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President Biden announces "United We Stand" Summit after calls from ADL, advocacy organizations in the wake of the Buffalo shooting
New York, NY, August 19, 2022 … In May, following the tragic attack in Buffalo, New York, ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) worked with leading advocacy organizations including the National Urban League and the National Action Network to call on the White House to hold a summit on violent extremism and hate-fueled violence. ADL is incredibly grateful to see that President Biden and the Administration has heeded that call.
“Hate and extremism are at a historic high. They threaten our democratic institutions and undermine our norms of inclusion and tolerance,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director. “Violent extremists like white supremacists threaten our children and our neighbors, and they create terror that reverberates across our communities. United We Stand promises to be an excellent first step to understanding the problem and creating lasting change to reduce these threats.”
In June 2021, the Biden Administration released the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Domestic Terrorism. This followed an interagency process and advice from civil society organizations like ADL, which released its PROTECT Plan after the January 6th attack to counter domestic terrorism while preserving civil liberties. One year following the release of the Administration’s strategy, ADL and the McCain Institute convened thought leaders and policy makers to review progress but it was clear that more must be done.
“We are in uncharted territory, policy-wise,” said Ryan Greer, Director for National Security at ADL and former DHS and State Department official. “We need new ideas and fresh engagement to rethink policies from terrorism prevention to online disinformation and how to balance civil liberties with law enforcement approaches.”
Following the white supremacist attack in Buffalo, the Administration worked with ADL to commit to refreshing its thinking and creating new ideas. From that dialogue came a consortium of community organizations advising the White House that hosting a summit and hearing from impacted communities would be a critical step in rethinking our nation’s approach to violent extremism.
“The domestic violent extremist threat is severe,” added Greenblatt. “ADL is committed to uniting communities and building bipartisan solutions to prevent hate-fueled violence. We have been on the frontlines countering extremist violence, including working with Administrations and Members of Congress from both parties, and look forward to continuing our work to help tackle these challenges.”
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.