Texas is seeing a growth of hate and extremism, according to a Thursday report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Examples of hate and extremism included in the report, which was titled "Hate in the Lone Star State," included antisemitism, white supremacist propaganda, anti-immigration rhetoric, and anti-LGBTQ+ statements. The report was written by the ADL Center on Extremism and looked at extremism in these aspects in the state of Texas from January 2021 to May 2023.
The report explained that one of the causes of the rise of extremism is the presence of the Patriot Front, a white supremacist group which is based in Texas. The state also saw the fifth-highest number of antisemitic incidences of all US states last year, the report said.
One extremist incident that the report cited was the hostage crisis at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville.
Stacy Cushing, Regional Director of ADL Texoma in Dallas, stated that "extremism is an increasingly complex and far-reaching problem in Texas. If we hope to find a solution to this growing threat in our state, Texans and policymakers must work together to create an equally robust plan to thwart the efforts of extremists.”
Vice President of the ADL Center on Extremism, Oren Segal, called on elected Texan officials to confront the extremism and "to curtail the negative impact that extremism has on the people they represent."
Five different policies that can help
The ADL recommended in its report five different policies that they say would be efficient in fighting extremism, including:
- Urging Governor Greg Abbott to hold a summit for Texans to bring a wide variety of leaders of communities that are likely to be targeted by such extremism.
- Addressing domestic violence influenced by extremism
- Holding social media platforms accountable that have contributed to the increase in extremist hate
- A more efficient response to hate crimes by Abbott and other Texas state legislators, where the ADL recommends that a commission on hate be created and that the law enforcement and FBI have more training in recognizing hate crimes
- Protecting civil rights