The Illinois State Police have joined a growing group of law enforcement groups warning residents of the potential threat posed by a “National Day of Hate,” with Neo-Nazi and antisemitic groups encouraging adherents to participate in hateful or violent actions over the coming weekend.
The department is urging residents to have “heightened awareness” of their surroundings, but says that there has been no actionable intelligence or information gathered about any possible violence ahead of Saturday.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also retweeted the message on Thursday afternoon.
Chicago police issued a similar warning to Jewish and other religious communities in the city.
According to David Goldenberg, Midwest regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, a small antisemitic group based in eastern Iowa designated Feb. 25 as a “day of hate,” with other white supremacy and hate groups since saying that they intend to participate.
“Our network of analysts at ADL centered around extremism are carefully monitoring online platforms, chat rooms and a whole bunch of other things, and we’ll alert appropriate authorities if we see anything that we think needs to be elevated,” he said.
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Residents are urged to call 911 immediately if they encounter suspicious vehicles, circumstances or individuals over the weekend.
“The Illinois Statewide Terrorism & Intelligence Center has been in communication with community organizations and will continue to monitor all intelligence platforms,” ISP officials said.
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The news comes amid increasing instances of antisemitism in the United States. Chicago police say that of the approximately 200 reported hate crimes that occurred in 2022, 38 of them targeted Jewish people.
According to a recent survey, more than four in 10 Jews in the United States feel their status in America is “less secure” than it was at this time last year, according to the American Jewish Committee.
Hate groups have been circulating literature and flyers in advance of this weekend, according to officials.
