2015 Saw Rise in Hate Groups and Extremists in U.S.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has released its annual count of hate groups and extremists in the U.S. Officials say 2015 saw a surge not seen in decades.
Last year, the number of hate and anti-government groups rose by 14 percent, according to the report. This follows a three year decline.
Mark Potok is with the Montgomery-based SPLC and is the author of the report. He says the biggest contributors to the increased activity are a growing rage and distrust in the government. Potok blames the rising anti-government sentiment on several factors, including changes in demographics as a result of immigration, advances in the rights of gays and lesbians, and far-reaching statements by presidential candidates.
“I think the year very nearly approaches the political upheavals of 1968,” Potok says.
Acts of extremist violence in 2015 may have been the worst in the U.S. since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Potok says.
Photos: Deadly tornadoes hit Kentucky and Missouri
Over 20 people have died since severe storms and tornadoes hit Kentucky and Missouri overnight. Meteorologists are beginning to survey the damage.
Paleontologists discover a 500-million-year-old, 3-eyed predator
Fossils of the underwater predator shed new light on biodiversity from the Cambrian period.
Investigators respond to scene of an explosion rocking Palm Springs, Calif.
The explosion occurred at the site of a fertility clinic. A doctor there said the office space was damaged but the IVF lab and its stored embryos were unharmed.
More than 20 dead after tornadoes sweep through Kentucky and Missouri
Powerful storms and tornadoes tore through several Midwestern and Southern states overnight Friday, leaving carnage and flattened buildings in their wake.
Opinion: A wealth of wisdom for a bargain price
NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the discovery that what Harvard University thought was a copy of the Magna Carta is actually an original.
Bessemer residents want answers about a four-million-square-foot data center coming to their backyards
Residents in and around Bessemer are furious over Project Marvel, a plan to build a 4.5-million-square-foot data processing facility on 700 acres of wooded land. Public officials have been sworn to silence.
