Christian persecution, have become more normalized in government and mainstream discourse. In its annual Year in Hate and Extremism report, released Thursday, the Southern Poverty Law Center said it counted 1,371 hate and extremist groups, a 5% decline. The nonprofit group attributes this to a lesser sense of urgency to organize because their beliefs have infiltrated politics, education and society in general. Some of the ways they have done this are through pushing for bans on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, book bans and protests of drag story hours, the report says. Last year, there were 533 active hate groups. These include groups who express views that are anti-LBGTQ+, anti-immigrant, antisemitic and anti-Muslim. This number has been steadily declining since reaching a historic high of 1,021 in 2018. 'The trends have slightly sort of gone up and down but let's just say generally, since our tracking, have increased. And that's not just on a total numbers level but also on a per capita,' said Rachel Carroll Rivas, interim director of the SPLC's Intelligence Project. The number of anti-government groups last year totaled 838, an increase from recent years, according to the law center based in Montgomery, Alabama, that tracks racism, xenophobia and far-right militias. These groups see the federal government as 'tyrannical' and include militias and self-described sovereign citizens. Male supremacy also continues to emerge as an influential hate group. The SPLC documented seven new male supremacist hate groups, making the total 16. Their rhetoric espouses misogyny and strict gender roles. Their rising influence came during an election year when the country saw a woman of color be the first presidential nominee for a major political party. 'I'm not sure it's a direct result of the candidacy of Kamala Harris,' Rivas said. However, SPLC researchers went into chatrooms of white supremacist organizations during the election and found 'intense vilification, the claiming of demonization of Harris as well as just the pushing of the idea falsely that women would not be qualified.' Some people on the far right have also pushed a belief that white Christian culture is being threatened by a 'demographic crisis' including fewer births. 'Politicians, pundits and provocateurs on the right have turned toward demonic language to tar those who disagree with them,' the report states. Last year's report found 'record numbers' of white nationalist and anti-LGBTQ groups in 2023. The analysis highlighted how far-right groups tried to waylay democracy through disinformation, false conspiracy theories and threats to election workers. It also examined how supporters of Christian supremacy used similar topics to organize a movement toward authoritarianism. The SPLC is a liberal advocacy organization that, besides monitoring hate groups, files lawsuits over justice issues and offers educational programs to counter prejudice. Frequently criticized by conservatives as biased, the nonprofit has faced lawsuits for its designation of some organizations as hate groups. The report's release comes as a Los Angeles college professor made an appearance in front of media and supporters a few weeks after he was severely injured in a hit and run that he reported as a hate crime. He spoke at the Chinese American Museum in downtown Los Angeles. Aki Maehara, 71, was riding his electric bicycle in Montebello, 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles, on April 29 when he says he heard a driver yell a racial slur. Maehara says a car then struck him and the driver fled. He was hospitalized with a concussion, neck injury, cheek bone fracture and bruises and swelling up and down his body. Maehara, who is Japanese American, teaches a course on the history of racism in the U.S. at East Los Angeles College. He returned to the classroom last week, according to multiple outlets. The Montebello Police Department is investigating. Photos of his injuries posted to a GoFundMe page have been shared multiple times on social media with users calling for hate crime charges. The crowdsourcing campaign has raised almost $80,000 for Maehara as of May 22. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Black America Web
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Black America Web
SPLC Report Says U.S. Hate Groups Slightly Decreased Last Year. Here's Why That Might Not Be A Good Thing
Source: BRYAN DOZIER / Getty On Thursday, May 22, the Southern Poverty Law Center released its annual 'Year in Hate and Extremism' report, and the results reveal what may sound like good news until it's placed in proper context. According to the Associated Press , the SPLC found slightly fewer hate groups in 2024 than in previous years. That's good, right? The report found only a 5% decline in hate groups, but that's still progress, isn't it? Well, apparently not. From AP : The nonprofit group attributes this to a lesser sense of urgency to organize because their beliefs have infiltrated politics, education and society in general. Some of the ways they have done this are through pushing for bans on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, book bans and protests of drag story hours, the report says. Last year, there were 533 active hate groups. These include groups who express views that are anti-LBGTQ+, anti-immigrant, antisemitic and anti-Muslim. This number has been steadily declining since reaching a historic high of 1,021 in 2018. 'The trends have slightly sort of gone up and down but let's just say generally, since our tracking, have increased. And that's not just on a total numbers level but also on a per capita,' said Rachel Carroll Rivas, interim director of the SPLC's Intelligence Project. In other words, white supremacists don't necessarily need to ramp up their organizing efforts in a nation where 'DEI hire' has effectively become the new n-word, white grievance placating has become the top priority of the White House and red-state America, and anti-woke propaganda has become so normalized that roughly half the country doesn't even raise an eyebrow when the government goes to war against civil liberties for virtually every demographic outside of white, cisgendered, heterosexual identifying Christians. Right now, we have a sitting president who is gleefully arresting and deporting non-white immigrants without due process after labeling them gang bangers and terrorist sympathizers without offering unimpeachable evidence to support it. That same president has been (falsely) shouting 'white genocide' from every mountaintop he can find in order to justify giving white Afrikaners from South Africa a free, unvetted pass into the United States. Why would white supremacists need more white supremacist organizations when there's already one running the country? On the other hand, the SPLC's report also indicated a slight increase in 'male supremacy' influence in America, which means the same logic isn't necessarily applicable when it comes to an increasingly sexist and misogynistic government and the seemingly increased normalization of 'women need to know their place' discourse. More from AP : Male supremacy also continues to emerge as an influential hate group. The SPLC documented seven new male supremacist hate groups, making the total 16. Their rhetoric espouses misogyny and strict gender roles. Their rising influence came during an election year when the country saw a woman of color be the first presidential nominee for a major political party. 'I'm not sure it's a direct result of the candidacy of Kamala Harris,' Rivas said. However, SPLC researchers went into chat rooms of white supremacist organizations during the election and found 'intense vilification, the claiming of demonization of Harris as well as just the pushing of the idea falsely that women would not be qualified.' If the SPLC's findings and what the organization attributes them to are accurate, America has to be one of, if not the only, nation where hate groups decrease, and that's still not really a positive thing. Sad. SEE ALSO: Trump's DOJ Thinks Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Hired Too Many Black People, So It Launched An Investigation Trump Wants To Investigate Bruce Springsteen, Kamala Harris, Oprah And Beyoncé After Springsteen Dragged Him SEE ALSO SPLC Report Says U.S. Hate Groups Slightly Decreased Last Year. Here's Why That Might Not Be A Good Thing was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
