January 15, 2021
THE WEEK’S BIG 3
The FBI is warning of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C., in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, stoking fears of more violence after last week’s deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol. ADL is calling for the Department of Justice and the FBI to investigate Gab, a conservative social media company, and its CEO over allegations that they may have "intentionally aided, conspired with or directed" rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol. Parler, the alternative social media platform favored by conservatives, now finds itself virtually homeless on the internet as Amazon, Apple and Google have all booted it from their platforms in a span of a little more than 24 hours.
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) FBI Warns of Plans for Nationwide Armed Protests Next Week
“An internal FBI bulletin warned, as of Sunday, that the nationwide protests may start later this week and extend through Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration, according to two law enforcement officials who read details of the memo to The Associated Press. Investigators believe some of the people are members of extremist groups, the officials said.” Associated Press: READ MORE
+ ADL Resource: Furious Extremists Call for More Violence Around Inauguration Day
+ WATCH: Extremists intensify calls for violence ahead of Inauguration Day – Jonathan Greenblatt on CNN
+ ADL Resource: Extremism and Political Violence in America -- Current Landscape, Future Outlook
2) ADL Calls on Department of Justice to Investigate Social Media Platform Gab Over Capitol Riots
“The Anti-Defamation League released an open letter Wednesday morning calling for authorities to probe Gab and its CEO, Andrew Torba, saying they ‘may well bear a measure of criminal responsibility for the attack.’ The move comes amid growing pressure on social media outlets that serve as a petri dish for hate and violence.” USA Today: LEARN MORE
+ READ the open letter from ADL to DOJ re: Gab
+ ADL Resource: Gab and 8chan -- Home to Terrorist Plots Hiding in Plain Sight
3) Parler Booted by Amazon, Apple and Google
“The decision, which went into force on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, will shut down Parler's website and app until it can find a new hosting provider. In a letter obtained by CNN Business that was sent to Parler on Saturday, Amazon Web Services said that in recent weeks it has reported 98 examples to Parler of ‘posts that clearly encourage and incite violence.’” CNN: FULL STORY
+ ADL Resource: Parler Users Prepare for Site Shutdown with Conspiracy Theories, Threats
+ READ: Conspiracy theories collide online as Parler goes dark -- CNET
KEY ADL SOCIAL STATEMENTS
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Good to see that @Etsy finally removed the “Camp Auschwitz” shirt from their online marketplace…
- The attack on the US Capitol was facilitated by disinformation & hate on social media. Proud to have my friend @lauder_ronald and @WorldJewishCong join with @ADL to call on all tech companies to commit to stronger enforcement of their policies against #hate and #antisemitism…
- Our latest @ADL_Education #TableTalk goes into the dangers of disinformation & helps families have conversations about how the spread of disinformation was a factor in the violent riots at the Capitol…
IN THE COMMUNITY
- Omaha-metro monitors local hate groups after violence at U.S. Capitol (NBC Omaha -- Murphy Wulfgar interviewed)
- Bay Area Jewish leaders respond to anti-Semitic symbolism displayed at Capitol (FOX Bay Area -- Seth Brysk interviewed)
- Groups across state, country prepare for possibility of more violent protests (CBS Bay City, MI -- Carolyn Normandin interviewed)
ADL IN THE NEWS
- ADL head: Extremists could disrupt inauguration (ABC News Live -- Jonathan Greenblatt interviewed)
- The Capitol Riot and the Crusades: Why the Far Right Is Obsessed With Medieval History (Teen Vogue)
- Glenn Beck Criticized for Comparing Deplatforming to the ‘Digital Ghetto’ (Jewish Journal)