A new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center shows hate groups in Utah tripled in 2018 after numbers remained stagnant for three years in a row.
The rise from three hate groups to nine isn’t as much representative of cultural attitudes in Utah as it is the reach of these organizations, said Heidi Beirich, director of the center’s Intelligence Project.
In particular, she pointed to the spread of white nationalist groups Identity Evropa and Patriot Front, in addition to Proud Boys, with two Utah chapters and which the center classifies as a general hate group.