Unfortunately, hoaxes are not unusual. Here's a website that actually tracks some of them, http://fakehatecrimes.org/. I remember an incident where a Jewish girl painted swastikas on her dormitory door, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_bK7eW_3v0. Here's a recent example, https://tinyurl.com/jd4mwg5 Agendas can vary at times and some are no doubt spooks for the gov't (or *a* gov't) but in general there's big money to be made for "anti-racist," "anti-hate" watchdog groups - think SPLC, the ADL and PRA - who use McCarthy-like witch-hunt tactics of "links" and "ties" and "guilt by association."

Laird Wilcox was on to this decades ago. His extensive work is archived in the Kenneth Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3nrb69Wr3o. See his well-researched piece, Crying Wolf: Hate Crime Hoaxes in America, http://www.fakehatecrimes.org/Crying-Wolf-by-Laird-Wilcox.pdf. and his book on extremist groups co-authored by late professor, John George.