Józef Młot-Mróz

The Unusual Story of a Polish American Extremist

Abstract

Józef Młot‑Mróz, a Polish refugee living in Salem, Massachusetts, was an anti‑communist, an anti‑Semite, and a right‑wing extremist. His political activity was frequent and varied, and he is thought to have participated in hundreds of demonstrations and distributed over a million copies of a hate sheet he regularly edited. He considered himself a one‑man crusader against communism, and as such was a frequent counter‑protester to many progressive and left‑wing initiatives. As the founder and only president of the Anti‑Communist Confederation of Polish Freedom Fighters, Młot‑Mróz often used the organization as a mouthpiece for his own views. His obsession with fighting “Jewish‑Communism” was heavily influenced by the notion of the “Jewish conspiracy” and other common anti‑Semitic tropes. This made his activity somewhat of a concern for Jewish Americans in New England. Due to the erratic nature of his behavior, he received noticeable press coverage in various parts of the U.S., especially in the Greater Boston area, where he became quite recognizable. He was not recognized by the wider Polish American community, which suggests a lack of support for extremist ideas within that ethnic group during the Cold War.