Peter Robbins via Unsplash
Introduction
For decades, the Pacific Northwest has been home to a wide range of extremist activity. From the shootout with law enforcement that culminated in the death of white supremacist terrorist leader Robert J. Mathews on Whidbey Island, Washington, in the 1980s; to the armed seizure of the Malheur Federal Wildlife Refuge in Oregon by anti-government extremists in 2016; to the frequent street-fighting between the Proud Boys and anti-fascist protesters in Portland between 2017 and 2021, extremists have alarmed and endangered residents of the region for years.
Different types of extremists continue to cause problems in the Pacific Northwest today, including white supremacists, Proud Boys, anti-government extremists and extremists who seek the elimination of the state of Israel. In addition, the region experienced substantial increases in antisemitic activity at a time when the ADL tracked the highest-ever number of antisemitic incidents nationwide.
This report provides a snapshot of antisemitism and extremism in Oregon and Washington, highlighting key trends tracked by the ADL Center on Extremism – including the disruptive actions of extreme anti-Israel activists, new networking initiatives by white supremacists and anti-government extremist efforts to build political power. It also details relevant movements and notable incidents in 2023-2024.
Key Statistics in Oregon
Note: All numbers for 2024 are provided through the listed month. As such, they should be considered partial and are subject to change. For the latest statistics, please see the ADL H.E.A.T. Map
Antisemitic Incidents: According to ADL’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, Oregon has seen a dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents in recent years. In 2023, the number of incidents increased by 210% from 2022 levels, rising from 40 to 124. Preliminary numbers through September 2024 indicate that there have been at least 75 additional antisemitic incidents in the state.
White Supremacist Extremist Events: In 2023, ADL documented 13 white supremacist extremist events in Oregon, predominately banner drops. Preliminary numbers through September 2024 indicate that there have been two white supremacist events.
White Supremacist Propaganda: In 2023, ADL documented 60 instances of white supremacist propaganda distributions across Oregon, a slight decrease from the 68 in 2022.
Extremist Murders: Between January 2023 and September 2024, ADL has documented one extremist murder in Oregon. In June 2023, law enforcement officers discovered the body of a man who had been shot and killed alongside an interstate highway near Canyonville. Police subsequently arrested Allen Lloyd Swindler, a member of the Proud Boys who also had a Three Percenter tattoo, and his girlfriend, Sierra Sioux Jennings. Swindler and Jennings were charged with second-degree murder. The motive for the killing was not ideological.
Hate Crime Statistics: According to the latest FBI hate crime statistics for 2023, there were 282 reported hate crimes in Oregon, a slight decrease from the 300 incidents recorded in 2022.
Insurrection Statistics: As of October 2024, ten people from Oregon have been arrested for their roles in the January 6 insurrection. At least three insurrectionists from Oregon are known to have ties to right-wing extremist groups and movements such as the Proud Boys and Q-Anon. On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued pardons for more than 1,500 people who participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol, including extremists who were convicted of seditious conspiracy and individuals who assaulted police officers.
Key Statistics in Washington
Note: All numbers for 2024 are provided through the listed month. As such, they should be considered partial and are subject to change. For the latest statistics, please see the ADL H.E.A.T. Map.
Antisemitic Incidents: According to ADL’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, Washington has seen a dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents in recent years. In 2023, the number of incidents increased by 191% from 2022 levels, rising from 65 to 189. Preliminary numbers through September 2024 indicate that there have been at least 125 additional antisemitic incidents in the state.
White Supremacist Extremist Events: In 2023, ADL documented 17 white supremacist events in Washington, predominately banner drops. Preliminary numbers through September 2024 indicate that there have been at least seven white supremacist events.
White Supremacist Propaganda: In 2023, ADL documented 156 instances of white supremacist propaganda distributions across Washington, a slight decrease from the 171 in 2022.
