White supremacy connected to rise in hate crimes, ADL reports

U.S.-based white supremacists have dramatically increased their coordination and information sharing which has led to a spike in right-wing extremist violence in the United States and Europe over the past decade, according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League and five European organizations.

The report, Hate Beyond Borders: The Internationalization of White Supremacy, profiles nearly a dozen American and Canadian white supremacist leaders and 18 European influencers. The report found connections between extremists in North American and those in France, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

The extremists are meeting online and hosting events and conferences to build a network of global followers, including recruiting new followers, and coordinating activities and messaging by sharing tactics and ideas.

According to the report, there are several reasons for the rise in white supremacists including social media, white power music, the rise of far-right political parties in Europe, and Identitarianism, a right-wing anti-globalist European movement that opposes nonwhite and Muslim immigration into Europe.

The report recommends the following steps be taken: Hate crime laws should be enacted and enforced. Technology companies must regularly conduct audits and enforce clear terms of service. Leaders must speak out strongly against hate. The U.S. State Department should assess whether white supremacist groups can be designated as terrorist organizations.