21 Hate Groups Are Active In Maryland

BALTIMORE, MD — Maryland is home to 21 radical groups that spew hate – an increase of three from two years ago. Among them are Neo-Nazis, black and white nationalists and groups whose members are anti-Muslim or which exist to deny the Holocaust.

The list has been drawn up by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which located the groups on an interactive map.

Across the country, 1,020 hate groups were active last year, a record high and a 30 percent increase over the past four years. The group estimates 40 people were killed in North America in radical-right terrorist attacks last year and there were more than 1,200 incidents of hate groups passing out flyers.

The groups located in Maryland are:

• American Free Press in Upper Marlboro, general hate
• Barnes Review/Foundation for Economic Liberty, Inc., headquarters in Upper Marlboro, Holocaust denial
• Confederate White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, statewide
• Identity Evropa, white nationalists, statewide
• Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge, black nationalist, Baltimore
• Jamaat Al-Muslimeen, general hate, Baltimore
• Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, statewide
• Patriot Front, white nationalists, statewide
• Refugee Resettlement Watch, anti-Muslim, Fairplay
• The Right Stuff, white nationalist, Baltimore
• Watchmen of Israel, black nationalist, Baltimore
• Atomwaffen Division, neo-Nazi, statewide
• Be Active Front USA, racist skinhead, statewide
• Great Millstone, black nationalist, Baltimore
• Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ, black nationalist, Baltimore
• Israelite The Branches, black nationalist, Baltimore
• Label 56, hate music, Baltimore
• Noble Klans of America, Ku Klux Klan, statewide
• Proud Boys, general hate, Baltimore
• Revolutionary Black Panther Party, black nationalist, Baltimore
• United Kingdom of Israel Congregation, black nationalist, Baltimore

Though the Southern Poverty Law Center only named 21 groups, it counts seven more that operate statewide.

Heidi Beirich, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project, which publishes the Hatewatch blog, said it's become "critically important" that people understand what she called "the landscape of hate."

"We hope the new, interactive map helps people recognize and better understand the extremist activity occurring in their communities and how it's part of a larger movement," said Beirich.
The map allows users to filter by ideologies tracked by the organization. Some of the categories include anti-immigrant, anti-LGBT, anti-muslim, holocaust denial, Ku Klux Klan, male supremacy, Neo-Nazi, racist skinhead and white nationalist.

It shows that states with the most hate groups per capita tend to be concentrated in the Southeast, northern Rocky Mountain regions and western Great Plains. This includes Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas, as well as Idaho and Montana.

Meanwhile, several states in the Midwest saw the least number of hate groups per capita. Among these states were Kansas, Iowa and Wyoming.

In a video accompanying the report, the group says there were roughly 375 hate groups nationwide in 1999. That number has ballooned over the years to more than 1,000 this year. Beirich called the rise "disturbing" and said it's no coincidence the rise coincides with Trump's election.

"The trend is unmistakable," she said in the video. "Trump has energized the radical right by fanning the flames of racial resentment over immigration and the country's changing demographics."

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Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report