Extremist Murders: Since 2023, ADL has documented two extremist-related murders in Washington. In February 2024, Arrin Daniel Salter, who was described by the Washington Department of Corrections as “an affiliated gang member and white supremacist,” was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after allegedly assaulting a man with a baseball bat. The man died from his injuries four days later. Also in February, two white supremacist gang members were arrested and accused of killing two people in Maple Valley in November 2023.
Hate Crime Statistics: According to the latest FBI hate crime statistics for 2023, there were 557 reported hate crimes in Washington, a slight increase from the 532 incidents recorded in 2022.
Insurrection Statistics: As of October 2024, 33 people from Washington State have been arrested for their roles in the January 6 insurrection. At least five insurrectionists from Washington are known to have ties to right-wing extremist groups and movements such as the Proud Boys and sovereign citizens. On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued pardons for more than 1,500 people who participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol, including extremists who were convicted of seditious conspiracy and individuals who assaulted police officers.
Antisemitism
ADL’s 2023 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents documented the highest number of antisemitic incidents since reporting began in 1979, with more than 8,873 acts of assault, vandalism and harassment nationwide, a 140% increase from 2022. Oregon reported 124 antisemitic incidents in 2023, coming in as the 21st highest in the nation for that year. Instances of vandalism increased by 41% (27 incidents in 2023, compared to 16 in 2022), while harassment increased by 332% (95 incidents in 2023, compared to 22 in 2022). Assaults remained at the same level (two incidents in both 2022 and 2023).
Instances of antisemitism in Oregon in 2023 and 2024 included:
- In May 2024, a Southern Oregon University student called a Jewish classmate a terrorist, claimed all Israeli citizens were terrorists and said the October 7 terror attacks were justified.
- In May 2024, a mezuzah was torn from a Jewish student’s doorframe at Reed College. The next day, a rock was thrown through the same student’s window.
- In March 2024, the word “Jew” was written in mud on a Jewish person’s home in Portland.
- In January 2024, three synagogues across Oregon were targeted with bomb threats.
- In October 2023, an individual inside a vehicle yelled “Die Jews” towards a synagogue in Portland.
- In June 2023, a man was assaulted with a bat as he tried to wash away graffiti promoting antisemitic websites.
October 2024 antisemitic graffiti in Issaquah, WA (source: ADL constituent reporting)
In Washington, 189 antisemitic incidents were reported in 2023, the 14th highest in the nation. Instances of vandalism increased by 23% (30 incidents in 2023, compared to 37 in 2022), while harassment increased by 464% (158 incidents in 2023, compared to 28 in 2022). There was one assault in 2023, compared to 0 in 2022.
Instances of antisemitism in Washington in 2023 and 2024 included:
- In March 2024, an antisemitic swatting threat was directed at a Seattle Hebrew school.
- In March 2024, graffiti was found along a path in Medina that read: “Kill all shit maker Jews.”
- In December 2023, five synagogues in Seattle were targeted with bomb threats in one day.
- In November 2023, classmates harassed a Jewish child wearing a yarmulke while walking home from school, yelling, “Free Palestine” and “Fuck Jews.”
- In August 2023, a public sidewalk in Monroe was spray-painted with the message, “Jews control Media and Money.”
- In July 2023, a group of children harassed campers from a Jewish summer camp at a public park, chanting “Go back to Germany.”
Notable Extremist Activity
Extreme Anti-Zionist Activity Explodes Across Pacific Northwest Following October 7 Attacks
Though the Pacific Northwest has a history of disruptive and strident anti-Israel and anti-Zionist activism, after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 terror attacks in Israel, the ferocity and severity of this rhetoric and its related actions worsened. Activists more frequently went beyond legitimate political criticism and descended into indefensible antisemitic tropes, extreme anti-Zionism, expressions of support for terror and even vandalism.
