By John Haughey
The Center Square
February 9, 2021
Florida has the nation’s second-highest number of groups that “vilify others because of their race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
SPLC’s annual Intelligence Report, released Monday, identifies 838 active “hate groups” operating nationwide in 2020, down from 940 in 2019. Sixty-eight are in Florida, which the report calculates has the nation’s highest per-capita number of “hate groups.”
“The numbers may be fewer than last year, but the threat is as high or probably higher,” SPLC Intelligence Report Director Susan Corke said. “Technology has changed how hate groups operate. They now have the tools to disseminate info beyond their members, beyond geography, and shift tactics and platforms to avoid detection. This will present new challenges to stemming the tide of violence.”
While the number of “hate groups” nationwide declined, the report states existing organizations are growing, coalescing and establishing new chapters.
“The expansion of chapters into different cities actually shows that some of these groups are becoming much stronger throughout the state,” said Michael Jensen, a senior researcher at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland. “That that’s an unfortunate trend in Florida.”
The SPLC Intelligence Report tracked 68 entities in Florida last year that qualify as “hate groups” under its criteria. California’s 72 led the nation. Texas had 54 and New York, 37.
“A hate group is an organization that — based on its official statements or principles, the statements of its leaders, or its activities — has beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics,” the SPLC states.
SPLC classifies “active hate groups” as entities that attempted to recruit new members, raise funding, organize a demonstration or spread its ideology during the previous year.
SPLC’s annual reports routinely draw challenges, especially after March 2019 lawsuit revealed leaders of the 50-year-old law center were themselves guilty of racist and sexist conduct at their Montgomery, Ala., headquarters.
SPLC critics note Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Maajid Nawaz, the British founder of think tank that challenges Islamist extremists, are among those labeled hate-mongers by SPLC. Nawaz won $3.4 million when he sued SPLC for the designation.
Of the 566 militias nationwide, counted separately from “hate groups,” SPLC maintains 27 are active in Florida.
SPLC breaks down “hate groups” into Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazi, White Nationalist, Racist Skinhead, Christian Identity, Neo-Confederate, Black Separatist, Anti-LGBTQ, Anti-Muslim, Anti-Immigrant and General Hate categories.
SPLC’s Florida Hate Map names at least 10 active “General Hate” groups, including Black Hebrew Israelite Movement groups such as Israel United in Christ and Sicarii Black Hebrew Israelite 1715.
Also posted in “General Hate” are six Nation of Islam chapters, three chapters of Great Millstone, a Black separatist organization, and Hernando-based Sharkhunters International, which advertises “patrols” of Third Reich sites in neo-Nazi publications. Founder Harry Cooper claims Sharkhunters is “nonpolitical,” but members include professed neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers.
In addition to two statewide Ku Klux Klan chapters — American Christian Dixie Knights and International Keystone Knights — at least nine white nationalist groups are operating in Florida, according to SPLC, including Stormfront in West Palm Beach and six chapters of Proud Boys.
Three neo-Nazi organizations — Atomwaffen Division, National Socialist Club (NSC-131), National Socialist Movement — and four skinhead groups, including United Skinhead Nation and Vinlanders Social Club, are active in Florida, SPLC said.
Under “anti-Muslim,” SPLC lists five groups and under “anti-Gay/LBGTQ,” four organizations, including Gainesville-based American College of Pediatricians (ACPed), which split from the American Academy of Pediatrics to advocate on behalf of conservative pediatricians.
And since the SPLC has been consistently been questioned as to its objectivity and none of the groups identified are based on Amelia Island, this article has relevance how? Susan, let’s focus on news that is relevant to FB and AI.
It has relevance to who we are, and what we will become – if we don’t pay attention, David. We all live in N.E. Florida.
The Southern Poverty Law Center is the exact definition of a hate group. Don’t even try to tell us that BLM or Antifa is not a hate group!! Here’s a surprise for you; they hate you because you’re white and have enjoyed your white privilege your entire life. Not because of anything that you’ve done, except that your skin is white. Think about that for a little while, Robert. Nothing about the content of your character matters to them, only that you are white.
BLM is a hate group….routinely riots, burns and murders.
Antifa is a hate group, same MO
Yet these are not listed, as all are afraid to admit the truth and fear their wrath. The cover-cause of rightful equality blinds us from seeing the facts.
Interesting how quickly Americans can be whipped into submission.
Black Lives Matter has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
According to a report by the U.S. Crisis Monitor, a joint effort including Princeton University that collects and analyzes real-time data on demonstrations and political violence in the U.S., demonstrators did not engage in violence or destructive activity in more than 93% of the more than 7,750 demonstrations across thousands of locations in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., between May 26 and late August.
At best, your statement is an incomplete summary of the findings for the report. What the report actually found is that a total of the 10,600 “demonstration events” occurred between May 22 and August 22 “approximately 5% (570) involve demonstrators engaging in violence. Nearly 73% of all demonstrations over this period are associated with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.” Absent from the report was any particular mention of ANTIFA (unless I missed it) and we know they were there as well. The notion that BLM is worthy of a “Peace Prize” when they continue to disrupt, destroy, burn and tear up cities including Washington DC and Portland as recently as last weekend is laughable. Also recall, the mantra for almost 12 months for these groups has been Malcom X’s statement “by any means necessary”. I believe that is exactly what they have shown us for this entire time. So, no prize.
Betsie – i think folks should read the report for themselves – and come to their own conclusions. data.com/2020/09/03/demonstrations-political-violence-in-america-new-data-for-summer-2020/
Sorry, “bob”. You are wrong. Just for the record.
SPLC, that says it all. Factless,, bias, irreverent…. the list goes on and on. Am I supposed to feel sense of vilificaton because all the labels are foisted on the people of Florida. I don’t think so. SPLC has zero credibility. Divide and conquer no longer works here.
Tom – Sorry, but SPLC speaks truth. You just don’t want to hear it.