October 11, 2020
THE WEEK’S BIG 3
Jewish members of Congress are facing antisemitic attacks on Twitter in the lead-up to the November election, according to a new report from ADL. Facebook said it is escalating the campaign against QAnon, pledging to remove any Facebook pages, groups and Instagram accounts aligned with the conspiracy group. The FBI says it thwarted what it described as a plot to violently overthrow the government and kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
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) Jewish Lawmakers Face ‘Alarming’ Antisemitic Tweets, Report Says
“ADL used an index it’s developing that automatically analyzes online speech for potential discriminatory content. The group then added a layer of human review to parse nearly 6,000 tweets mentioning 30 lawmakers in both parties.” Associated Press: READ MORE
+ READ: Online Hate Index Report -- The Digital Experience of Jewish Lawmakers
+ ADL Resource: Online Hate Index
+ MORE from The Wall Street Journal
2) Facebook Says It Will Ban Groups That Openly Support QAnon
“Facebook said that it started to enforce the blanket ban on QAnon starting Tuesday and that it is ‘removing content accordingly, but this work will take time and need to continue in the coming days and weeks.’” Variety: FULL STORY
+ READ: ADL Statement on Facebook’s Decision to Finally Ban QAnon Content From Platform
+ ADL Resource: What is QAnon?
3) Feds Say They Thwarted Militia Plot to Kidnap Michigan Governor
“The court filing also alleges the conspirators twice conducted surveillance at Whitmer's personal vacation home and discussed kidnapping her to a ‘secure location’ in Wisconsin to stand ‘trial’ for treason prior to the Nov. 3 election.” The Detroit News: FULL STORY
KEY ADL SOCIAL STATEMENTS
- 35 years ago, Palestinian terrorists hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro and shot Leon Klinghoffer, an elderly, wheelchair bound US Jew, and threw him overboard. We will never forget this horrific attack and the vicious #antisemitism that motivated it…
- Encouraging @DHSgov is now recognizing what ADL has said for years: white supremacy poses the greatest domestic terror threat to our country…
- 22 years ago today, Matthew Shepard was the target of a homophobic assault that led to his death. We honor his memory and the courage of his parents, Judy and Dennis, in our push for #HateCrimes legislation…
IN THE COMMUNITY
- Principal who refused to call Holocaust a fact is rehired, given back pay (The Palm Beach Post)
- Man arrested for allegedly vandalizing Orthodox synagogue in Brooklyn (JTA)
- Texas governor faces third lawsuit over limit on mail ballot drop-off sites (Fox News)