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“The Great Reset” Conspiracy Flourishes Amid Continued Pandemic

Article

December 29, 2020 Since first emerging in the spring of 2020, “The Great Reset” conspiracy has gained traction with the ongoing spread of COVID-19 in both mainstream and fringe circles alike. In its most common form, adherents warn that “global elites” will use the pandemic to advance their interests and push forward a globalist plot to destroy American sovereignty and prosperity. However, there are more outlandish and pernicious strains of the conspiracy, and the…

December 29, 2020

Proud Boys’ Bigotry is on Full Display

Article

December 24, 2020 In mid-December an image started circulating on social media. The image was taken in Washington, D.C. and featured a man standing alongside a group of Proud Boys and wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the cryptic text “6MWE.” This code for “6 Million Wasn’t Enough” is a not-so-veiled reference to the Holocaust. The man, who has not yet been identified, also wore a Proud Boys baseball hat and the skull face mask popular among -- but not…

December 24, 2020

Pro-Trump Rallies in DC Attract Extremists & Erupt into Violence

Article

December 13, 2020 On December 12, 2020, multiple pro-Trump demonstrations took place in Washington, DC, including one that was organized by white supremacists and another that included extremist speakers on their dais. Later that evening over 100 members of the right-wing extremist group the Proud Boys roamed the streets of the city while chanting expletive-laced slogans against Black Lives Matter and Antifa. The Jericho March The largest event of the day was a prayer…

December 13, 2020

Anne Frank memorial defaced; Christchurch attach report says New Zealand police failed to enforce firearm license checks; Facebook to start aggressively policing anti-Black hate speech

Article

December 11, 2020 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 The only Anne Frank memorial in the United States was vandalized Tuesday, a distressing display of hate that has prompted a police investigation. A report into last year's Christchurch mosque attack found that New Zealand security agencies were "almost exclusively" focused on the threat from Islamist terrorism, and police failed to enforce proper checks on firearm licenses. Facebook is embarking on a major overhaul of its algorithms that detect hate…

December 11, 2020

New Jersey Police investigate dead pig outside rabbi’s home; Jewish groups call out retailers for ‘Holocough’ shirts; Armed ‘sovereign citizen’ arrested after buying explosive ingredients

Article

December 04, 2020 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 Police in New Jersey are investigating an apparent hate crime after the carcass of a dead pig was left on the doorstep of a rabbi’s home in the town of Lakewood. Two online retailers briefly listed shirts for sale with the words “I survived the Holocough” emblazoned on them, referencing a white supremacist meme. A suspected member of the right-wing sovereign citizen movement was arrested at a Boston bus station carrying a gun and…

December 04, 2020

Extremists Maintain Significant Presence on Facebook

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November 17, 2020 Facebook has been vocal about its recent efforts to suspend and ban hateful, conspiratorial and violent content from its platform. And yet a great deal of extremist content remains. As of November 16, 2020, even a cursory search of Facebook brings up white supremacist, racist and antisemitic pages. The following is a sampling of extremist groups and individuals currently active on Facebook. Antisemites and Holocaust Deniers: TruNews is a fundamentalist…

November 17, 2020

New York Man Arrested for Threatening Law Enforcement and Democratic Politicians

Article

November 12, 2020 Federal agents with New York’s Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Brian Maiorana, 54, of Staten Island on November 10, 2020, charging him with making threatening interstate communications. According to the criminal complaint, Maiorana recently used social media accounts to threaten violence against Democratic politicians, law enforcement officers and social justice protestors. While Maiorana does not appear to have fully committed to an extremist ideology, and many…

November 12, 2020

At the Extremes: The 2020 Election and American Extremism, Part 7

Article

November 12, 2020 In the weeks leading up to and after the 2020 presidential election, the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Center on Extremism (COE) in conjunction with ADL’s Center for Technology and Society has been releasing a series of news briefs on topics of concern regarding the role extremists and extremism more broadly are playing in our current political environment. Here's Part 7: Extremists Plan to Attend “Million MAGA March” in Washington, D.C. Who/What:…

November 12, 2020

Jonathan Greenblatt's Opening Remarks at ADL's 2020 Never Is Now Summit on Antisemitism and Hate

News

Remarks by Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO November 09, 2020 Thank you all for tuning in today for the 5th annual Never is Now conference. There is so much to discuss, but before we get started, I want to pause and remember Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks who left us too soon this weekend. He was an extraordinary leader, a remarkable rabbi, a gifted scholar and a beautiful man. He will be missed. May his memory always be for a blessing. We gather today -- virtually -- at what feels like the start…

November 09, 2020

QAnon proponent wins Georgia House race; ADL offering $3,000 reward for information on gravestone vandalism in Michigan

