White Supremacist Propaganda Widespread In Maryland, Elsewhere

MARYLAND — White supremacists in Maryland contributed to a record number of propaganda reports in 2020, according to a new report released Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center for Extremism.

Nationwide, white supremacist propaganda — defined as posters, flyers, and graffiti that are anti-Semitic, racist, and anti-LGBTQ+ — was recorded 5,125 times in 2020, according to the report, almost twice the number of incidents recorded in 2019.

The ADL recorded propaganda incidents in every U.S. state except Hawaii last year.

The highest number of incidents were reported in Texas, Washington, California, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Virginia and Pennsylvania, according to the report.

In Maryland, 163 incidents of white supremacist propaganda were reported in 2020. Reports ranged across the state, from Bel Air to Baltimore, from Frederick to Columbia and Waldorf.

Three groups were responsible for a majority of the propaganda, the report said. In fact, about 92 percent of items were distributed by Texas-based Patriot Front, the New Jersey European Heritage Association, and the Nationalist Social Club, which was founded in Massachusetts.

Most incidents in Maryland were linked to the Patriot Front, which the ADL describes as a white supremacist group formed by disaffected members of another white supremacist group, Vanguard America, in September 2017, in the wake of the Unite the Right white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. A manifesto posted to the group’s website soon after it formed called for a “return to the traditions and virtues of our forefathers.” The manifesto also made clear that non-whites were not “Americans.”

The main reports of Patriot Front activity were the distribution of white supremacist propaganda and graffiti. One that read: "America First," "America is not for sale," and other pieces said "Not stolen conquered," and "Reclaim America."Propaganda left at the University of Maryland, College Park read: "Reject poison," "America is not for sale" and "United we stand."

A small number of white supremacist reports were tied to the Loyal White Knights, Ku Klux Klan group, and the neo-Nazi group National Alliance.

The Loyal White Knights, based in Pelham, North Carolina, is the largest and the most active Klan group in the country with about 100 members. According to the ADL its members harbor neo-Nazi beliefs. In addition to being anti-black, anti-immigration, anti-Muslim, and homophobic; they are also virulently antisemitic.

The National Alliance is headquartered in Mill Point, West Virginia. From the mid-1970s until the 2002 death of the group’s founder, William Pierce, the NA was the largest neo-Nazi group in the country. But the group's presence has since declined, an ADL report said.

SEE ALSO: Hate Groups In MD: Map Shows Hate And Racist Organizations

The remaining propaganda distributions — roughly 7 percent of the national total — were linked to a range of neo-Nazi groups including 14 First, Folks Front, National Alliance, and the now-defunct Moonkrieg division, in addition to white supremacist groups including the Hundred Handers and now-defunct American Identity Movement.

Despite a nationwide increase, the number of incidents reported on college campuses decreased, falling from 630 incidents in 2019 to 303 in 2020. This was likely due to coronavirus closures and restrictions, the report said.

The overall findings from the ADL report underscore a recent uptick in harassment and violence against Asian Americans since the coronavirus crisis was declared a pandemic in March 2020.

New data by Stop AAPI Hate reported 3,292 hate incidents against Asian Americans in 2020. After surveying more than 3,300 Asian Americans, researchers found that 68 percent had experienced verbal harassment between March 19, 2020, and February 2021. Eleven percent reported being physically assaulted.

Instances of Asian American hate originated in every U.S. state, the AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islander) report said. The highest number, however, was reported in California — nearly 45 percent of all reported hate incidents happened in the Golden State.

Behind California was New York with just under 15 percent of incidents and Washington state with 4 percent.

With 1.34 percent of total hate incidents, Maryland also was among states with the most reported cases.