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Hate Symbols, from Hand Gestures to Haircuts, Added to ADL Database; Malaysian PM,'glad to be labeled anti-Semitic,' Speaks on Campus

ADL Headlines newsletter

September 27, 2019

THE WEEK’S BIG 3

The “okay” hand sign, the Dylann Roof ‘bowlcut’, and 34 other extremist symbols have been added to ADL’s hate symbols database. The Department of Homeland Security unveiled a new strategy that places a priority on domestic terrorism, including the threat posed by the far-right. And the Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahatir Mohamad, who has a history of making deeply offensive and anti-Semitic statements, was invited to speak at Columbia University this week, despite the objections of Jewish groups and advocates.

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)    ‘OK’ Hand Gesture, ‘Bowlcut’ Added to Hate Symbols Database

“The ADL has updated its database to include the ‘OK’ hand symbol, which became fodder for a 4chan trolling campaign to dupe viewers into thinking the fingers formed the letters ‘W’ and ‘P’ to mean ‘white power.’ But the ADL says extremists are also using it as a sincere expression of white supremacy.” Associated Press: READ MORE

+ VIEW: Hate on Display, ADL’s Hate Symbols Database

+ After Attacks in U.S., Extremist Symbols Draw Scrutiny – The New York Times

+ WATCH: Breaking down Hate on Display

2)    Department of Homeland Security Strategy Adds White Supremacy to List of Threats

“’I think there is the appropriate callout for white-supremacist and other targeted-violence actors in this strategy,’ said George Selim, a former DHS official who ran violent-extremism-prevention programs and resigned two areas ago, and now works for the Anti-Defamation League. His concern is that ‘it’s not clear what the means of execution and resources are.’” The Atlantic: FULL STORY

+ READ: George Selim’s testimony before a Senate committee regarding mass violence, extremism, and digital responsibility

+ ADL Resource: Murder and Extremism in the United States in 2018

3)    Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Who Said He is Proud to be Called Anti-Semitic, Speaks at Columbia University

“Major Jewish groups, including the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, had condemned the Ivy League school for giving such an exalted platform to someone who has called Jews ‘hook-nosed,’ said that they ‘rule the world by proxy’ and questioned the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust.” The Times of Israel: FULL STORY

+ TWEET from Jonathan Greenblatt: “We hope the @Columbia leadership & community will communicate unequivocally that his brand of #antiSemitic scapegoating and hate is loathsome and unacceptable…”

KEY ADL SOCIAL STATEMENTS

•    Especially as #antiSemitism is on the rise globally & continues to be expressed openly in @UKLabour, we need leaders to speak out against this #hate…
•    We are glad to see the House of Representatives pass the Burma Act today, which @ADL endorsed…
•    With Rosh Hashana around the corner, remember, you have rights when it comes to getting time off from school or work to observe the holiday…

IN THE COMMUNITY

•    Anti-Semitic Graffiti Found on Wisconsin Synagogue (Jewish Journal)
•    Palm Beach County principals undergo ‘Holocaust training’ (WPTV, NBC West Palm Beach, FL – Yael Hershfield interviewed)
•    Grounds of Boston-area synagogue vandalized with swastika symbols (JTA)

ADL IN THE NEWS

•    White terrorism is an international menace. We need a new strategy to fight it. (The Washington Post)
•    Tech fight against online extremism gets overhaul (The Hill)
•    GOP Senate Candidate Accused Party of ‘Dual Loyalties’ to Israel (Jewish Journal)
 

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