Arson committed by anti-Israel activists at the Portland Police Bureau training facility in Oregon on May 2, 2024 (source: Portland Police Bureau)
Since the October 7 attacks, there have been at least 250 anti-Israel protests across Washington and Oregon. Groups like Samidoun Seattle, local chapters of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), Falastiniyat Seattle, city and campus chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and campus chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) were the most frequent organizers of these events.
One of the most extreme anti-Israel groups in the region is Samidoun Seattle, a local chapter of Samidoun. Samidoun is an international fundraising arm of the U.S.-designated terror organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Samidoun Seattle organizes many anti-Israel events featuring materials that explicitly support terrorism and foreign terrorist organizations, antisemitism and overt rhetoric about rejecting any presence of Zionism. For example, at an October 2024 rally in Seattle, Alon Lapid, a Samidoun organizer, explicitly expressed support for Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah. At an August 2024 rally in Seattle, a participant expressed unequivocal support for the October 7 terror attack, telling the crowd, “We say, with our full chest, long live October 7th!”
Protests and public gatherings often featured support for terrorism and other concerning rhetoric, including explicit antisemitism. At a February 2024 Ashland City Council meeting, a speaker echoed classic antisemitic tropes about alleged Jewish power and control during the public comment portion of the meeting, stating, “Why do you think AIPAC is spending so much money on placing their purchased politicians in congressional positions that gives Israel and Zionism a powerful hand in US politics? The U.S. government is essentially controlled by a Zionist entity.”
At a Seattle rally that same month, a protester held a sign reading, “We are living through times where Houthi pirates & Moroccan drug dealers have more humanity than our elected politicians & leaders.” Attendees also chanted, “Death to Israel! Death to America! Palestine will be free; we will all be free!”
Anti-Israel protestors in Eugene, OR, display a banner featuring the logo and acronym of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a U.S.-designated terror group in October 2023 (source: Instagram)
In the spring of 2024, college groups across the U.S. established “encampments” ostensibly to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza and their academic institutions’ alleged “complicity” in those actions. At least 11 encampments emerged across Washington and Oregon at colleges and universities, including Evergreen State College, Western Washington University, Lewis and Clark College and the University of Oregon.
These encampments often featured antisemitism, vandalism and support for terror. For example, at the Evergreen State College encampment, activists prominently displayed a PFLP flag. Protesters also made multiple anti-normalization statements and demands of communities, declaring any communication or relationships with Zionists (real or perceived) and supporters of Israel anathema — saying things such as “REJECT colonial feminism, ‘liberal Zionism’ seeking Palestinian submission, and any notion that DEI initiatives should include the voices and perspectives of zionists [sic].” At Portland State University, student protesters occupied the library for three days, causing over one million dollars’ worth of damage.
Some activists went beyond protests and civil disobedience. Activists have been responsible for at least nine “escalations” or direct actions across Washington and Oregon, mostly vandalism, to draw attention to Gaza. Most of these incidents attacked private businesses, such as Starbucks locations, for their perceived support for Israel or Zionism. On May 2, 2024, anti-Israel activists calling themselves Rachel Corrie’s Ghost Brigade broke into the Portland Police Bureau training facility in Oregon and set multiple fires, causing more than a dozen police cars to burn. On August 20, 2024, in Milwaukee, Oregon, anarchists took credit for setting a rail bridge on fire.
White Supremacists Create New Networks Across the Pacific Northwest
Individuals associated with the Northwest Nationalist Network protest outside of a June 2023 Pride event in Spokane, WA (source: Telegram)
In recent years, emerging white supremacist networks like the Active Club network have increasingly focused on building camaraderie and collaboration across the white supremacist movement, regardless of ideological differences. This is to recruit more effectively, coordinate actions and aid their attempts to spread white supremacy nationwide. In the Pacific Northwest, white supremacists created a regional coalition called the Northwest Nationalist Network (3N) in 2023. The 3N coalition is made up of a range of white supremacist groups and networks, including the Oregon-based Rose City Nationalists, Vinland Rebels, various Pacific Northwest-based chapters of the Active Club network and White Lives Matter. By working together as a coalition, these small regional entities have been able to bolster their propaganda distribution and attendance at demonstrations.
