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There are 40 hate groups operating in Georgia, report says

Hate group plans protests in Atlanta, Gainesville on Super Bowl Sunday

There are dozens of hate groups in the state of Georgia, according to a report that monitors hate groups and extremists in the United States

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are 40 active hate groups in Georgia.

The SPLC's report features a map detailing more than 950 hate groups actively operating across the country.

A new Gwinnett County church may soon be added to this list. We started looking into the church after a viewer tipped us off about the sermons, during which its pastor calls for the death penalty for gays, adulterers and others. We investigate whether or not it's considered free speech and talk with the pastor, Thursday on Channel 2 Action News at 5 p.m.

According to the report with numbers from 2017, the number of active Ku Klux Klan groups is down from 130 the year before to 72. The number of neo-Nazi groups increased 22 percent in the same time period.

The SPLC says the list was compiled using hate group publications and websites, citizen and law enforcement reports, field sources and news reports. Groups that appear in the center of states represent statewide groups.

Georgia Hate Groups Map

Hate group activities can include criminal acts, marches, rallies, speeches, meetings, leafleting or publishing.

These are the hate groups operating in Georgia, according to the SPLC. (* denote group headquarters)

Statewide

Albany

Atlanta

Augusta

Brooks

Brunswick

Cedartown

  • International Keystone Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (Ku Klux Klan)

Decatur

Ellijay

  • United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan* (Ku Klux Klan)

Incomplete

Macon

Marietta

  • The Dustin Inman Society* (Anti-Immigrant) **After this report was published, the Dustin Inman Society called Channel 2 to dispute their position on this list that was created by the SPLC. Billy Inman, the father of Dustin Inman, who was killed in a crash with an illegal immigrant, said his group has nothing to do with hate -- it's about education. Inman said he is still fighting for justice for his son 19 years later. By creating this society, Inman said, he is trying to keep his son's story alive so what happened to his family doesn't happen to yours.

Powder Springs

Rome

Savannah

Stone Mountain

Thomaston

Villa Rica

Waycross