Article

November 06, 2020 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 As the country waited anxiously for all the votes to be counted in the U.S. presidential election, ADL urged calm and patience and reiterated our longstanding calls that every vote counts and every vote must be counted. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican candidate from Georgia who has espoused the antisemitic QAnon conspiracy theory and employed racist rhetoric during her congressional campaign was elected to the House of Representatives. And ADL…

November 06, 2020

Philadelphia Police Stop Potential Election-Related Attack by QAnon Adherent

Article

November 06, 2020 On November 5, 2020, Philadelphia police arrested two men from Virginia, thwarting a possible attack targeting people counting votes from Tuesday’s election at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Antonio LaMotta, 61, and Joshua Macias, 42, were arrested after police received a tip that the men were traveling to Philadelphia to allegedly engage in unspecified criminal activity. Police arrested the two men as they approached officers who were investigating their vehicle,…

November 06, 2020

At the Extremes: The 2020 Election and American Extremism | Part 6

Article

October 28, 2020 In the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election, the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Center on Extremism (COE) in conjunction with ADL’s Center for Technology and Society is releasing a series of news briefs on topics of concern regarding the role extremists and extremism more broadly are playing in our current political environment. Here's Part 6: As QAnon Tightens Its Paranoid Grip on the U.S., Here’s a Helpful Guide to the Lunacy [See here:…

October 28, 2020

Two Years After Synagogue Massacre, Gab Remains Extremists' Online Destination of Choice

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October 27, 2020 Two years ago, white supremacist Robert Bowers killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh after posting antisemitic, anti-immigrant rants on Gab. Today, supported by a founder who encourages hate speech, the social media site appears to be gaining traction among right-wing extremists, including white supremacists: Sixty percent of the 47 right-wing extremist groups currently on Gab were created this year. Gab is rife with white supremacist groups. …

October 27, 2020

At the Extremes: The 2020 Election and American Extremism | Part 5

Article

October 22, 2020 In the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election, the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Center on Extremism (COE) in conjunction with ADL’s Center for Technology and Society is releasing a series of news briefs on topics of concern regarding the role extremists and extremism more broadly are playing in our current political environment. Here's Part 5: Extremists and non-Extremists alike target Michigan Governor with violent threats Who/What: Michigan…

October 22, 2020

At the Extremes: The 2020 Election and American Extremism | Part 4

Article

October 15, 2020 In the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election, the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Center on Extremism (COE) in conjunction with ADL’s Center for Technology and Society is releasing a series of news briefs on topics of concern regarding the role extremists and extremism more broadly are playing in our current political environment. Here's Part 4: Extremism Resources: What You Need to Know to Navigate the Last Three Weeks of the 2020 Election…

October 15, 2020

Jewish lawmakers face ‘alarming’ antisemitic tweets; Facebook will ban groups that support QAnon; Feds thwart militia plot to kidnap Michigan governor

Article

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…

October 11, 2020

Thirteen Men Arrested for Plotting to Kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

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October 08, 2020 Update: October 13, 2020: Militia members charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also discussed kidnapping Virginia’s governor during a June meeting in Ohio, according to an FBI agent's testimony. “They discussed possible targets, taking a sitting governor, specifically issues with the governor of Michigan and Virginia based on the lockdown orders,” the agent told a Michigan courtroom. On October…

October 08, 2020

At the Extremes: The 2020 Election and American Extremism | Part 1

Article

September 24, 2020 In the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election, the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Center on Extremism in conjunction with ADL’s Center for Technology and Society is releasing a series of news briefs on topics of concern regarding the role extremists and extremism more broadly are playing in our current political environment. Here's Part 1: From the Right, Accusations of a Planned Democratic Coup Emerge Who/What: Some Trump supporters are accusing…

September 24, 2020

DHS allegedly downplayed white supremacists threats; VP Pence to attend event hosted by QAnon backers; Palestinian hijacker to speak at San Francisco State University

Article

September 11, 2020 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 Top officials with the Department of Homeland Security directed agency analysts to downplay threats from violent white supremacy, a whistle-blower complaint released on Wednesday said. Vice President Mike Pence and top officials from the Trump campaign are slated to attend a Montana fundraiser next week hosted by a couple who have expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory. A Palestinian woman who played a part in the hijackings of two…

September 11, 2020

Israel and UAE strike major agreement; Facebook bans blackface and antisemitic conspiracy theories; Jewish groups condemn Marjorie Greene

Article

August 14, 2020 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 Israel struck an agreement with the United Arab Emirates to establish “full normalization of relations” even as it forgoes for now plans to annex occupied West Bank territory in order to focus on improving its ties with the rest of the Arab world. Facebook will start banning posts that contain blackface or that promote antisemitic conspiracy theories that Jewish people are running the world. A Georgia congressional candidate, who has a…

August 14, 2020