ORLANDO, Fla. – A Central Florida neo-Nazi leader has been convicted of plotting to destroy the power grid in Baltimore.
Last week, a federal jury found Brandon Russell guilty of conspiring to blow up several electrical substations to cause chaos.
Russell, who is from Orlando, formed the Atomwaffen Division (ADM) in Central Florida in 2015 and even recruited on the campus of the University of Central Florida (UCF), according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a nonprofit dedicated to confronting racism.
The Atomwaffen Division distributed flyers inside UCF dorms in 2015, encouraging students to join their local Nazis.
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In 2022, at least seven historically Black colleges, including Bethune Cookman University, were besieged with bomb threats from a caller claiming to be part of ADM.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hate Map, more than half a dozen antisemitic, neo-Nazi and white supremacy groups have ties to Florida.
In 2022, members of the National Socialist Movement attacked a Jewish student at UCF.
Aaron Bernstein, Jewish Community Relations Council Chair, said he is not surprised by the number of hate groups in Florida.
“It almost doesn’t surprise me because we track this, we see what’s going on,” Bernstein said. “We see the progression of antisemitism and other forms of hate within our community and the nation at large. "
And the hate groups don’t discriminate in their hate.
“It affects all of us in one way, shape or form,” Bernstein said. “Obviously, as the chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council, I see a lot of anti-Semitic incidents that have been happening throughout our community. But I also see others, and we need to step up and take care of all of those around us to make sure that it doesn’t just happen to us, but it doesn’t happen to others as well.”
Central Florida has a Jewish population of more than 55,000 people.
“We’re vigilant,” Bernstein said. “We try and support ourselves. We try and make people aware of hate and anti-Semitic incidents. We bring it to the awareness of our community, and we try to deal with it on a case-by-case basis. That being said, we try to be able to maintain our normal life and we go about our life in a normal way with a little caution.”
What do you do about it?
“Be there to support your community in general, whether it’s when Jews experience anti-Semitism or any other group experiencing hate,” Bernstein said. “Those are the things you could do. If you see something, say something. If you are experiencing it yourself, ask. Reach out. You have support within the community. And again, the conversation about just because it’s not you being discriminated against today doesn’t mean you’re not next.”
The National Socialist Movement, “once one of the largest and most active neo-Nazi groups in the United States” according to SPLC, is based in Kissimmee.
The Nation of Islam, with a “lengthy record of antisemitism, homophobia, and connections to prominent white supremacists,” is based in Miami.
The Goyim Defense League (GDL), whose “overarching goal is to expel Jews from America,” is based in Crystal River.
Money Tree Publishing in the Florida Panhandle promotes white supremacist books on its website. And Stormfront, “created by a former Klan boss and longtime white supremacist,” is based in West Palm Beach.
Antisemitism in the U.S. and Florida is at an all-time high, according to Anti-Defamation League.
Two years ago, Florida made it a crime to harass someone for their race or religion.
Central Florida Sheriff’s Offices have started their own hate crime task forces and some have received federal funding to combat hate crimes.
Last year, Jewish schools across the state received tens of millions of dollars from Tallahassee to enhance security.
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