125 Results

A Hate Crime Law in Indiana is Long Overdue

Article

February 13, 2019 Last year in Indiana, a Catholic priest was attacked while praying, a Jewish synagogue was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti, and an Unitarian church was targeted with racist and homophobic banners. In all three cases, the FBI assisted with the investigation because, unlike Indiana, federal law contains a comprehensive hate crime statute. Often misunderstood, hate crime statutes do not criminalize “hate speech.” Rather, these laws increase the punishment…

February 13, 2019

ADL Condemns Alleged Homophobic, Racist Assault on Actor Jussie Smollett; Calls for a Hate Crimes Investigation

Press Release

UPDATE 2.21.2019: Police now allege that Mr. Smollett fabricated the crime. He has been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt penned this op-ed for CNN, arguing that in spite of this one high-profile incident, we must not forget hate crimes are in fact increasing and cause tremendous damage to marginalized communities targeted. He also details recommendations for preventing hate crimes. New York, NY,…

January 29, 2019

ADL Urges Passage of New Hate Crime Bill in Utah

Press Release

Salt Lake City, UT, January 25, 2019 … ADL today voiced strong support for the Utah Legislature’s efforts to pass new hate crimes legislation that will be more effective and comprehensive, covering all classes of victims, including LGBTQ people, and applying to all acts of criminality, including felonies. “Comprehensive hate crimes legislation is essential to protecting the safety and well-being of all Utahns,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National…

January 25, 2019

Right-Wing Extremism Linked to Every 2018 Extremist Murder in the U.S., ADL Finds

Press Release

Right-wing extremists killed more people last year than in any year since 1995 New York, NY, January 23, 2019 … Right-wing extremists were linked to at least 50 extremist-related murders in the United States in 2018, making them responsible for more deaths than in any year since 1995, according to new data from the ADL. In its annual report on extremist-related killings in the U.S., the ADL’s Center on Extremism reported that at least 50 people were killed by extremists in…

January 22, 2019

Racist Skinheads Charged in Washington State Hate Crime Attack

Article

December 13, 2018 On December 9, a group of eight individuals associated with the racist skinhead movement were arrested in Lynnwood, Washington, for allegedly assaulting and shouting racial slurs at the DJ at the Rec Room Bar. The DJ, a black man, was reportedly punched and stomped on during the altercation. Each of the eight individuals faces malicious harassment hate crime charges for their alleged role in the assault. Those charged in the assault include Travis David Condor of…

December 13, 2018

United States v. Hill (U.S.C.A. 4th Circuit, 2018)

Amicus Brief

This case involves a challenge to the constitutionality of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) in a case in which an Amazon shipping warehouse employee was violently assaulted by a co-worker due to his perceived sexual orientation. The District Court vacated a unanimous jury conviction under the HCPA, on the grounds that the HCPA was an unconstitutional exercise of Congress’s Commerce Clause power as applied in this case. On appeal, ADL joined an…

ADL Statement on Verdict in James Alex Fields Jr. Trial

Press Release

New York, NY, December 7, 2018 ... ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt issued the following the statement concerning the conviction of James Alex Fields Jr.: Heather Heyer's death was a tragedy. Fields traveled to Charlottesville to participate in an event celebrating racism and anti-Semitism, and his violent actions were a devastating reminder of the consequences of unchecked hate. We applaud the verdict, and we thank members of the prosecution and law enforcement for their efforts to…

December 07, 2018

Another White Supremacist Uses Gab to Share Violent, Racist Fantasies

Article

November 15, 2018 In a chilling postscript to Robert Bowers’ murderous October shooting spree at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, authorities in Washington, D.C., arrested Jeffrey Raphiel Clark, Jr., 30, an on-line associate of Bowers. The November 9 arrest came after family members contacted law enforcement out of concern that Clark might become violent. Clark was charged with illegal transportation of a firearm across state lines, possession of an illegal high-capacity…

November 15, 2018

ADL Calls on Leaders to Redouble Efforts to Counter Hate After FBI Reports Hate Crimes Jumped 17 Percent

Press Release

New national data says hate crimes targeting Jews spiked nearly 40 percent New York, November 13, 2018 … ADL today said more must be done to address the divisive climate of hate in America after newly released FBI data showed hate crimes in the U.S. jumped 17 percent in 2017 with a 37 percent spike in crimes targeting Jews and Jewish institutions. The increase reported by the FBI mirrors the surge ADL found in its annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents. In its annual Hate Crime…

November 13, 2018

Tree of Life Shooting Revives “Optics” Debate Among White Supremacists

Article

November 06, 2018 Robert Bowers appears to have referenced “optics” on social media prior to allegedly opening fire at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. His comments -- “Screw your optics, I’m going in.” -- and extremists’ reaction to them highlight a division that has dogged the white supremacist movement since August 2017’s violent “Unite the Right” rally. Following the shooting rampage, Matt Parrott, co-founder of the now…

