A report from the Anti-Defamation League shows the state of Florida is home to what is described as an “extensive” network of white supremacists and other extremists.
The report highlights a group known as NatSoc Florida or NSF for short. The ADL says it’s based in Duval County and is a neo-Nazi organization.
The report included a picture of members of the group holding an anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ+ demonstration. The report says the founder of NSF was identified by the Center on Extremism in June.
Since then, the group has ramped up its activities, including more demonstrations and distributing hateful literature.
The report also found from January 2020 to August of this year, the ADL recorded over 400 instances of white supremacist propaganda being distributed in Florida.
It also found hate crimes have continued to rise in Florida over the last several years.
The most recent data from the FBI show that 56.1% of nationally reported religion-based hate crimes in 2020 targeted the Jewish community.
In Florida, hate crimes against the Jewish community accounted for 80% of the religiously motivated incidents in 2020, and anti-Semitic hate crimes have risen 300% in the last 10 years.
The Anti-Defamation League also includes ways to combat extremists, including:
- Condemn hatred
- Pass and enforce legislation to protect marginalized groups
- Train law enforcement on how to recognize and document hate crimes, antisemitic, other bias-motivated incidents
- Protect free and fair elections
The report also revealed Florida is home to the largest number of Jan. 6 suspects. It showed that of the 855 people charged in connection with the riot, 90 of them are from Florida.
