Indianapolis, Indiana — According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks the actions of hate groups, organized Neo-Nazi groups have been declining across Indiana; however, the violence stemming from their beliefs has been more readily embraced.
“They envision a civil war,” said Susan Corke, director of the Intelligence Project for the Southern Poverty Law Center. “The scary trend is, even though the numbers might be going down in the number of groups, it’s become the embrace of violence and terrorism that has increased.”
The number of hate groups has gone down over the years, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hate Map. In 2016, there were 26 hate groups. In 2020, the map shows 19.
“You’re seeing that these younger Neo Nazis, they’re not using the previous traditional organizing tactics. They’re using these decentralized, small-group tactics against particular targets.”
Jonathan Frost, a Purdue alumnus, and self-proclaimed Neo-Nazi pleaded guilty to domestic terrorism earlier this week. According to the university, Frost graduated from Purdue in 2020 with a bachelor of science and information technology degree.
According to court documents, Frost admitted to plotting an attack on power grids with two other men he met online in 2019. Their goal was to start a race war.
“This new generation, they are openly embracing violence online. They’re advocating for, they’re making heroes out of people like the students at Purdue,” Corke said.
The courts and public accountability have created setbacks for Neo-Nazi groups, she said.
“You had somebody in the White House, a political leader, giving a green light to extremists,” Corke said. “Our democracy is really at a dangerous tipping point. So, to the political leaders in the state of Indiana, you know, there’s public accountability for the words that they’re using.”
According to Southern Poverty Law Center leaders, they want to prepare parents to have conversations with their kids about hate groups. Their research shows after parents spent just seven minutes reading the guidebook, they were 80% more prepared to intervene effectively, Corke said.
