Hate groups exist in Greenville County, on the rise nationally, watchdog group says

Hate and extremist groups are on the rise in the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the watchdog group has identified a dozen "hate groups" in South Carolina, including a few in the Upstate.

The 2016 report showed that there were 917 hate and extremist groups in the U.S., up from 892 in 2015, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center "hate map." The numbers increased in 2017, according to Lecia Brooks, outreach director of the organization.

So how does a group end up on the list?

Southern Poverty Law Center defines a hate group as an "organization that – based on its official statements or principles, the statements of its leaders, or its activities – has beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics." Organizations on the hate group list "vilify others because of their race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity," the Southern Poverty Law Center website said.

The Nation of Islam in Greenville and the Southern National Congress in Travelers Rest are among the 12 South Carolina groups on the 2016 hate map. They said they don't belong on the list, which is produced annually.

Read more: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/south-carolina/2018/02/09/southern-poverty-law-center-hate-map-nation-islam-greenville-sc/1075748001/