Distribution of antisemitic propaganda was reported 352 times last year, a 27 percent increase from the 277 incidents reported in 2020, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
The report also states that a total of 4,851 incidents of white supremacist propaganda were reported to the institution last year, compared to an all-time high since the ADL began tracking the data of 5,125 incidents in 2020. While the 2021 number of white supremacist propaganda is lower, it is still double the 2,724 incidents that were reported in 2019.
The ADL's Center on Extremism tracks the distribution of "racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ fliers, stickers, posters, banners and graffiti by various members of far-right and white supremacist groups," the report states.
At least 38 white supremacist groups were found to have distributed such hateful content across 49 states and Washington, D.C., with Hawaii as the only state without reported incidents in 2021.
"White supremacists more frequently are resorting to hate propaganda as a tactic to spread their noxious ideas and recruit new membership," said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt in a statement. "It's particularly disturbing that at a time of when violent antisemitic assaults are on the rise, these groups are dialing-up their hateful rhetoric against Jews and canvassing entire communities with hate literature. This is an alarming trend that needs to be checked, now."
Three groups, Patriot Front, New Jersey European Heritage Association and Folkish Resistance Movement, formerly known as Folksfront, were allegedly responsible for 91 percent of the activity, with Texas-based Patriot Front allegedly responsible for 82 percent of the incidents, the report states.
Doubling the 53 events recorded in 2020, 108 white supremacist events were recorded nationwide across 2021, the highest in five years.
"Antisemitic and racist propaganda has shock value but limits the risk of individual extremists' exposure," said Oren Segal, vice president of ADL's Center on Extremism. "It's disturbing that white supremacists and antisemites can mobilize supporters quickly to target neighborhoods in multiple states. This activity is more coordinated than ever before, often incubated and amplified online, and communities need to be prepared."
Pennsylvania saw the most white supremacist incidents reported with 473, followed by Virginia (375), Texas (327), Massachusetts (272) and Washington state (228).
The ADL's Hate, Extremism, Antisemitism and Terrorism (HEAT) map shows individual incidents reported across the U.S. and where the highest concentrations of incident took place.
Common versions of the propaganda revolved around current events, portraying Ashli Babbitt, the Capitol rioter who died on January 6, and Kyle Rittenhouse among others, the report states with examples of the flyers.
The first months of 2022 has seen several high-profile antisemitic events, including one last month where antisemitic messages were distributed across a California neighborhood and another string of incidents from assaults to vandalism leading to the New York Police Department's Hate Crimes Task Force opening an investigation into the incidents.
Update 3/3/22 6:03 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and context.
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