White Nationalist Propaganda Found In MetroWest In March: ADL

FRAMINGHAM, MA — A relatively new white nationalist group distributed propaganda in several MetroWest communities in March, according to the New England Anti-Defamation League.

The group Patriot Front put up recruitment posters between March 4 and March 31 in Natick, Sudbury and Framingham, according to the ADL. On March 10 at Framingham State University, the group handed out leaflets with phrases like "One nation against invasion" and "America is not for sale."

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Patriot Front formed after the violent "Unite the Right" rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 as an offshoot of the neo-Nazi group Vanguard America.

Patriot Front has been documented putting up posters or handing out flyers across the United States since 2017, from Seattle to New York City. The group promotes an idea of America as a country for white people only, according to SPLC.

The leaflet postings were reported to the ADL and included in the group's "H.E.A.T. Map." The ADL on Tuesday released its 2019 report on antisemitic incidents in Massachusetts. The report documented 114 incidents across the state last year. There were reports of antisemitic incidents in 61 communities, including fires set last year at a Needham Chabad and at an Arlington rabbi's home.

The number of incidents in 2019 dropped by 21 percent compared to 2018, according to the ADL — but overall incidents in recent years are up sharply from the 50 recorded in 2015.

"The alarming manifestations of antisemitism in 2019 instill fear and are stark reminders that much work remains to be done," ADL New England Director Robert Trestan said in a news release. "ADL is committed to focusing on confronting antisemitism through educational programs and resources, community outreach and law enforcement engagement."