Hate in the Sunshine State: Extremism & Antisemitism in Florida, 2020-2022

[Nevilledog]

https://www.adl.org/resources/report/hate-sunshine-state-extremism-antisemitism-florida-2020-2022

This report examines the extremist and antisemitic trends and incidents in the state of Florida from 2020 to the present.

The past two years have seen a significant increase in extremist related incidents both nationwide and in the state of Florida. These incidents have been driven, in part, by widespread disinformation and conspiracy theories which have animated extremists and fueled antisemitism. The result: unrest and violence, from the January 6 insurrection to white supremacist activity to a spike in hate crimes.

In Florida, new white supremacist groups have formed, including White Lives Matter, Sunshine State Nationalists, NatSoc Florida and Florida Nationalists, while existing neo-Nazi and accelerationist groups have broadened their audience both online and on the ground activities. Other extremist groups such as Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys have shifted their strategies to focus on the local level, disrupting school board meetings and even running for political office.

Top Level Findings: Florida

* Florida is home to an extensive, interconnected network of white supremacists and other far-right extremists. This network, which often collaborates in planning and executing propaganda distribution campaigns, banner drops and in-person demonstrations, includes the White Lives Matter (WLM) network, the antisemitic Goyim Defense League (GDL), the New Jersey European Heritage Association (NJEHA), NSDAP (named after the Nazi Party of Germany), the neo-Nazi Sunshine State Nationalists (SSN), NatSoc Florida (NSF) and the National Socialist Movement (NSM). Many of the individuals in this network, which includes dozens, attend events organized by multiple groups giving each group an outsized appearance.
* From January 2020 to August 2022, ADL Center on Extremism (COE) recorded over 400 instances of white supremacist propaganda distribution in Florida. The overwhelming majority of these incidents involved the white supremacist groups Patriot Front and the New Jersey European Heritage Association. Ninety-five of these incidents included antisemitic language or symbols, targeted Jewish institutions, or both. Propaganda allows extremists to disseminate hateful messages and gain attention with little risk of public exposure.

*snip*

[rso]

1. Florida

A couple of years ago, I did some security consulting for an extremely wealthy Jewish Temple located right on the island of Palm Beach, less than a mile from Mar Lago. While the congregants were mostly politically moderate, they supported Trump because of tax cuts and other benefits to the 1%, though otherwise they thought Trump was a kook. When I tried to impress upon them that by far the biggest threat to the Temple originated within the far right, they vehemently disagreed and were convinced that BLM and Antifa were the real threat. Otherwise reasonable, intelligent, highly educated people had been lured into believing nonsense from the Trump cult.

[dchill]

2. They believe whatever their butt pockets believe.

[tanyev]

3. I wonder what they think about Trump, DeSantis and right-wing anti-Semitism now.