Report: White supremacist propaganda breaks record again

Connecticut has seen a record number of white supremacist propaganda incidents for the second time in two years and is outpacing the national rate, according to a report published by the AntiDefamation League on Tuesday. Antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ incidents, which the group includes in the broader category, contributed significantly to the increase.

Individual cases are included in the ADL’s data when white supremacist propaganda is distributed, such as through flyers, and when events are organized by white supremacist groups.

Towns across Connecticut saw similar incidents throughout 2023, including Vernon, Glastonbury, Enfield, Danbury, Trumbull, Stamford, and Manchester.

The state had a total of 388 incidents in 2023 according to the ADL, a 38 percent increase from the previous year, due largely to staggering increases in antisemitic and antiLGBTQ+ incidents.

Antisemitic propaganda was distributed in the state 139 times, a 104 percent increase from 2002, compared to a 30 percent increase nationwide, the group announced. The 13 incidents related to antiLGBTQ+ attacks represents a 160 percent increase, compared to a 141 percent increase nationwide, according to the ADL.

White supremacist propaganda was spread 235 times in Connecticut last year, a 13.5 percent increase from 2022. The nationwide increase was 12 percent.

An increase of all incidents throughout the country was due largely to the Patriot Front, which the ADL categorizes as a white supremacy group that has reincorporated antisemitic phrases into its propaganda.

Antisemitism “was also buoyed by anti-Zionist and anti-Israel sentiment following the October 7 attack on Israel,” the ADL report states.

The total number of recorded incidents in the state has spiked 660 percent since the ADL started tracking the data in 2017.

“At a time when antisemitic sentiment and incidents are at historic levels, white supremacists are increasingly resorting to hate propaganda to spread pernicious ideas against Jews and other marginalized groups,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said. “Hardly a day goes by without communities being targeted by this odious rhetoric that terrorizes and harasses people at increasingly disturbing rates. This growing threat reminds us we must stay committed to the fight against all forms of hate.”

Rabbi Joseph Gopin, president of Chabad House of Greater Hartford in West Hartford, said that those in his community have been fortunate to not be the target of hate, but did note that a swastika was painted on a building near his synagogue several years ago.

He added, however, that the Oct. 7 attack “changed the whole situation” as Israel’s response to the attack has divided some and led to more antisemitism.