Report finds 25 hate groups in Michigan as extremism becomes mainstream

Twenty-five hate groups were active in Michigan last year, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s annual report on extremist activity.

The civil rights advocacy group recorded an 11% decline in active hate groups last year, though researchers said social media is allowing people to become radicalized without formally joining a specific organization. During a Monday press conference, SPLC researchers said a loose collection of domestic extremists are gathering new supporters mobilized by false narratives about the presidential election and white nationalist ideology that became more mainstream in recent years.

“I think what all this points to is that the far-right is not simply a collection of groups, but it’s really a widespread social movement,” said Cassie Miller, a senior research analyst at SPLC. “People who are associated with it have really converged around the idea that mainstream political channels and democracy itself will no longer allow them to achieve their political goals. Many believe that violence is the only thing that can help them remedy what they see as the perceived threats to the country.”

SPLC found 838 active hate groups across the country in 2020 and 566 right-wing anti-government groups, including 169 active militias. The list of hate groups, which largely includes neo-Nazi and white nationalist organizations, decreased from 940 recorded in 2019 and the record-high of 1,020 in 2018.

There were 27 active hate groups found in Michigan for the 2019 report, two more than in 2020.

The SPLC defines a hate group as an organization with beliefs or practices that malign an entire class of people. The SPLC differentiates between hate groups and anti-government groups like armed mlitias, the latter of which are more focused on dismantling federal institutions.

Researchers described a complicated web of conspiracies and ideologies that connect hate groups to people involved with QAnon and protests against COVID-19 lockdowns or election fraud. Extremists are converging around the idea that democracy has failed to serve their interests, Miller said.

“This has been a year where we’ve really seen a blurring of boundaries between the fringe of the mainstream, and even between segments of the extremist movement that didn’t use to associate with one another, including hate groups and the militia movement,” Miller said.

Researchers pointed to the “boogaloo bois” as one example of the shift from organized groups. Armed Hawaiian shirt-wearing members of the movement are united in their opposition to firearms restrictions and belief that the country is headed toward a violent civil war, but the group has no formalized leadership structure.

Threats could increase in 2021, said SPLC CEO Margaret Huang, as a contingent of the far-right does not recognize President Joe Biden’s victory. The Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin last week warning far-right extremists pose an ongoing threat.

Misinformation campaigns that promoted unproven voter fraud allegations resulted in the bloody riots in Washington, D.C on Jan. 6. A pro-Trump mob, allegedly instigated by members of far-right groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, stormed the U.S. Capitol to prevent the certification of the 2020 election.

Wixom resident Michael Foy, 30, was arrested for allegedly assaulting police officers with a hockey stick and climbing inside the closed Capitol building. Federal prosecutors said Foy’s behavior appeared to escalate after appearing at “stop the steal” rallies in Michigan, causing the former U.S. Marine to become one of the most violent participants in the riot despite not being involved in any specific organization.

Corke said the Jan. 6 riots show the extent to which conspiracy theories and disinformation can inspire people to commit dangerous actions. Images and videos from the riots could serve as a recruitment tool for extremist movements across the country, she said.

“A frightening finding this year is that this no longer requires formal hierarchical organizations to plan and direct the activity,” she said. “It’s also shown a blind spot on white supremacy in the law enforcement and among policymakers. The upper echelons of those tasked with intelligence collections and operations with the federal government failed on Jan. 6.”

The Biden administration is creating an assessment on domestic extremism. The National Security Council has set up capacity to focus on domestic violent extremism, according to the White House.

Federal officials have been warning of the dangers posed by white supremacist groups for years. In 2017, the FBI reported that white supremacists posed a “persistent threat of lethal violence” that has produced more fatalities than any other category of domestic terrorists since 2000.

The Department of Homeland Security reported 2019 was the most lethal year for domestic extremism in the United States since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. The agency has not released data for incidents occurring in 2020.

Here are active hate groups in Michigan identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center

American Freedom Law Center, an anti-muslim group based in Ann Arbor
Blood and Honour Social Club, a racist skinhead group
Christ the King Reformed Church, a white nationalist group in Charlotte
Church Militant/St. Michael’s Media, an anti-LGBTQ group in Ferndale
Folks Front, a neo-Nazi group
Gallows Tree Wotansvolk Alliance, a neo-Nazi group based in Grand Rapids
Great Millstone, a Detroit-based hate group
House of Israel, a Detroit-based hate group
Israel United in Crist, a hate group based in Detroit and Grand Rapids
Mass Resistance, a Detroit-based anti-LGBTQ group
Nation of Islam, a Grand Rapids-based hate group
National Reformation Party, a white nationalist group
National Socialist Movement, a Detroit-based neo-Nazi group
NS Publications, a Wyandotte-based neo-Nazi group
Patriot Front, a white nationalist group
Proud Boys, a Lansing-based hate group
Sharia Crime Stoppers, a Mount Clemens-based anti-Muslim group
Social Contract Press, a Petoskey-based white nationalist group
The Base, a white nationalist group
Thomas More Law Center, an Ann Arbor-based anti-muslim group
United Nuwaupians Worldwide, a Detroit-based hate group
White Rabbit Radio, a Dearborn Heights-based white nationalist group

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