Note: This article, like some links, contains racist statements.
Anti-Semitism is on the rise in the United States in 2022, and Arizona continues to experience more anti-Semitic vandalism and racist incidents than ever before, according to researchers.
Anti-Defamation League Releases Annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, Including Reports of Harassment, Vandalism and Violence Against Jews, Finds There were 10 Anti-Semitic Incidents Every Day Nationwide in 2022 Did.
Arizona reported a total of 53 incidents. That’s down from 56 the previous year, but still higher than the 23 reported in 2020, the 20 reported in 2019, and the 32 reported in 2018. A group of supremacists and neo-Nazis sharing rhetoric on college campuses across the state.
The data sheds light on the major extremist groups spreading anti-Semitic messages in the state and where they operate.
According to the audit, one of the most prominent groups is the Folk Resistance Movement, a neo-Nazi organization. forks front. of small neo-nazi group He is a Hitler supporter, homophobic, trafficking in Holocaust denial and racism.
The group distributed anti-Semitic propaganda in multiple cities, including Mesa, Tucson, and Gilbert, and participated in the dropping of anti-vaccine banners on the Tucson overpass.
Anti-vaccine sentiment has become popular among white supremacists and neo-Nazis, using vaccine skepticism to strengthen their position and spread a conspiracy theory About Jews. His one of those groups, the Goyim Defense League, also has a large presence in the state.
The group is involved in spreading propaganda at Northern Arizona University and has also been known to litter a community filled with hate and lies. Tucson flyer.
white supremacist fascist group patriot frontwas also present in the data, and was found to have distributed propaganda, sprayed stencils, and hung banners in the cities of Tucson, Yuma, Eloy, and Chandler.
The Patriot Front separated from the neo-Nazi organization vanguard america after assault unite right rally Founded in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, it has continued to attempt to recruit young men for the position in 2019. estimated at about 300.
Some incidents were far more sinister than the propaganda and leaflets.
One Tucson Jewish Community Center received multiple calls claiming there was a bomb in the building, and the Scottsdale Jewish Community Center said through an online contact, “Today Tucson k**** There was a bomb threat saying I would die.
White supremacists have also been implicated in major acts of violence.
Jason Forrester, a member of the white supremacist group Aryan Brotherhood, Shot the Pinal County Rep. The person who answered the trespassing call. He is one of the oldest of the Aryan Brotherhood. leading white supremacist Considered a prison and crime syndicate, worst prison gang in the United States.
Arizona was also the site of the nation’s only anti-Semitic murder last year.
Professor Thomas Meixner Murdered at the University of Arizona by a student who made anti-Semitic threats Because the shooters believed Meixner was Jewish. Although Meixner was not Jewish, his murder was the only one directly linked to anti-Semitism in the country in 2022, according to ADL Arizona Regional Director Jolie Brislin.
ADL data shows that several other synagogues received anti-Semitic and threatening emails. From 2021, state synagogues will destroyed along with the mosque.
Anti-Semitic comments from mainstream figures also seem to have had a slight impact as well.The rapper, formerly known as Kanye West and now known as Ye, started endorsing anti-Semitic comments last year and started collaborating with a well-known white supremacist. Nick Fuentes.
the infamous “Defcon 3Ye’s tweet included a Jewish star with a circle and a backslash.
“We have to remember that this report is just the tip of the iceberg as many other anti-Semitic incidents have not been reported or reported directly to the ADL,” Brislin said at a press conference. rice field.
In a phone interview with the Arizona Miller, Brislin pleaded with people to reach out if they experienced or saw incidents of anti-Semitism in their communities.
“We cannot allow the normalization of hate to go unchecked,” she said. “We need to respond on a positive note. We need to make sure people report incidents when they happen and feel available to respond when they happen.”
Brislin said it’s important for groups like ADL to build more robust data sets to help them understand the problem, and enable law enforcement partners to address it. said.
If you wish to report an anti-Semitic incident, you can do so here.
