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KKK Leader Drives Truck into Protesters, NASCAR Bars Confederate Flags, Did NYC Police Officer Make White Power Sign

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June 12, 2020

THE WEEK’S BIG 3

A man who rammed his truck into a crowd of peaceful protesters in Virginia on Sunday, injuring one person, is a Ku Klux Klan leader, authorities said. NASCAR said Wednesday that it is banning the display of the Confederate flag at all of its events and properties. A video of a uniformed New York City police officer appearing to make a white power symbol at a George Floyd protest Saturday in New York City has prompted an internal review.

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) KKK Leader Intentionally Drives Truck into Crowd of Peaceful Protesters; Injures 1

“Harry Rogers, 36, is ‘an admitted leader of the Ku Klux Klan and a propagandist for Confederate ideology,’ said Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor in a statement. Taylor said Rogers had been ‘driving recklessly down Lakeside Avenue on the median, drove up to the protestors, revved the engine, and drove into the protestors.’” BuzzFeed News: READ MORE

+ ADL Resource: Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan

+ ADL Resource: Small But Vocal Array of Right Wing Extremists Appearing at Protests

2) NASCAR Bans Confederate Flag at All Events and Properties

“NASCAR’s new outright ban on the Confederate flag comes more than two weeks after a black man, George Floyd, died when a white Minneapolis police officer named Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, even after Floyd repeatedly said, ‘I can’t breathe.’” CNBC: FULL STORY

+ Jonathan Greenblatt tweet: While this should’ve happened long ago, we applaud @NASCAR and @stevephelps for doing the right thing and banning the flag from its events.

+ ADL Hate Symbols Database: Confederate Flag

3) NYPD Officer Appears to Make White Power Sign at Protest, Prompting Probe

“The ‘OK’ gesture has been used by people around the world for centuries, typically to signal consent, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Recently, the hand signal has also been appropriated to represent the letters w and p to signify ‘white power,’ stemming from a hoax in 2017 by members of the website 4chan, an anonymous and unrestricted online message board, the ADL says.” NBC News: FULL STORY

+ ADL Hate Symbols Database: Okay Hand Gesture

+ ADL New York/New Jersey tweet: We join in urging a thorough investigation following video of an #NYPD officer allegedly flashing the “ok” gesture...

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