The Growing Political Support for Hate Groups is Dangerous

The number of hate groups and the growing number of powerful political groups who share their views highlight a real threat to marginalized people

Photo by Caleb Perez on Unsplash

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.