ATLANTA — The Southern Poverty Law Center says Georgia remains one of the most active states in the country for hate and anti-government groups, according to its annual “Year in Hate and Extremism” report.
The report found Georgia recorded 35 far-right groups in 2025, including white nationalist, neo-Nazi and anti-LGBTQ organizations. While the number of hate groups in the state fell from 50 to 35, the report found hate flyer incidents increased by 158%.
“Georgia has always been one of our most active places in the country for hate and anti-government groups,” said Rachel Carroll Rivas with the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Rivas said Georgia’s groups represent what she described as the full range of hard-right organizations, including white nationalists, conspiracy theorists and anti-LGBTQ groups.
“There are groups like Active Clubs, this is a white supremacists fight club style group that are active in Georgia. We’ve got the Aryan Freedom Network, these are neo-nazis,” Rivas said.
The report also points to what Rivas called “suit-and-tie” extremism in 2025, saying hate interests influenced federal policy, targeted college campuses and used social media creators to spread messages about immigrants, women and antisemitism.
“It’s their day job to be a social media influencer talking about this, and unfortunately they have a growing direct line of influence with the administration at the federal level,” Rivas said.
Rivas said analysts are concerned that ideologies that have historically been considered fringe are becoming more widely accepted.
“These are concerning things that are happening in Georgia. Georgia is a micro cause of what we see across the U.S.,” Rivas said.
She added that younger people are increasingly vulnerable to online radicalization.
“Particularly youth are more exposed to radicalization, and pushing them into hateful and harmful ideas and violence,” Rivas said.
Rivas also argued that hard-right groups are gaining influence in institutions and government. She described the current climate as “a white supremacist’s dream right now.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center says combating hateful ideologies includes exposing hate groups, addressing misinformation and conspiracy theories, and providing research, data and community resources.
The organization is currently facing a federal probe amid allegations that it funneled money to leaders of extremist groups it monitors. The Southern Poverty Law Center has denied the allegations and says the investigation is part of a campaign of retribution by the Trump administration.
WSB Radio’s Veronica Waters contributed to this story.