Southern Poverty Law Center Intelligence Report Profiles 30 Leaders of the Rising Radical Right

MONTGOMERY, Ala., May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Extremists leading a powerful resurgence of the American radical right are pushing baseless conspiracy theories and demonizing propaganda about minority groups into the mainstream, according to the latest issue of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report, released today.

Thirty key leaders of the radical right, both longtime agitators and newcomers, are profiled in the report. These extremists – including anti-government activists, racist neo-Nazis and propagandists who promote falsehoods about Muslims and the LGBT community – are making headway by exploiting anger over the nation's ailing economy, non-white immigration and the shrinking white majority.

"Today's radical right leaders are having remarkable success in pushing fringe ideas – typically based on sheer fantasy or just plain racism – into the political mainstream," said Mark Potok, senior fellow at the SPLC and editor of the new report. "Their divisive propaganda, which is being embraced by opportunistic politicians and pundits and exploited for partisan gain, is doing real damage to our country."

Examples include the unending controversy over the president's birth certificate, the claim that Muslims are secretly trying to install Islamic religious law in U.S. courts, and the theory that Agenda 21, a nonbinding U.N. plan for environmental sustainability, is part of a "New World Order" plot for global control.

The report, contained in the Summer 2012 issue of the SPLC's quarterly investigative journal Intelligence Report, can be read at www.splcenter.org.

The Intelligence Report also examines growing evidence of criminality among members of the Republic for the united States of America. The organization is the nation's largest group of anti-government "sovereign citizens" – people who believe they're exempt from most laws and taxes.

Also in the Summer 2012 issue of the Intelligence Report:

• "The Scoop on Schoep" features an interview with Joanna Schoep, the soon-to-be ex-wife of one of America's leading neo-Nazis, Jeff Schoep. Though the leader of the National Socialist Movement espouses a violently racist ideology, she says he accepted her non-white ancestry and that of her teenage daughter.
• "Shading the Truth" examines how the National Organization for Marriage, a mainstream opponent of same-sex marriage, sometimes promotes extremist propaganda.

The 30 radical-right leaders profiled in this issue are: Virginia Abernethy, Hendersonville, Tenn.; Chuck Baldwin, Kila, Mont.; David Barton, Aledo, Texas; Don Black, West Palm Beach, Fla.; Michael Boldin, Los Angeles; Michael Brown, Concord, N.C.; Kevin DeAnna, Arlington, Va.; Tom DeWeese, Marshall, Va.; David Duke, Mandeville, La.; Lou Engle, Kansas City, Mo.; Joseph Farah, Centreville, Va.; Bryan Fischer, Tupelo, Miss.; Frank Gaffney, Leesburg, Va.; Pamela Geller, New York City; Morris Gulett, Mansfield, La.; Michael Hill, Killen, Ala.; Alex Jones, Austin, Texas; Cliff Kincaid, Owings, Md.; Randal Krager, Pisgah, Iowa; Alex Linder, Kirksville, Md.; Kevin MacDonald, Laguna Hills, Calif.; Jason Mitchell, Wilmington, N.C.; Stewart Rhodes, Big Arm, Mont.; Kyle Rogers, Summerville, S.C.; Malik Zulu Shabazz, Washington, D.C.; Jared Taylor, Oakton, Va.; Timothy Turner, Ozark, Ala.; Michael Vanderboegh, Pinson, Ala.; John Weaver, Fitzgerald, Ga.; and David Yerushalmi, Brooklyn, N.Y.

The law enforcement edition of this Intelligence Report, which is being distributed free to about 55,000 officers, also contains a special training video designed to help officers deal with the threat of racist skinheads, some of the most violent extremists in the country today.

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a nonprofit organization that combats hate, intolerance and discrimination through education, litigation and advocacy. The Intelligence Report tracks the activities of hate groups and monitors militia and other extremist, antigovernment activity. For more information, visit www.splcenter.org

SOURCE Southern Poverty Law Center