Texas led the U.S. in white supremacist propaganda last year, according to study
Courtesy Photo / Anti-Defamation League
These flyers were distributed by the group White Lives Matter, a network of white supremacists who engage in “pro-white activism.”
White supremacist propaganda in the United States hit an all-time high last year, and Texas led the nation in distribution of those hateful messages, according to a new Anti-Defamation League report.
Texas accounted for 527 of the total 6,751 incidents the ADL recorded in 2022, a 61% increase over the prior year. The Lone Star State’s year-to-year increase even blew past the 38% national rise in white supremacist propaganda over that period.
“There’s no question that white supremacists and antisemites are trying to terrorize and harass Americans and have significantly stepped up their use of propaganda as a tactic to make their presence known in communities nationwide,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in an online statement.
Extremist groups’ propaganda intimidates marginalized communities while helping racist groups draw new recruits, Greenblatt added.
White supremacists have used fliers, posters, stickers, banners and graffiti to force their messages on U.S. communities, according to ADL. Massachusetts, Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and California also experienced high levels of saturation with the messages.
“In response to this threat, we must recommit ourselves to the fight against hate and say, ‘Enough is enough,'” Greenblatt said. “We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash.”
Last year, at least 50 different white supremacist groups and networks distributed propaganda in the United States, but three — Patriot Front, Goyim Defense League and White Lives Matter — were responsible for 93% of the total activity, according to the report. Indeed, Texas-based alone was responsible for 80% of propaganda distributions.
The report comes as Republican political figures increasingly embrace far-right extremism, including groups with ties to white supremacy. Last year, U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, and Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, took part in a political conference organized by high-profile white supremacist Nick Fuentes.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has repeatedly likened border crossings to an “invasion,” while State Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, recently hired Jake Neidert, a self-described Christian nationalist who’s called for public execution of people who take kids to drag shows, as his legislative director.
Further, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has parroted the racist “great replacement” conspiracy theory, which posits that left-wingers want open borders to make whites the minority. During a 2021 Fox News appearance, Patrick claimed a “silent revolution” was allowing millions of immigrants to come into the country to ensure Democrats could continue to win at the polls.
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