The growth in hate groups was not entirely unpredictable. Many of us have warned about this for more than a decade. Now, tactics to navigate the major online platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) for hate groups are more efficient than ever, and smaller platforms like Telegram and Truth Social — where racist and bigoted views are accepted — provide forums to build community among extremist thinkers.
That growth has only made these groups more dangerous as they coordinate and operate alongside newer otherwise unknown groups.
A recent article by Aram Roston in Reuters covers the growth and staying power of the hate group the Proud Boys while reminding us how dangerous they can be. It’s a well-written and researched piece that will get the reader up to speed on the group and what society can expect from them. Roston’s article touches on an important point discussing former Proud Boys members moving on to more violent groups like Blood Tribe, a neo-Nazi group, and Active Club, a hardcore white supremacist movement.
But it goes even deeper than that.
The cross-pollination of hate groups reaches beyond members leaving one to join another. Many of these groups have embraced acting together much like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and neo-Nazis do. While the concept of a decentralized network mimics the KKK’s structure, working in conjunction with other groups isn’t new. However, there are arguably more hate groups on the streets than at any other time in U.S. history
This broader representation makes them farther-reaching and far more dangerous. With their ideas having been promoted and normalized across myriad media outlets and social media platforms, everything from houses of worship to mainstream right-wing media participated in normalizing hate.
This is important to note.
While some hardcore conservatives like Trumpers pretend to be allies of non-white, non-cis-male communities and others express themselves using violence, one thing has been made clear, they will all inevitably advocate and vote for white Christian nationalist policies.
This is where convergence becomes sensible for hate groups and has helped boost their recruitment numbers over the last several years. Highlighting these allegiances was former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke joining a protest on Sunday over the cancellation of the America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC). It was canceled after it became known that the event was to be attended by dozens of antisemitic and racist influencers.
Avowed neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes is the founder of AFPAC and operates the America First Foundation employing former president and like-minded cohort Donald Trump’s favorite phrase.
Another example of these partnerships has manifested in the many hate groups that have joined forces with others to target Drag Queen Story Hour events across the country. Bolstered by the dangerously inflammatory, misinformed, and intentionally hyperbolic rhetoric of social media accounts such as Libs of TikTok, those protests have resulted in physical violence and numerous threats of violence due to the inherent nature of hate group aggression.
In addition, collaborations of contempt and disdain in the political realm are now mimicking coalitions built by hate groups. Many groups, nonprofits, and so-called think tanks have been popping up funded and supported by some of the wealthiest people in the U.S. - including numerous far-right and conservative politicians. The Heritage Foundation (Heritage) and Project 2025 are the tip of the iceberg regarding incoming political bigotry.
This brings us to the Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI), a group that is arguably more problematic than Heritage and doesn’t get as much attention. Several “America First” lawmakers have offices in CPI’s MAGA-friendly headquarters. Some, like Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), run their podcasts from the CPI-owned media studio in the organization’s Washington D.C. building.
Many Republican lawmakers consider their offices at CPI a “home away from home” as stated by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) on the House Floor in early May. This is an alarming trend as they not only influence legislation, but like Heritage, they write it and Republican representatives push it among their colleagues and in the media with dictated talking points.
Most of the rhetoric used by hate groups can be directly linked to what some politicians say. This is where so-called culture wars are born. Attacks on the LGBTQ community using children as props, the Black community through anti-woke agendas, and the Latino community through immigration can all be linked to various hate groups and nearly all conservative politicians.
Republicans by and large have done more to promote the ideas fostered by hate groups over the last several decades and normalize them than the KKK ever could. And with more dark money going to hate groups through donor-advised funds than ever - many through major organizations - the prospect of slowing the growth of hate groups is slim.
I am an independent journalist, writer, publisher of Capitol Press and The Antagonist Magazine, and a regular contributor at Unicorn Riot. You can find me on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, and Threads. To support my work become a paid subscriber or donate on Venmo, PayPal, or CashApp
Kathleen Belew in Bringing The War Home says violent right decentralized networks have existed for decades but the FBI refuses to see it within a common world view that they apply to Islam and other phobias.