Ohio home to 20 active hate groups, report finds

The total number of hate groups in the U.S. fell in 2021, but there are still nearly two dozen active groups left in Ohio, according to a new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Why it matters: The Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection and other subsequent attempts to undermine democracy show "real-word consequences" for these groups and those they target, the Center's researchers argue.

Details: Ohio ranks 11th in the country with 20 active hate groups, though that number is down from 36 such groups in 2018.

What they're saying: "Over the past year, (groups) have converged around a willingness to engage in political violence, either inflict or accept harm, and deny legally established rights to historically oppressed groups of people," the report asserts.

Zoom in: Area organizations tracked include anti-LGBTQ groups Americans for Truth About Homosexuality and Mission: America; a Worthington chapter of neo-Nazi group the Daily Stormer; and a Columbus chapter of the Proud Boys, a far-right white nationalist group known for engaging in violence

• Proud Boys members were involved in several fights during protests at the Ohio Statehouse on the same day as the U.S. Capitol insurrection.

The big picture: More than 30 Ohioans were criminally charged for their alleged involvement in the fatal Capitol riot, including seven from Franklin County.

• Separately, a group of men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer held a planning meeting in Dublin.

Threat level: The Anti-Defamation League, which works to oppose hate groups, reported a rise in white supremacist propaganda incidents back in 2019.

• That included Daily Stormer members placing antisemitic flyers around a Cleveland university campus.

Meanwhile, Columbus and other major U.S. cities have seen a rise in reported hate crimes, Axios reported last month.