North Dakota is home to three organizations identified as hate groups, according to a recent report from advocacy group Southern Poverty Law Center.

Two international groups - the Asatru Folk Assembly and the Soldiers of Odin - have established chapters in the state. California-based American Freedom Party also has a presence.

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Minnesota, which has a population about seven times that of North Dakota, is home to 12 active hate groups, including Asatru Folk Assembly and far-right group Proud Boys, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center's analysis.

In 2018, the center documented a record 1,020 hate groups across the United States. The center categorizes organizations as hate groups based on a host of factors, including statements from a group's leaders and publications, said Keegan Hankes, senior research analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The center keys in on anything that "actively demeans an entire group of people," such as members of a certain race, gender or sexual orientation, Hankes said.

Some groups, such as the American Freedom Party, actively promote notions of "white nationalism," for instance. James Kelso, a one-time candidate for the Grand Forks Public School Board, previously served as a director for the American Freedom Party, according to Herald archives. When reached for comment Tuesday, Kelso said he was no longer part of the organization.

Hate groups don't tend to follow "any sort of regional bounds," Hankes said, with the exception of neo-confederate ideology, which is more prevalent in the southern states.

The Asatru Folk Assembly, which bills itself as a religious group for people of European descent, landed on the center's list of hate groups for its "statements about ethnocentricity," Hankes said.

"We look at the way they couch racial views ... along with unfounded claims about pure bloodlines," Hankes said.

One of Asatru Folk Assembly's stated goals is the "preservation of the ethnic European folk and their continued evolution," according to the organization's website.

"Let us be clear: By ethnic European folk, we mean white people," one of the purpose statements reads.

Matt Flavel, an Asatru Folk Assembly leader, disputed the hate group designation.

"It's completely and totally untrue, and off-base, and dare I say hateful," Flavel said. "We don't have time or energy to focus on negativity or hating anybody. We're focused entirely on positive things."

Since Asatru Folk Assembly is an "ethnic religion" for European people, those of African or Asian descent are not allowed to participate, according to Flavel. He said those of non-European descent could look into other ethnic traditions, instead.

Finland-based Soldiers of Odin, which has a statewide presence in North Dakota, was identified as an "anti-muslim" hate group, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Hankes said that locals concerned about the rise of hate groups should contact public officials to make them aware of any issues.

"Then, of course, what's probably more important than ever these days is voting for candidates that that are fighting against hate groups and hate crimes, Hankes said.