Since its formation, 3N has experienced success with its multi-state collaboration. In 2023, the group held at least ten demonstrations across the Pacific Northwest, making it the most active white supremacist coalition in the country at that time. These white supremacist demonstrations included a range of jointly organized events in Oregon and Washington. For example, on April 5, 2023, almost a dozen individuals associated with Washington-based Evergreen Active Club and Oregon-based Rose City Nationalists demonstrated outside of a LGBTQ+ event in Pasco, Washington. Members held a banner with an image of a noose that read, “Pedos Get the Rope.”
Just a few weeks later, on April 29, both groups met again, this time alongside the Vinland Rebels in Florence, Oregon, where approximately 19 individuals held a roadside protest outside of a drag show, passing out anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda and holding a banner reading, “Pedophiles Out of Our Schools.” White supremacists in the Pacific Northwest have also travelled as far as Livingston and Missoula, Montana, to participate in demonstrations, highlighting its members’ willingness to travel long distances to participate in the coalition and build the white supremacist movement. While 3N did not participate in public events in 2024, it has remained consistently active online, promoting the independent activities of member groups in the Pacific Northwest.
3N has served as an inspiration for white supremacists across the country. Since its formation, other white supremacists have created their own region-specific coalitions, including the Midwest Network, the Western Confederation, Dixie Alliance and the Texas Nationalist Network. Historically, though, most white supremacist coalitions are short-lived.
Anti-Government Extremists Work to Build Political Inroads
In both Oregon and Washington, far-right anti-government extremist groups and movements have sought influence and political power by running for office, fostering relationships with policymakers and lobbying for various legislative agendas.
One such group is the People’s Rights movement, an anti-government network founded in 2020 by Ammon Bundy consisting of far-right activists who seek to oppose any perceived government overreach. One of the movement’s largest and most active chapters is People’s Rights Oregon Fifth District (PRO5), which claims to represent Deschutes, Jefferson, Crook and Wheeler counties.
People’s Rights Oregon Fifth District gathers at the group's property in Terrebonne, OR, in October 2024; Source: Instagram
In 2022, PRO5 members won the positions of chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer in the Deschutes County Republican Party. In 2024, at least 66 members ran for Republican precinct committee slots in counties where they were guaranteed to win several seats. One of these victors was B.J. Soper, the People’s Rights state leader for Oregon who lives in Deschutes County and is regularly involved in PRO5’s activities. Soper co-founded the Pacific Patriots Network militia and participated in the 2016 Malheur Refuge armed takeover.
The chapter also has connections to local politicians. Dennis Linthicum, a state senator representing Klamath Falls, is closely involved with PRO5 and has spoken at several of their events over the years. In October 2024, Linthicum spoke at PRO5's annual fall festival on the group's property in Terrebonne. Linthicum previously addressed the group at an October 2022 PRO5 meeting, where he encouraged its members to get involved in local elections and spoke against LGBTQ+ issues.
Meanwhile, People’s Rights in Washington reportedly has the largest number of registered members in the country, with over 7,500 people. The most active chapter in the state covers Benton and Franklin counties, and since the start of 2023, it has organized around opposing LGBTQ+ issues. In April 2023, the group called upon its members to protest a drag show that was held in Pasco, Washington. They also held meetings to discuss their opposition to a senate bill seeking to protect gender-affirming care for young people. Prior to focusing on its anti-LGBTQ+ agenda, the group was primarily focused on resisting pandemic-era mask mandates.