NBC News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Hate groups in the U.S. decline but their influence grows, report shows
The number of white nationalist, hate and anti-government groups around the U.S. dropped slightly in 2024, not because of any shrinking influence but rather the opposite. Many feel their beliefs, which includes racist narratives and so-called Christian persecution, have become more normalized in government and mainstream discourse. In its annual Year in Hate and Extremism report, released Thursday, the Southern Poverty Law Center said it counted 1,371 hate and extremist groups, a 5% decline. The nonprofit group attributes this to a lesser sense of urgency to organize because their beliefs have infiltrated politics, education and society in general. Some of the ways they have done this are through pushing for bans on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, book bans and protests of drag story hours, the report says. Last year, there were 533 active hate groups. These include groups who express views that are anti-LBGTQ+, anti-immigrant, antisemitic and anti-Muslim. This number has been steadily declining since reaching a historic high of 1,021 in 2018. "The trends have slightly sort of gone up and down but let's just say generally, since our tracking, have increased. And that's not just on a total numbers level but also on a per capita," said Rachel Carroll Rivas, interim director of the SPLC's Intelligence Project. The number of anti-government groups last year totaled 838, an increase from recent years, according to the law center based in Montgomery, Alabama, that tracks racism, xenophobia and far-right militias. These groups see the federal government as "tyrannical" and include militias and self-described sovereign citizens. Male supremacy also continues to emerge as an influential hate group. The SPLC documented seven new male supremacist hate groups, making the total 16. Their rhetoric espouses misogyny and strict gender roles. Their rising influence came during an election year when the country saw a woman of color be the first presidential nominee for a major political party. "I'm not sure it's a direct result of the candidacy of Kamala Harris," Rivas said. However, SPLC researchers went into chat rooms of white supremacist organizations during the election and found "intense vilification, the claiming of demonization of Harris as well as just the pushing of the idea falsely that women would not be qualified." Some people on the far right have also pushed a belief that white Christian culture is being threatened by a "demographic crisis" including fewer births. "Politicians, pundits and provocateurs on the right have turned toward demonic language to tar those who disagree with them," the report states. Last year's report found "record numbers" of white nationalist and anti-LGBTQ groups in 2023. The analysis highlighted how far-right groups tried to waylay democracy through disinformation, false conspiracy theories and threats to election workers. It also examined how supporters of Christian supremacy used similar topics to organize a movement toward authoritarianism. The SPLC is a liberal advocacy organization that, besides monitoring hate groups, files lawsuits over justice issues and offers educational programs to counter prejudice. Frequently criticized by conservatives as biased, the nonprofit has faced lawsuits for its designation of some organizations as hate groups. The report's release comes as a Los Angeles college professor made an appearance in front of media and supporters a few weeks after he was severely injured in a hit and run that he reported as a hate crime. Aki Maehara, 71, arrived at the Chinese American Museum in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday morning in a wheelchair but was able to walk himself to a podium. "All of your support, concern and care has helped to speed up my healing and has helped to raise my spirits," Maehara told the crowd. Photos of his injuries posted to a GoFundMe page have been shared multiple times on social media with users calling for hate crime charges. The crowdsourcing campaign has raised almost $80,000 for Maehara as of Thursday. Maehara said he is considering directing some of the funds "to other victims of Asian hate violence and other victims of racist violence who are currently in need of support." "I am wanting to add my voice to efforts to address fascist, racist violence directed against Asian Pacific Islander Americans, immigrant communities, all targeted communities and individuals during our current crisis," he said. Maehara was riding his electric bicycle in Montebello, 10 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, on April 29 when he says heard a driver yell a racial slur. Maehara says a car then struck him and the driver fled. He was hospitalized with a concussion, neck injury, cheek bone fracture, bruises and swelling up and down his body among other injuries. Maehara, who is Japanese American, teaches a course on the history of racism in the U.S. at East Los Angeles College. He returned to the classroom last week, according to multiple outlets. The Montebello Police Department is investigating and treating the hit and run as a violent hate crime, said Det. Craig Adams. The department is seeking out video from homes in the neighborhood. "We are still canvassing," Adams said. "It's taken front row ahead of some other cases."
Toronto Star
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Hate groups in the US decline but their influence grows, report shows
The number of white nationalist, hate and anti-government groups around the U.S. dropped slightly in 2024, not because of any shrinking influence but rather the opposite. Many feel their beliefs, which includes racist narratives and so-called Christian persecution, have become more normalized in government and mainstream discourse. In its annual Year in Hate and Extremism report, released Thursday, the Southern Poverty Law Center said it counted 1,371 hate and extremist groups, a 5% decline. The nonprofit group attributes this to a lesser sense of urgency to organize because their beliefs have infiltrated politics, education and society in general. Some of the ways they have done this are through pushing for bans on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, book bans and protests of drag story hours, the report says.
