Racist propaganda, antisemitic acts spiked in Illinois last year, report shows

Racist propaganda campaigns and antisemitic acts more than doubled last year in Illinois, according to a report released Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League that details alarming examples of extremism across the state.

The report, titled “Hate in the Prairie State,” provides a comprehensive list of radical forces targeting Illinois, including white supremacist groups, anti-LGBTQ+ zealots and adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory that vehemently supports former President Donald Trump.

“In some ways, we think that we live in Illinois and somehow we’re immune to this,” David Goldenberg, the ADL’s Midwest director, said in an interview. “But the reality is that these groups have a presence here, they are active and, in some parts of the state, we’re seeing this type of hate and extremism become mainstreamed.”

Antisemitic acts including assault, harassment and vandalism rose to their highest level in recent history in 2022, jumping 128% from the previous year, from 53 to 121. That was the seventh-largest statewide total in a year that saw “the highest-ever number of antisemitic incidents nationwide,” the ADL noted.

They included a hate crime spree in January 2022 that targeted Jewish institutions and businesses in West Rogers Park. Shahid Hussain, 40, of Niles, was convicted of hate crime and vandalism charges and was sentenced to three years in prison.