Virginia had the third-most incidents of white supremacist propaganda in the nation last year, according to a new report.
The Anti-Defamation League, or ADL, released a report Wednesday that said white supremacy propaganda efforts increased from more than 4,800 cases in the country in 2021 to more than 6,700 in 2022, the highest level the organization has ever recorded.
"It’s quite alarming when you hear these numbers and when we start seeing what is happening across the country," said Meredith Weisel, a regional director for the ADL, which studies extremism.
From hateful and racist graffiti in the South Riding area of Loudoun County to a swastika someone spray painted on the Bethesda Trolley Trail, acts of hate and bias are prevalent in the D.C. area.
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Another way extremist organizations have tried to share their views is by dumping racist and antisemitc fliers in neighborhoods.
"They’re polluting the communities. It’s hateful trash, but this is their twisted worldview," Weisel said.
Leaders in Montgomery County, Maryland, said they're considering forming an anti-hate task force in light of a series of antisemitic acts.
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"As a gay man and as a Jew, I know that a lot of other people are fearful," Montgomery County Council President Evan Glass said. "We have to let everybody in our community know that hate has no home here."
Maryland was 15th in the nation in the ADL's report for propaganda incidents last year, while D.C. was 25th. Texas had the most incidents in the country, followed by Massachusetts.
Weisel said it's important for people to report any racist propaganda they might see.
"Even if you see a small piece of graffiti on a side of a building, let us know, because we can see which of these networks are infiltrating the communities and try and figure out ways to stop them," Weisel said.
