Report says 5 hate groups active in Pittsburgh area

PITTSBURGH — A new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center found there are 40 hate groups located in Pennsylvania and at least five with chapters in the Pittsburgh area.

The local groups include chapters of the Ku Klux Klan and the Nation of Islam as well as an anti-Muslim group, a neo-Nazi group and a group that advocates for "radical traditional Catholicism," according to the SPLC report.

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The SPLC defines hate groups as "those that demonize and attack people based on characteristics they can't change."

A representative from the group said it's important for people to understand that hate groups exist locally, and to call attention to them.

"People were being killed because of these ideas," said Ryan Lenz. "It's important to note these ideas are all around us, and it's important for us to call them out, wherever they may lie."

The full report as well as the names of the local hate groups can be found HERE.

WPXI