The number of anti-Semitic acts grew in California during 2022, advancing 41 percent compared to 2021, from 367 to 518 attacks against the Jewish community, according to the annual audit of the Anti-Defamation League ?ADL, for its acronym in English? .
The nonprofit organization said that, with 518, California reported the second-highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2022, behind only New York.
Cases of vandalism increased 32 percent, while harassment increased 51 percent. Similarly, behind only New York, California saw the second highest number of anti-Semitic attacks ?13? in the nation, a slight decrease from the 15 registered in 2021 but still with an increase of 225 percent from the 4 aggressions registered in 2020.
In addition to this, the ADL pointed out that in 2021 and 2022, white supremacist and anti-Semitic groups increased their collaboration between groups and their distribution of propaganda in California.
And it is that, during the last two years in California, small groups of white supremacists and anti-Semites frequently collaborated, leading to an increase in distributions of white supremacist propaganda and a stronger participation in lightning demonstrations, banner throwing and coordinated group training sessions. Trend driven by the cross between Goyim Defense League ?GDL? , Active Clubs and the White Lives Matter ?WLM? network.
In 2022, the virulently anti-Semitic GDL intensified its activity across the country, paying special attention to California.
In March and May of 2022, individuals associated with GDL and the Clockwork Crew—also known as Crew 562, a fitness-focused neo-Nazi group based in Southern California—drove through Southern California in moving vans covered with antisemitic propaganda. GDL leader Jon Minadeo moved from California to Florida in 2022, but GDL activity continues throughout California.
California is also home to two of the most prominent white supremacist Active Clubs, due in part to the state's historic ties to the Rise Above ?RAM? and its leader Robert Rundo, who was recently arrested in Romania and is being extradited to the US to face trial on federal riot charges stemming from his alleged role in a series of violent extremist demonstrations in 2017.
In the last two years, California has experienced a high level of violence related to extremism.
The report detailed that in 2021 and 2022, California had the most extremist murders? Six? in the nation. These incidents include one murder by a person described as affiliated with white supremacists, two by a member of a white supremacist prison gang, one by a member of a white supremacist street gang, and two related to QAnon.
There were also several notable plots and attacks within the state. Most of the extremist-related murders in California were linked to white supremacists.
One such group is the Proud Boys, who remain active in California, targeting LGBTQ+ events, providing security at right-wing events, and fighting off counter-protesters.
In 2022, the Proud Boys focused much of their activity in California on the unsubstantiated narrative that members of the LGBTQ+ community are "grooming" boys.
Transphobia has been part of the group's ideology since its founding and the California chapters have regularly held anti-LGBTQ+ activities; they allegedly had a role in the violence at "Straight Pride" events in Modesto in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
However, in the past two years, the group's main anti-LGBTQ+ activities have revolved around targeting drag queen story hours. Threats from the Proud Boys have caused story hours to be disrupted, as well as canceled and postponed.
This publication was supported in whole or part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.
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