White supremacist propaganda on college campuses is a cause for concern, ADL reports
In a nine month span, white supremacist fliers showed up 11 times on college campus across Florida including the University of South Florida and the University of Florida, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
While the number is a slight drop from the same period last year (there were 14 during the same period last year), the number of incidents of white supremacist propaganda being distributed on campuses nationwide is up, a new report from the ADL shows. This is the third straight year that there as been an increase nationwide.
“Even though it is down over last year, the fact that there is still 11 incidents is a cause of concern,” said Lonny Wilk, the senior associate regional director for the ADL. “The fact that college campuses are viewed as fertile ground for recruiting is a problem.”
According to the report, there were 313 cases of white supremacist propaganda on college campuses between Sept. 1, 2018, and May 31, 2019, nationwide — a 7% increase from the 2017-2018 academic year when there were 292 incidents. During the 2017-18 academic year the amount of material being seen on campus skyrocketed with a 77% increase from the previous academic year.
The 2019 spring semester was the worst on record with 161 incidents on 122 different campuses across 33 states and the District of Columbia, the ADL reported.
Most of the material — including fliers, stickers and posters — that appear on college campuses come from the alt-right segment of the white supremacist movement, the ADL said. The material includes racist images attacking minority groups and fliers seeking to promote the “American Identity,” according to the ADL.
This year, the report shows, California topped the list with 58 incidents, followed by Kentucky with 22.
“This data clearly demonstrates that white supremacists in the United States are emboldened by the current political and social climate,” ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt said in a news release. “Our campuses and communities should be places for learning and development, not places for racists and bigots to propagate hate speech and search for potential recruits.”
Sheri Zvi, ADL’s Florida regional director, said in a news release that college campus across the state still need to be on alert.
“While Florida’s college campuses saw a slight decrease from the previous academic year, we have seen an increased focus on campuses since 2016,” Zvi said. “We must be vigilant to prevent this type of activity from spreading.”
This story was originally published June 27, 2019 at 8:22 PM.