November 06, 2018

White Supremacists' Anti-Semitic and Anti-Immigrant Sentiments Often Intersect

Article

October 27, 2018 The last post made to the social networking account believed to belong to Robert Bowers, the suspect in Saturday’s deadly shooting spree at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, claimed that “HIAS [Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society] likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.” The post, made just a short time before the attack on the…

October 27, 2018

"The Jews Should Count Themselves Lucky." Extremists React to Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting

Article

October 27, 2018 Extremists reacted quickly and vocally to Saturday’s shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Some celebrated the killings as “another holiday to add to the calendar,” others blamed the Jewish community for inciting the violence and praising the apparent perpetrator for his decisive action. Still others bemoaned the media coverage of the “false flag” distraction from the incoming “caravan” of Central American immigrants and refugees. …

October 27, 2018

Deadly Shooting at Pittsburgh Synagogue

Article

October 27, 2018 According to police and media reports, Robert Bowers allegedly entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday morning, yelling, “All Jews Must Die” as he opened fire. As of Saturday evening, the death toll stood at 11, and several people remained hospitalized. A profile on Gab – a social media site frequented by right-wing extremists – which appears to belong to Bowers, showcases his virulent anti-Semitism. The vast majority of…

October 27, 2018

ADL Statement on Synagogue Shooting in Pittsburgh

Press Release

New York, NY, October 27, 2018 … ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt released the following statement in response to the horrific and fatal anti-Semitic attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh today. Our hearts break for the families of those killed and injured at the Tree of Life Synagogue, and for the entire Jewish community of Pittsburgh. We believe this is the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States. We are…

October 27, 2018

New Report from ADL Provides an In-Depth Look at the Current State of American White Supremacy

Press Release

New York, NY, October 9, 2018 … ADL has unveiled a new and comprehensive report that examines the current state of white supremacy. “New Hate and Old: The Changing Face of American White Supremacy,” produced by ADL’s Center on Extremism, is a deep dive into the forces behind this deadly ideology -- from the emergence of the alt right to the ongoing threat posed by more established elements of the movement. Among the contents of the report: a close look at the…

October 09, 2018

International Community Can and Must Do More to Confront Hate Crimes

News

By David Weinberg | Washington Representative for International Affairs and Susan Corke | Director of Countering Antisemitism and Extremism at Human Rights First August 15, 2018 The Hill In 2017, when the number of homophobic hate crimes increased in Norway, the Oslo police force marched in the Pride parade as a show of solidarity. When Canadian synagogues were threatened, authorities denounced the threats as antithetical to Canadian values, and police promised to proactively…

August 15, 2018

ADL and Partners Launch Initiative to Combat Extremism in Cities Across the U.S.

Press Release

New York, NY, August 15, 2018 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), along with a diverse group of partners, today launched “Communities Overcoming Extremism: The After Charlottesville Project.” This national capacity-building project is focused on empowering communities with tools to combat the dramatic rise in extremism, intolerance, and political violence cities and communities have seen in the year since the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville last August. &ldquo…

August 15, 2018

Five Lessons of Charlottesville One Year Later: ADL Director

News

by: Jonathan Greenblatt | August 12, 2018 USA Today One year ago, hundreds of torch-wielding white supremacists gathered on the campus of the University of Virginia, chanting “Jews will not replace us!" The following day, the streets of Charlottesville exploded in violence, as neo-Nazis, Klansmen and alt-right agitators clashed with counter-protestors. As the National Guard was being called in, a young counter-protester, Heather Heyer, was killed in a tragedy…

August 12, 2018

ADL Unveils First of-its-Kind Interactive Map Pinpointing Extremism and Hate Across U.S.

Press Release

New York, NY, August 9, 2018 … In advance of the first anniversary of the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., that shook the nation, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today launched the ADL H.E.A.T. (Hate, Extremism, Anti-Semitism, Terrorism) Map ™ -- a first-of-a-kind interactive map detailing extremist and anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. The map is a visual reflection of select proprietary datasets developed by ADL experts in its Center on Extremism. …

August 08, 2018

ADL and Human Rights First Release Scorecard on Hate Crime Reporting in 57 OSCE Nations

Press Release

Only 36 of 57 participating states submitted hate crime data in 2016 New York, NY, July 25, 2018 … Against a backdrop of rising reports of hate crimes, Human Rights First and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today released their annual analysis of hate crime reporting by the 57 participating states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a security- and human rights-focused intergovernmental organization comprised of governments from North America, Europe, and…

July 25, 2018