Interest in white supremacist groups rises, expert predicts more growth

By Jamisha Purdy
NNPA Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON (NNPA)— Since Barack Obama’s historic win as America’s first black president, there has been a membership hike in white supremacist groups, according the Alabamabased Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks and monitors hate groups across the nation.

SPLC Director Mark Potock said groups those groups include the Council of Conservative Citizens— which supports white nationalism and white separatism— claim that its membership has dramatically increased since Election Day.

“Wednesdays and Thursday were both record breaking days for [this group]. On both days we shattered all records for web traffic without the Council of Conservative Citizens being the national news,” reported a news bulletin on the Council’s website.

Although Potok said, “These groups routinely exaggerate these types of claims,” he added that the rising interest is real.

“There’s no doubt that there’s been a real reaction,” Potock said. “One of the first things we saw was a surge in these groups.”

This expanding curiosity doesn’t surprise Potock, who has monitored hate groups for 11 years.

“It was pretty predictable,” he said. “We are likely to see an even further growth in the coming months.”

Before the election, an outbreak in these groups spread across the nation. According to Potock, the number of white supremacist groups spiraled from 602 in 2000 to 888 last year.

Other than anger fueled by the possibility of a black president, Potock said that rising non-white immigration, the failing economy and the “U.S. Census Bureau’s prediction that whites will lose their majority” around 2040, has stimulated this increase.

Potock also predicts that “Obama’s win will help race relations in the long haul.” But, the short-term response will likely mimic the developing backlash among these groups’ members in the coming months.

“It’s likely to get worse before it gets better,” he said. “I have no doubt that the groups will grow and the hate crimes will follow. A surge in these groups may mean more anti-black propaganda that gets in the mainstream.”

The best defense, Potock said, is awareness.

“Make the public aware,” Potock said. “That’s the best we can do.”

This is part of the December 24, 2008 online edition of Frost Illustrated.

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