Over the past two years, California has dealt with a significant increase in extremist activity driven by a variety of factors, including increased collaboration between small white supremacist and antisemitic networks, as well as continued activity by extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and Rise Above Movement, particularly as they turned their attention toward the LGBTQ+ community. The state is home to the country’s highest number of extremist-related murders and plots and has seen numerous incidents of political violence.
California has also seen a significant increase in antisemitic incidents over the last two years, becoming the state with the country’s second-highest number of antisemitic incidents at a time when ADL tracked the highest-ever number of antisemitic incidents nationwide.
This report will explore the range of extremist groups and movements operating in California and highlight the key extremist and antisemitic trends and incidents in the state throughout 2021 and 2022. It also includes especially noteworthy events and incidents from 2023.
ADL’s 2022 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents documented the highest number of antisemitic incidents since reporting began in 1979, with more than 3,697 acts of assault, vandalism and harassment nationwide, a 36% increase from 2021. With 518, California reported the second-highest number of antisemitic incidents in 2022, following only New York. Instances of vandalism increased by 32% (178 incidents in 2022, compared to 135 in 2021), while harassment increased by 51 percent (327 incidents in 2022, compared to 217 in 2021). Similarly, trailing only New York, California saw the second-highest number of antisemitic assaults (13) in the nation, a slight decrease from the 15 recorded in 2021 but still a 225% increase from the 4 assaults recorded in 2020.
