Far-right extremist groups show surging growth, new annual study shows

Far-right extremist groups are actively working to undermine U.S. democracy and are organizing in record numbers, according to an annual report from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Meanwhile, extremist groups have been targeting faith-based groups that assist migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border, and a New Jersey state trooper is fired for having a racist tattoo.

It’s the week in extremism.

Far-right regrouping, poses a threat to democracy: Report

Far-right extremists suffered a blow in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection. More than 1,000 people were charged and key leaders were imprisoned, some for decades. But a new annual report from the Southern Poverty Law Center suggests the far-right has regrouped and is taking aim at democratic institutions across the country.

• The SPLC’s Year in Hate and Extremism report, released on Tuesday, documents 1,430 hate and anti-government extremist groups in the U.S. in 2023. That’s an increase from 733 in 2021. Groups were listed in every state in the nation.

• The SPLC lists extremist groups in 19 different categories, from antisemitic to white nationalist. You can find hate and extremist groups in your home state using this map.

• The SPLC warns extremists have used the three years since the Capitol insurrection to “legitimize insurrection, paint hate as virtuous and transform conspiracy theories into truth — all in preparation for one of the most significant elections in U.S. history.”

• Primarily by grouping around religious extremism — most notably Christian Nationalism, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, misogyny and white supremacy, extremist groups have managed to mainstream once-taboo theories like the “Great Replacement” and the concept of a “Holy war” being fought in U.S. politics, the report details.

The report also notes some successes: The Department of Defense clarified its position on extremist activity (among other notable failures); the Chicago Police Department’s oversight board passed a new resolution barring officers from extremist activity and the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training made it easier to fire officers who engage in extremism.

But there’s much more to be done, said Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center and SPLC Action Fund: “With a historic election just months away, this year, more than any other, we must act to preserve our democracy,” Huang said. “That will require us to directly address the danger of hate and extremism from our schools to our statehouses.”

Extremists target faith-based groups at the border

A story this week from the New York Times outlines how faith-based groups offering services to migrants on the border have become targets of far-right extremists seeking to disrupt and undermine their work.

• Organizations including Catholic Charities in San Diego, a nonprofit that helps newcomers to the U.S., have been targeted by people who believe conspiracy theories spread by far-right provocateurs including James O’Keefe, the Times reports. The harassment has included verbal attacks, threatening phone calls and threats of violence, leading Catholic Charities to post armed guards at its San Diego location, as it said people came searching for “smuggled” children.

• The campaign has ramped since statements by far-right influencers including U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, who claimed in an April Congressional hearing that Homeland Security Chief Alejandro Mayorkas was “not only financing the invasion of the country," but also telling immigrants to vote.

• “When you have this kind of hateful rhetoric spreading, and those who are supposed to be trusted echoing it or egging it on, some people hear a call to action,” Cynthia Miller-Idriss, a professor at American University who studies extremism told the Times.

New Jersey state trooper fired for racist tattoo

Jason Dare, a state trooper in New Jersey who went missing from a medical facility last year, and was found after a manhunt, has now been fired for his racist tattoo.

• Dare’s neck tattoo reads “Blood honor.” “Blood and Honor” is described by the SPLC as “a shadowy international coalition of racist skinhead gangs.”

• The blood and honor motto is well-known in white supremacist circles.

• Dare was fired after a state Attorney General investigation into his body art. The review "substantiated charges of inappropriate social media posts and conflicts of interest related to visible tattoos associated with groups espousing racist ideology," the New Jersey State Police said.

Statistic of the week: $67 million

That’s how much the CFO of the Epoch Times is accused of laundering through the organization. The web site and printed paper are known for publishing a variety of conspiracy theories.

Federal authorities unsealed an indictment Monday charging Weidong "Bill" Guan with one count of conspiring to commit money laundering and two counts of bank fraud. Guan was arrested on Sunday.

Will Carless is a national correspondent covering extremism and emerging issues. Follow him on X, @willcarless.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Racist, anti-LGBTQ+, Christian Nationalist groups surging, SPLC finds