Neo-Nazi Groups Using Telegram To Organize Antisemitic “National Day of Hate”

(New York, N.Y.) — According to Telegram posts located by Counter Extremism Project (CEP) researchers, several neo-Nazi groups in certain locations in the United States are planning an antisemitic “National Day of Hate” on Saturday, February 25. The participants are identified as the National Socialist Movement, two regional active club chapters in Iowa and California, and a small New York-based group. Other groups around the country may also be participating. The announcement post on Telegram encouraged propaganda activities such as dropping banners, putting up stickers and fliers, and vandalism through graffiti.

The coordinated activities have been advertised on Telegram and use extreme antisemitic language, calling Jews “the one true enemy of the American people.” Other white supremacist groups have also been invited to get involved and are encouraged to send photos and videos of antisemitic rallies and banner drops to a Telegram account allegedly for the leader of the Iowa active club.

Scene from propaganda video released with call to action on Telegram.

“Telegram is a main online organizing point for the extreme right to recruit and organize coordinated hate events throughout the U.S., footage from which can be used in future propaganda videos,” said CEP researcher Joshua Fisher-Birch. “Tech platforms, especially Telegram, are too often neglecting their responsibility to protect public safety and have allowed these groups to have an online presence, plan events, and grow.”

Statistics published by the FBI show that over the 10-year period between 2009 and 2018, Jews have consistently been targeted in bias crimes more often than any other group. Of the 1,650 hate crime incidents motivated by religious bias recorded in 2019, 60.3 percent targeted Jews.

The four named groups who have stated that they plan to participate in Saturday’s events have previously conducted various propaganda events such as banner drops, small rallies, or sticker campaigns. In a similar multi-state action seeking media attention in 2021, several white supremacist groups coordinated racist banner drops on the anniversary of the killing of George Floyd, attempting to garner local media coverage.

To read CEP’s report Antisemitism Resurgent: Manifestations of Antisemitism in the 21st Century- The Far Right, please click here.

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