The Southern Poverty Law Center has released its annual list of "hate groups" in the United States, identifying 888 active racist, fascist, and anti-Semitic groups across the country. Of the groups identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center, 26 are located in Michigan. With the exception of Ohio, Michigan has the largest number of hate groups in the Great Lakes region.
The Southern Poverty Law Center described a "hate group" as one that has "beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics." They further add that:
"Hate group activities can include criminal acts, marches, rallies, speeches, meetings, leafleting or publishing. Websites appearing to be merely the work of a single individual, rather than the publication of a group, are not included in this list. Listing here does not imply a group advocates or engages in violence or other criminal activity."
Over the past few years, several of these groups have been written about on Mediamouse.org, especially in our "Far Right in West Michigan" database. The groups located in West Michigan include:
* The Council of Conservative Citizens - Caledonia
* National Socialist Movement (NSM) located in Grand Rapids
* White Voices of America - Grand Haven
The rest of the groups listed include:
* American National Socialist Workers' Party - Jackson
* American Nazi Party - Westland
* Brotherhood of Klans Knights Ku Klux Klan - Ironwood
* By Yahweh's Design - Stevensville
* Charles Darwin Research Institute - Port Huron
* Nation of Islam - Detroit
* National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
* National Socialist Aryan Order - Davison
* National Socialist Movement - Detroit
* Northern Hammerskins - Detroit
* NS Publications - Wyandotte
* United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan - Fraser
* Volksfront - Detroit
* Yahweh's Truth - Essexville
* Young Americans for Freedom at Michigan State University - Lansing
In addition, there are various other groups that don't have specific jurisdictions including the Imperial Klans of America, National Vanguard, the Romanian National Vanguard, and chapters of the National Socialist Movement.