Though in 2024 there are limited examples of in-person People’s Rights activity in Washington aside from meetings, a different anti-government extremist group in Washington has a disturbing presence in the state: the Washington Three Percenters (WA3%). The group’s name refers to the Three Percenters, a wing of the anti-government militia movement whose name is based on the inaccurate historical claim that only three percent of American colonists fought in the Revolutionary War. WA3% attracted attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for helping to organize lockdown protests; rallies in opposition to gun control and the February 2022 People’s Convoy trucker demonstration in Washington, D.C. They also participated in demonstrations in opposition to LGBTQ+-related issues, and in some instances, collaborated with Gays Against Groomers (GAG) and Moms for Liberty.
Matt Marshall, who founded and led WA3%, won the election for the District 2 seat in the Washington House of Representatives in November 2024, making him one of few people associated with the militia movement to win public office. Though Marshall resigned his position and left WA3% in August 2023, he has shared Three Percenter content on his Telegram channel as recently as July 2024.
In addition, the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) has a historical presence in both Oregon and Washington. CSPOA is an anti-government extremist group founded by Richard Mack that aims to recruit sheriffs into the anti-government “patriot” movement. It maintains that the county sheriff is the ultimate authority within the county, able to halt enforcement of any federal or state law or measure with which they do not agree.
In Washington, Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer is a prominent figure within CSPOA, whom the organization calls one of “America’s most celebrated” constitutional sheriffs. He has also spoken at CSPOA events in the past. Since taking office in 2015, Songer has garnered national attention for refusing to enforce pandemic-era health rules and gun control measures. He also established his own volunteer “posse,” which he claimed at a 2024 CSPOA conference had grown to 150 active members. Though Songer claims that his posse is needed to fill staffing shortages and community needs like courtroom safety and “community policing,” he also asserts that he would deputize his posse and civilians to resist the government if it were to take “guns away from good citizens.” Songer’s posse reportedly inspired the Benton-Franklin Sheriff Posse in neighboring Benton and Franklin counties, which now boasts 47 volunteers.
Though there is not currently a significant active CSPOA presence in Oregon, in April 2024, Clackamas County Sheriff candidate Paul Moore attended a CSPOA conference in Las Vegas claiming that he was “there to learn.” A month later he lost. Previously, Glenn Palmer, a prominent constitutional sheriff, served for five terms as sheriff in Grant County and vocally supported Bundy and others who seized the Malheur Refuge before losing his bid for reelection in 2020.
Additional Extremist Activity in Oregon
Proud Boys
The Proud Boys are a far-right hate group that has engaged in violence across the country since its founding in 2016, including playing a prominent role in the January 6 insurrection. Over the years, the group has been particularly active in Oregon, at times clashing with antifascist protestors. However, since 2022, Proud Boy mobilization has largely been in response to the baseless, dangerous narrative that members of the LGBTQ+ community are “grooming” children, and they have targeted LGBTQ+ events like Pride and drag shows. In June 2023, an individual associated with the Proud Boys harassed students attending a Pride Festival at a Eugene high school while holding a sign that read, “LGBT grooming event here today.” In October 2022, approximately seven individuals associated with the Proud Boys and the Rose City Nationalist Club (RCNC) protested a drag story hour at a Eugene pub, holding signs reading, "antifa protects pedophiles." According to police, several Proud Boys were armed with “what appeared to be assault rifles,” and one member of the group fired paintballs into a crowd that gathered to support the drag show.
Source: Telegram
In 2023, four Proud Boys displayed a banner on an abandoned Portland shopping center calling for the release of January 6 insurrectionists.
The Proud Boys haven’t just targeted the LGBTQ+ community: In June 2023, individuals associated with the Portland chapter physically fought six members of the RCNC, which was founded by a former Portland Proud Boy who was allegedly disavowed by the group for his “constant stream of racist and antisemitic statements,” at a Pride event the two groups were protesting. Following the fight, authorities arrested two individuals and charged them with second-degree disorderly conduct.
