February 27, 2020
THE WEEK’S BIG 3
Far-right extremists killed at least 38 people in the U.S. in 2019, the sixth deadliest year on record violence by all domestic extremists since 1970, according to a new report. Federal prosecutors charged five people allegedly linked to a neo-Nazi group for engaging in a campaign to intimidate and harass journalists, activists and a member of the President’s cabinet. Calling AIPAC a platform “for leaders who express bigotry,” presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders announced he would not attend the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, prompting ADL and others to label his remarks “irresponsible.”
Read on for more on these headlines, news you can use to fight hate and the latest info about ADL from around the country.
1) Domestic Far-Right Extremists Killed At Least 38 People in 2019
“The Anti-Defamation League counted a total of 42 domestic extremism-related slayings last year. The gunman who shot and killed 22 people in August 2019 at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, accounted for more than half of them.” Associated Press: READ MORE
+ ADL Resource: Murder and Extremism in the United States in 2019
2) White Supremacists Arrested After Targeting Journalists, Activists and a Trump Official
“The charges, announced on Wednesday in Virginia and Washington State, are part of a broader recent crackdown by federal law enforcement on violent white supremacists in the United States. Authorities said the individuals were associated with the Atomwaffen Division, a small but violent paramilitary neo-Nazi group.” The New York Times: FULL STORY
+ ADL Blog: Five Alleged Atomwaffen Members Arrested for Swatting, Intimidation
+ ADL Backgrounder: Atomwaffen Division (AWD)
3) Bernie Sanders Won’t Attend AIPAC Conference; Says Lobbying Group Provides Platform for ‘Bigotry’
“Sanders wrote on Twitter that he would not attend the conference because he is ‘concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and opposed basic Palestinian rights.’” Salon: FULL STORY
KEY ADL SOCIAL STATEMENTS
- Sad sign of the times that bomb threats were emailed to 19 JCCs across the state in recent days…
- Steve Ross was a fixture in the New England Jewish community…
- We applaud House passage of @RepBobbyRush’s anti-lynching legislation today & urge the Senate to act…
IN THE COMMUNITY
- Marching With King: After 50 Years, A Coloradan Makes An Emotional Return to Selma (Colorado Public Radio)
- Swastikas Founds on 2 NJ Jewish-Owned Businesses (Jewish Journal)
- NJ Homeland Security Says Domestic Terrorism Threat Is Up (WCBS Radio)
ADL IN THE NEWS
- Celebrating Israel is a vital part of Jewish education – and American experience (Forward – Jonathan Greenblatt op-ed)
- White supremacist propaganda produced by U.S. hate groups is spreading – and working (NBC News – Carla Hill op-ed)
- ADL calls on Egypt, Oman to remove antisemitic books from state-run fairs (The Jerusalem Post)