Neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups in the United States are planning to hold a “national day of hate” against Jews on Saturday, as Jewish groups urge vigilance and police step up security measures.
The hate groups have called on members to distribute antisemitic stickers, flyers, and banners on the day “to expose the international clique of parasitic vermin that infest our nation today.
“Make your voices heard loud and clear, that the one true enemy of the American people is the Jew,” a statement attributed to the hate groups said.
The New York Police Department has announced it will increase patrols outside houses of worship ahead of the day over “an abundance of caution” and urges New Yorkers to “remain vigilant”.
Despite the vague threats, the NYPD has assured the public that no specific targets have been identified.
Chicago’s police force has also released a warning about the day and urged Jewish communities to be aware and vigilant through the weekend.
Antisemitism watchdog the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), said they have been monitoring the situation and allege that some extremist groups have both endorsed and shared plans for the day.
Oren Segal, Vice President of ADL’s Center on Extremism, said that as well as distribution of antisemitic fliers, small protests and vandalism were to be expected.
The nationwide extremist "Day of Hate" campaign planned for this Saturday is meant to be intimidating and divide us, but we will remain united in our kindness and positivity. Join us and @Chabad in celebrating #ShabbatOfPeaceNotHate. pic.twitter.com/Hr5o35VYdi
— ADL (@ADL) February 24, 2023
According to Mr Segal, the hate groups were small in size but garnered significant media attention due to their “abhorrent activities”.
The group encouraged members of the public to report suspicious activities to law enforcement and avoid confronting individuals participating in the campaign.
Another Jewish security group, the Secure Community Network (SCN) said it had been tracking planned extremist activities for the day since early January, after an unnamed neo-Nazi group called for “a day of MASS ANTISEMITIC ACTION” on the messaging app Telegram.
The prominent white supremacist antisemitic hate group Goyim Defense League have promoted the day on social media channels.
Saturday’s day of hate is unlikely to have an impact in the United Kingdom, but a spokesperson for the CST told the JC: “We’re aware of it and we’ll be monitoring to see if it gets any pick up amongst far-right networks in the UK. [But] going on previous experience, any impact here is likely to be much less than in the US.”
Experts say white supremacist groups who previously operated largely underground and only online, have in recent months become emboldened, staging rallies and demonstrations in public spaces.
Last year, following Kanye West’s much-documented fall from grace after making a string of public antisemitic outbursts and tirades, many hate groups came to the troubled hip-hop artist’s defence.
In October last year, the Goyim Defense League hung a banner featuring the slogan “Kanye is right about the Jews” over a busy Los Angeles freeway, as they made the Nazi salute.
Last week, two Jewish people were shot as they left a Los Angeles synagogue. The victims survived the attack, and the perpetrators were arrested.
Earlier this month, a petrol bomb was thrown at a New Jersey synagogue, and a man stormed into a Russian-speaking synagogue in San Francisco and shot blanks from his handgun.
The ADL recorded 2,717 antisemitic incidents across the US in 2021, a 34 per cent increase from the previous year, and the highest on record since tracking began in 1979. The NYPD said 263 antisemitic hate crimes had occurred in New York in 2022 alone, a steep increase from the previous year.
