MA Hate Group Fueled Increase In White Supremacist Propaganda

MASSACHUSETTS — White supremacists in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, there were 276 incidents reported last year.

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.

The Nationalist Social Club, also known as NSC-131, was founded by Chris Hood, 22, formerly of Malden, in 2019. NSC-131 now has chapters around the United States and in France, Hungary and Germany. Its members participated in the Capitol Riot on Jan. 6.

Previously on Patch: MA Hate Group Founder No Longer Lives In Malden: Police Chief

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 2.53 percent of total hate incidents, Massachusetts also was among states with the most reported cases.