Goyim Defense League
Starting in August 2023, there has been an increase of antisemitic speech and trolling efforts at public forums such as city council, county board and state house committee meetings. During these incidents, extremists and bigots use the public comment portion of these forums, especially those with the option to call in virtually, to push antisemitic, white supremacist and anti-LGBTQ+ narratives. The vast majority of these incidents are the work of individuals associated with the antisemitic Goyim Defense League (GDL), which formed a subgroup called the City Council Death Squad (CCDS) in September 2023 to focus on this tactic. Since the trend emerged, 14 disruptions have occurred in Oregon, including in March 2024, when several antisemites associated with CCDS called in virtually to a city council meeting in Bend, and used antisemitic slurs and white supremacist phrases, with one individual chanting the n-word until his microphone was cut.
In 2023 and 2024, the network distributed antisemitic propaganda in the state six times. In January 2024, as part of a “postwaffen” hate mail campaign, GDL affiliates targeted several Corvallis City Council members with antisemitic postcards sent to their homes.
Other White Supremacist Activity
Meanwhile, the white supremacist White Lives Matter network has reemerged in Oregon. After almost two years of inactivity, in late January 2024, WLM Oregon announced, “Oregon brothers are back.” Since January, the group has distributed white supremacist propaganda on at least 45 occasions, primarily in Marion County. In addition, the group has organized two demonstrations, including on September 10, 2024, where approximately five individuals affiliated with WLM Oregon as well as Rose City Nationalists, dropped banners from an overpass in Portland reading, “Make White Babies” and “Stop White Genocide.” Between their reemergence in January 2024 and October 2024, WLM Oregon was the most active WLM chapter in the country as measured by their frequency in distributing white supremacist propaganda and number of events held.
Individuals associated with WLM Oregon and Rose City Nationalists conducted banner drops in Portland, OR, in September 2024 (source: Telegram)
Oregon also has multiple white supremacist prison gangs active in their prisons and on their streets. European Kindred, which was founded in Oregon’s corrections facilities in 1998, is the state’s largest white supremacist prison gang, with more than 500 members. The group has been involved in a range of criminal activities, from drug trafficking to robberies to murder conspiracies.
Additional Extremist Activity in Washington
Goyim Defense League
The City Council Death Squad (CCDS) has targeted cities in Washington as well as Oregon. In fact, CCDS has disrupted at least 35 public forums and meetings in Washington since September 2023, more than any state other than California. During one such meeting in Ellensburg in March 2024, an individual identifying himself as “Heinrich Himmler” showed up to give a racist and antisemitic rant, espousing the Great Replacement theory by accusing Jews of perpetrating a “long running plot” to replace white people in the country through immigration. He then called on the local police to “cleanse” the community of “non-whites” and “negroids.”
In 2023 and 2024, individuals affiliated with GDL also distributed antisemitic propaganda in the state eight times.
Additional White Supremacist Activity
In January 2024, four individuals associated with White Lives Matter carried out a banner drop in Tacoma, WA (source: Telegram)
In addition to 3N and WLM, other white supremacist groups are active in Washington:
- The Texas-based neo-Nazi group Aryan Freedom Network (AFN) claims to have a chapter in Washington. It is courting other white supremacist groups from Oregon and California in an attempt to bring them under the banner of the AFN. They are actively working to get more members from the West Coast. AFN claimed they held a “Northwest Unity Conference” in July 2024 in Idaho, ostensibly including supporters from Washington and other states.
- Over the past two years, White Lives Matter (WLM) has been particularly active in the Pacific Northwest. Between January 2023 and October 2024, the Washington chapter of WLM organized at least 11 events and distributed propaganda in at least 59 instances, making it the most active WLM chapter in the nation during this period. The group frequently participated in the organized “days of action” set by the network, while also organizing their own independent flash demonstrations and propaganda distributions. The Washington chapter’s high levels of activity are unusual at a time when other areas of the country have seen a decline in WLM activity and even the dissolution of regional chapters.
