For the second consecutive year, white supremacist propaganda incidents are at an all-time high in the U.S., reaching more than 7,500 cases in 2023 – a 12% increase from 2022's record of 6,746.

Antisemitic propaganda specifically has grown significantly, rising 30% over the past year and peaking at 1,112 incidents.

What You Need To Know

  • The Anti-Defamation League reports incidents of white supremacist propaganda reached a record high in the U.S. in 2023

  • There were more than 7,500 white supremacist propaganda incidents in 2023, ADL says, an increase of 12% from 2022

  • For the fifth consecutive year, ADL reports, Texas-based Patriot Front was responsible for the vast majority of propaganda distributions, 60% in all

  • The group distributed propaganda in every state except Alaska, Delaware and Hawaii

The Anti-Defamation League has tracked white supremacist propaganda incidents each year since 2017, which is recorded in its annual assessment. The ADL was founded in 1913 with the intent to prevent the defamation of Jewish people. Their efforts came as antisemitism had escalated in conjunction with World War I and the Holocaust in the early to mid-1900s.

The League said the recent growth of antisemitism coincides with the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Hates crimes against Muslim and Arab people have also risen in the United States. The Council on American-Islamic Relations reports it received more than 770 reports of anti-Muslim bias incidents between Oct. 7 and 24. 

Anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda also surged after 2022, increasing 141% from 68 cases to 164 in 2023. This coincides with the record number of more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that were proposed last year according to data from the American Civil Liberties Union.

Patriot Front, National Justice Party and Goyim Defense League were reported as the three dominating white supremacist groups, collectively responsible for 92% of propaganda activity last year.

For the fifth consecutive year, ADL reports, Texas-based Patriot Front was responsible for the vast majority of propaganda distributions, 60% in all. The group distributed propaganda in every state except Alaska, Delaware and Hawaii. It was most active in Virginia, Massachusetts, Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. 

Texas has taken some steps to combat antisemitism and threats to its Jewish community. In October of 2023, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced funding to secure synagogues and Jewish schools. Earlier in March, Abbott signed an executive order ordering colleges and universities in the state to punish antisemitic language on their campuses. 

White supremacist actions are not limited to propaganda. The League documented 282 white supremacist events in 2023, increasing by more than 100 cases since 2022. The majority of these events promoted anti-LGBTQ+ hate, according to the League.

The ADL said these numbers may change as additional information is released, which could increase the number of propaganda incidents.