As the United States heads into a polarized election year, the national landscape has seen more hate groups than at any time in the last half century, according to a new report.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been publishing reports, including the so-called “Year in Hate”, since its founding in 1971. The institution is based in Montgomery, in the state of Alabama.
“With a historic election just months away, these groups are multiplying, mobilizing, making, and, in some cases, already implementing plans to undo democracy,” warned Margaret Huang, CEO of the SPLC, this Tuesday ( 4) during the release of the 2023 report.
Last year’s count of anti-government groups reached 835. Two years ago, the number was 122. There are also 595 active hate groups, according to the group.
The count and the SPLC’s annual report are eagerly awaited among activists, but they have their critics.
Some members of the right and libertarian communication services, such as Reason Magazine, point out that the survey does little to count the number of members each group has. Critics also question the connection between the map and the group’s fundraising.
For its part, the SPLC points to several developments in the description of the US panorama.
“We also found a record number of white nationalist groups. It’s the biggest we’ve ever recorded. There are 166 of these groups, which was an increase of more than 50% compared to the previous year. And these are groups specifically seeking to build a white ethnostate,” said Cassie Miller, senior research analyst at the Center.
The survey also shed light on persistent attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community, often targeting events like Drag Queen Story Hour.
According to the SPLC, there were about 200 such incidents last year.
“We have documented bomb threats, groups barricading public library doors, disrupting events, and online harassment as just some of the strategies that far-right groups have used to restrict freedoms of expression and assembly,” highlighted RG Cravens, senior research analyst at the institution. .
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