- The Pacific Northwest Wolfpack is the most active white supremacist Norse paganist group in Washington. Formed in 2016, Wolfpack is a self-proclaimed “confederation of independent and local kindreds/clans” active primarily in the western part of the state. Since 2023, Wolfpack has been holding regular raffle fundraisers online to raise money for the construction of the group’s hof – a meeting hall used for gatherings and rituals – on private property in Elma. One Wolfpack associate has been linked with violence: authorities charged Brandon J. Gerner and a co-conspirator in February 2024 with first- and second-degree murder in the killing of two people in November 2023. At the time of the murders, Gerner had been out of prison for only eight months, having served a 22-year sentence for robbery, burglary, assault and weapons convictions.
- There is an active presence of white supremacist prison gangs in Washington with more than a half dozen such gangs both in the state’s prison system and on the streets. These groups include Aryan Knights, International Peckerwood Syndicate, Hakenkreuz Skinheads and Aryan Family. In March 2023, authorities indicted 27 men for participating in an international drug trafficking conspiracy with ties to Pierce County, the Aryan Family prison gang and the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel. A law enforcement operation conducted that month recovered 177 guns, more than 10 kilos of methamphetamine, 11 kilos of fentanyl pills, three kilos of heroin and more than $330,000 in cash. The Washington suspects are from Auburn, Bonney Lake, Burbank, Burien, Edgewood, Pierce County, Puyallup, Quilcene, Renton, Ridgefield, Seattle, Shelton, Spanaway, Steilacoom, Tacoma and Tukwila.
QAnon Adherent and Insurrectionist Killed in Seattle
On October 1, 2024, an individual shot and killed Tamara Towers Parry, a 57-year-old Seattle resident who pointed a gun at two people delivering paperwork to her home, one of whom opened fire on her. Towers Parry was a doctor whose medical license was suspended after she participated in the January 6 insurrection, where she was photographed wearing a coat and carrying a flag, both with a “Q” on them, a reference to the QAnon movement. According to reports, a QAnon flag was flying outside of her home on the day she was killed.
New Independent Fundamental Baptist (New IFB) Movement
The New Independent Fundamental Baptist (New IFB) movement is a loose network of independent churches across the U.S. and abroad that are connected by their belief in certain religious doctrines and a shared brand of deeply held anti-LGBTQ+ and antisemitic beliefs, and other bigoted teachings. New IFB pastors frequently call for LGBTQ+ people to kill themselves or be killed by the government and make other disparaging remarks about the LGBTQ+ community. Their antisemitic beliefs include claiming that Jewish people today worship Satan and are not “true” Jews.
Prominent New IFB pastor Aaron Thompson leads the Washington State-based Sure Foundation Baptist Church in Vancouver. Sure Foundation Baptist Church has multiple satellite church “plants” operating under the same name in Seattle and Spokane and is also affiliated with Bible Believers Baptist Church in Union Gap. Though the number of churches and size of their congregations are limited, the New IFB capitalizes on social media to disseminate their messages widely online. Thompson also travels to other New IFB churches outside of the region to participate in conferences, deliver guest sermons and engage in “soul-winning” activities.
Thompson has endorsed Holocaust denial, and along with his acolytes — like Brother Jason Graber, who leads Sure Foundation Baptist Church’s Spokane plant — frequently promote extremist beliefs in their sermons, including calling for the death penalty against various populations like the LGBTQ+ community or women who receive abortions. Despite receiving public criticism for their teachings, New IFB leaders continue to promote such beliefs.
Members of the congregation have also shared similarly bigoted beliefs. Authorities arrested Tyler Dinsmoor, a Washington man who sometimes attended Sure Foundation Baptist Church, after he allegedly made threatening anti-LGBTQ+ remarks to a woman in North Whidbey. He has also reportedly published many concerning posts online, including threatening to attack the Anacortes Pride Parade that year.
Recommendations for Policymakers
ADL advocates for a range of policies and activities that can help address antisemitism, hate and extremism while preserving civil liberties. The following suggestions are intended as potential policy items for Oregon and Washington to consider as lawmakers address the challenges raised in this report.
