White supremacist propaganda incidents in Connecticut at ‘historic high,’ ADL says
The Anti-defamation League has reported an “all-time high” for white supremacist propaganda incidents across the nation, including a massive surge in Connecticut with 96 incidents reported in the state in 2022, a 115% jump from the year before.
In a report issued this week, the league announced that their annual assessment of white supremacist propaganda incidents recorded 6,751 incidents across the nation last year, a 38 percent increase from 2021, meaning Connecticut saw a much higher spike than the already alarming rise nationwide.
Connecticut is the 29th most populous state in the U.S., with just over 3.5 million residents, yet ranks as the state with the ninth most incidents of white supremacy propaganda in 2022, the league reported. Last year, propaganda was reported in every state except Hawaii.
Administrators at the Connecticut ADL branch said white supremacist propaganda has never been as common in Connecticut as it is right now.
“Incidents of white supremacist propaganda distribution in Connecticut are at a historic high,” said ADL Connecticut Regional Director Stacey Sobel. “Everyone must come together to reject hate and extremism and work toward creating a better community that does not exclude, marginalize, or target any person. ADL Connecticut remains committed to working with all communities in the region to unite against hatred.”
An estimated 1 in every 10 communities in Connecticut was targeted in 2022, with white supremacy-related flyers appearing all over, the league said.
Westport reported this week that propaganda stickers were found on town and state property.
Police said the small stickers were confirmed as recruitment materials from a group called the Patriot Front, a group extensively documented by the ADL.
Police in Westport spoke with the Connecticut State Police Hate Crimes Unit after finding the stickers, which in some cases were old and tattered, stuck to signs in the Saugatuck area of the town. State police told Westport officers that they had found similar material in other parts of the country.
The Patriot Front was responsible for the most white supremacist activity in Connecticut, accounting for 185 incidents in the state. The National Socialist Club was the second most active in the state, responsible for 16 incidents, according to the ADL.
The Patriot Front is also one of the three most active white supremacy groups in 2022. Patriot Front, Goyim Defense League and White Lives Matter were responsible for 93% of the activity, the ADL reported.
Westport First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker issued a statement in which she commended the police and said the stickers do not reflect the values of the Westport community.
“This does not represent Westport and is unacceptable. Nor does it diminish the qualities of our community that focus on volunteerism, neighborly engagement and civil discourse,” she said. “We are proud of our residents and business and civic leaders who work tirelessly to make Westport a better place.”
Tooker said the town will continue to work with the state ADL branch and law enforcement “to make strides to ensure that Westport is a place where everyone is welcome, and everyone feels that they belong.”
She encouraged residents to stay alert and report any suspicious or concerning activity to help keep everyone safe.
In 2022, stickers and flyers with white supremacist information or symbolism were also found at state parks, homophobic and antisemitic flyers were found in people’s yards and the Goyim Defense League, a group that streams antisemitic content, reportedly live-streamed efforts to place fundraising flyers on car windows in Waterbury.
In 2022, nationally reported incidents involving antisemitic propaganda more than doubled, the ADL said.
According to the ADL’S recent report, in 2022, white supremacist groups increased their use of banners, often draped over highway overpasses, to spread their messages. The ADL recorded at least 252 banner drops last year, up 38% from 2021, the league said.
The league also reported 219 incidents of white supremacist propaganda distribution on school campuses, with at least 11 happening on K-12 campuses. The number of campus incidents decreased by about 6% with 2022’s 219 incidents marking the lowest number since 2017.
The ADL recommends that anyone who sees extremist or antisemitic propaganda should report it to local law enforcement immediately. Incidents can also be reported to the ADL using their incident response reporting tool at adl.org/report-incident.