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New York, NY, November 29, 2017 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today called President Donald Trump’s retweets of violent anti-Muslim propaganda originally shared by a leader in a far-right extremist group in the United Kingdom, “shameful and dangerous,” saying the president’s tweets could inspire anti-Muslim bigotry both at home and abroad.
Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO, issued the following statement:
It is shameful and dangerous that the president of the United States is retweeting disturbing and violent anti-Muslim videos sourced from a far-right nationalist with a long and dubious record of propagating hate videos. This person has been charged with harassment against a Muslim woman in Great Britain. This is inexcusable conduct from the leader of the free world.
These retweets from President Trump only serve to encourage extremists and anti-Muslim bigots in the United States and abroad who exploit the propaganda value. Such content is the engine that fuels extremist movements and will embolden bigots in the U.S. who already believe the president is a fellow traveler. And it will provide encouragement to extremists abroad who are already seeing it as an endorsement of their hateful and bigoted views.
The impact of these tweets is compounded by the fact that the president and his administration are proposing and implementing anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim initiatives that violate core American values and conflict with the U.S. Constitution. We have seen a dangerous escalating line from this administration, from advocating intolerant ideas to pushing out prejudiced memes to introducing anti-immigrant policies like the Muslim travel ban. And, earlier this month, the FBI documented a 19 percent increase in hate crimes directed against Muslims from 2015 to 2016.
The President of the United States should always use his bully pulpit to unite our communities, not divide them. We stand with the Muslim community and with all those condemning this shameful message.
Earlier today, the president retweeted three violent anti-Muslim videos posted by Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First, a far-right extremist group whose members have garnered attention by entering mosques and calling on members to reject Islam. The group has been banned from entering mosques in parts of Great Britain.