- Address violent extremism through prevention, training and prosecution. Establish policies and practices that address extremism in our communities. Invest in solutions that encourage prevention of extremist ideologies, train law enforcement and health professionals to deter, disrupt, and address extremist activity, and provide tools to ensure accountability for those who commit violent crimes in furtherance of extremist ideologies. The work and recommendations of the Washington state Attorney General’s Domestic Extremism and Mass Violence Task Force are commendable in this regard.
- Condemn rising antisemitism as a unique form of hate. Speak out forcefully and unequivocally against antisemitism. Regardless of its origins, governors, legislators and other leaders must call out antisemitism and rally their communities to action.
- Train state employees and law enforcement on antisemitism, hate and extremism. Antisemitism, hate and extremism training for state employees and law enforcement will help ensure that key stakeholders understand the threats, how they can manifest and how to appropriately respond. The use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism can provide a useful educational framework to understand classic and modern manifestations of this hate.
Provide support and safety to vulnerable populations. Ensuring that victims of hate and bias have the support and resources needed is an obligation of policy makers. This includes:
a. The establishment and full funding of a state Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). The continuous targeting by extremists of vulnerable communities across the region puts all communities at an increased risk. In Washington, the state NSGP, established in 2023, is a critical companion to the federal NSGP to protect communities across the state. In 2024, Washington’s Department of Commerce received 57 applications totaling $2,487,394 and awarded grants to 33 nonprofits. Establishing a program in Oregon will be a critical tool to ensuring the safety of Jewish communal facilities and other targeted groups.
b. Protect communities of faith from harassment and intimidation. In recent years, houses of worship have unfortunately become targets of harassment and intimidation by extremists. This disrupts public safety and creates fear among congregants from freely practicing their faith. To protect individuals’ physical safety and their ability to exercise their freedom of religion, while still allowing others to express their views, we urge the Washington state legislature to explore the adoption of legislation that would establish buffer zones around houses of worship within the framework of the First Amendment.
c. Support the state-wide hate and bias incident hotline. Since its inception in Oregon in 2019 and in Washington in 2024, the state-wide Hate and Bias Incident Hotline is one of the region’s greatest assets in fighting hate – providing victims a place to receive support and referrals. Ensuring that the hotline is properly resourced is critical to its effectiveness in supporting victims of hate and ensuring the collection of valuable data for policymakers.
- Counter tactics of hate. Against a backdrop of a troubling increase in antisemitism and extremism across the region, we can and must do more to protect communities from emerging tactics of hate. This includes supporting communities in the wake of hateful flyer distributions, addressing the public safety hazards posed by laser projections and banner drops, and protecting religious congregants from targeted intimidation and harassment at their houses of worship. We recommend that lawmakers consider whether existing laws and ordinances are sufficient to address these emerging threats.
- Protect Jewish students by addressing incidents of bias and hate. Continue to convene and collaborate with K-12 school and college and university leaders to improve campus safety and issue guidance on how campus rules, standards, and policies can be enforced to ensure campus safety. ADL supports the Washington state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Equity and Civil Rights Office’s request for funds for additional staffing to support the increased volume and complexity of the nondiscrimination complaints received from families, districts, and the public.
- Defending Civil Rights. Protecting the civil rights of all people in the Pacific Northwest, especially members of marginalized communities, is crucial for countering discrimination and bias. ADL has long supported measures that counter antisemitism; measures that would extend nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ+ people in employment, housing, and public accommodations; measures that address racial discrimination and injustice; and measures that help protect the safety, dignity, and well-being of immigrants and refugees.
Donor Acknowledgements
The work of ADL’s Center on Extremism is supported, in part, through the generosity of:
Anonymous (3)
The ADL Lewy Family Institute for Combatting Antisemitism
Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundations
Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund
MasterCard Impact Fund
The Morningstar Foundation
Quadrivium Foundation
The Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation
Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
The Zegar Family Foundation
Rhonda and David Cohen