Donald Trump

2016 an ‘Unprecedented Year for Hate': SPLC

President Donald Trump's election and rhetoric during the campaign is, in part, responsible for this rise of hate groups, according to the SPLC

The Southern Poverty Law Center reported an increase in U.S. hate groups in 2016—the second year in a row the number has risen.

The total number of organizations considered hate groups by the SPLC rose from 892 in 2015 to 917 in 2016. 

The number of anti-Muslim hate groups saw the greatest rise, ticking up to 101 from 34 in 2015, according to the annual census of hate groups by the SPLC.

President Donald Trump's election and rhetoric during the campaign is, in part, responsible for this rise of anti-Muslim hate groups, according to the report. 

"The increase in anti-Muslim hate was fueled by Trump’s incendiary rhetoric, including his campaign pledge to bar Muslims from entering the United States, as well as anger over terrorist attacks such as the June massacre of 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando," the SPLC wrote. 

Asked about a rise of anti-Semitism and racism in the U.S. at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump did not offer specifics about how he'll work to curtail it. 

Instead, he referenced his electoral victory then later pointed out that he has Jewish relatives, including his daughter, and said, "we're going to have peace in this country."

His response drew criticism from the Anti-Defamation League, who tweeted it's "troubling that @POTUS failed to condemn real issue of anti-Semitism in US today." 

Mark Potok, an editor of the report called 2016, "an unprecedented year for hate."

“The country saw a resurgence of white nationalism that imperils the racial progress we’ve made, along with the rise of a president whose policies reflect the values of white nationalists," Potok said in a statement. 

The report also notes that an increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes coincided with the increase of these hate groups. 

The SPLC pointed to the latest FBI statistics, gathered in 2015, that showed hate crimes against Muslims increased by 67 percent.

Click here for a map that tracks hate groups by state. 

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