One Year On: Marking Progress on Biden’s Counter-Domestic Terrorism Strategy
Article
This article was originally published for Just Security By Ryan Greer, National Security Director and Chief of Staff for Government Relations, Advocacy, and Community Engagement at ADL Early in the Biden administration, the president tasked the intelligence community with evaluating the domestic terrorist threat – intelligence officials concluded that it’s severe. On June 15, 2021, the Biden administration released the National Strategy to Counter Domestic Terrorism. Now that…
Firearms Remain the Weapons of Choice for Domestic Extremists
Article
The ADL Center on Extremism documented 187 incidents from 2012-2021 in which extremists used firearms to commit murder or violently engage with law enforcement. During these incidents, extremists killed 325 people and wounded 252.
Extremists Target LGBTQ+ Community During Pride Month
Article
With Pride month in full swing, extremists are making news by targeting LGBTQ+ events, groups and people. The ADL Center on Extremism (COE) has tracked a spate of extremist activity around Pride celebrations nationwide, fueled in part by the claim that members of the LGBTQ+ community are pedophiles who are “grooming” children.
Young Right-Wing Americans Forging Ties with European Ethno-Nationalists
Article
In May 2022, young American right-wing activists attended the CPAC Hungary conference and held their own meeting with youth leaders of xenophobic and ethno-nationalist European political parties. This gathering, along with the CPAC Hungary event, demonstrates the interconnectedness of American and European far-right thinking, and highlights the xenophobic, nationalistic rhetoric that is being promoted – and applauded – on both sides of the Atlantic. Some of the young American attendees also have ties to right-wing extremists.
Right-Wing Extremists Eye Leaked Abortion Ruling as Opportunity for Violence
Article
The May 2, 2022, leak of the draft opinion overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling has animated people on both sides of the abortion debate. And as pro-choice advocates are vowing to protest the potential loss of reproductive freedom, right-wing extremists advocating for -- and in some cases threatening -- violence against them.
ADL Letter to the Washington Post Regarding Recent Column Attacking ADL Methodology
Media Watch
The following letter was submitted to the Washington Post in response to "Beware the data on American right-wing violence" (May 23) To the Editor:
In “Beware the data on American right-wing violence,” Megan McArdle admits that far right violence is a problem, but insinuates it isn’t necessarily a bigger problem than other kinds of ideological violence. She offers no evidence but tries to make her case by second-guessing ADL’s annual reports on extremist-connected…
Clear Pattern of Israel-related Antisemitism Evident on Some Midwestern Campuses
Article
In recent years, several college campuses across the Midwest have seen a troubling pattern of antisemitic anti-Israel activity. Recent examples have included: the targeting of Hillel, the premier center for Jewish student life on college campuses, with graffiti reading “Free Palestine” and an object thrown during an anti-Israel protest; the dissemination of a pamphlet depicting Israeli Jews as pigs; a call to “LEAVE [Israel] if you are Jewish” and a meme posted on social media encouraging others to “start shaming Zionists” to “go back to Brooklyn.”
9 Ideas for Teaching Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Lesson Plan
Use these activities to bring the history, culture and experience of the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) people and community to your classroom.
Some Nakba Day Events Descend into Support for Violence, Antisemitism
Article
Nakba (“catastrophe” in Arabic) Day, held on May 15 each year, is marked by Palestinians and their supporters, including many anti-Israel activists, as a day to mourn the creation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948 and advocate for the Right of Return of Palestinian refugees.
Responding to Buffalo Shooting, Far-Right Politicians, Pundits Parrot Extremists
Article
After news broke of the deadly white supremacist shooting in Buffalo on Saturday, May 14, 2022, extremists, politicians and ideologues offered their takes on the attack.
Striking Similarities Between Gendron and Tarrant Manifestos
Article
The ADL Center on Extremism has found remarkable parallels and overlap between online manifestos posted by accused Buffalo shooting perpetrator Payton Gendron and Christchurch shooter Brenton Tarrant. While Gendron’s language is notably more antisemitic than Tarrant’s, entire portions of the texts are identical.
The Horrific Mass Shooting in Buffalo: How to Talk with Young People
Article
Another mass shooting has taken place, a violent massacre in which the shooter targeted a Black community after posting a white supremacist tract online that espoused virulently antisemitic and racist beliefs.
On May 14, 2022, a gunman entered a supermarket in a largely Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York and shot thirteen people, killing ten people and injuring at least three others. Almost all of the victims are Black. The gunman was identified by law enforcement as eighteen…
Buffalo Shooter’s Weapons Covered in White Supremacist Messaging
Article
In the aftermath of the May 14, 2022, mass shooting that left 10 people dead and three more injured in Buffalo, NY, the ADL Center on Extremism (COE) has reviewed images of what appear to be weapons, armor and other gear owned by the alleged shooter, Payton Gendron.
Gendron, who wore a sonnenrad, a symbol appropriated by the Nazi Party and widely used by modern white supremacists, mimicked a tactic used by white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, scrawling white supremacist…
Buffalo Shooter's Manifesto Promotes "Great Replacement" Theory, Antisemitism and Previous Mass Shooters
Article
On May 14, 2022, a gunman killed 10 people and injured 3 more inside a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York, after espousing violent white supremacist and antisemitic views online. In court following his arrest, the alleged gunman, identified as 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron, from Southern Tier, New York, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and was ordered held without bail.
According to an online screed Gendron allegedly posted shortly before the attack, his goal was to &ldquo…
The Rise Above Movement Plants a Flag in the White Power Music Scene
Article
In January 2022, the white supremacist Rise Above Movement (R.A.M.) announced the creation of Will2Rise Records, a music production company catering to white supremacist artists.
Holocaust Analogies Frequently Used as Fodder for Social and Political Commentary
Article
The Holocaust – the systematic murder of six million Jews and millions of others by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II – stands out as a preeminent example of modern-day state-sponsored mass murder. Despite the Holocaust’s distinctive status, or perhaps because of it, politicians, activists and other public figures often invoke inappropriate Holocaust comparisons to highlight the ostensible “danger” of a social or political act.
Even with…
Elon Musk Plans to Buy Twitter. Right-wing Extremists Rejoice.
Article
Right-wing extremists cheered the announcement; they believe Musk will usher in a new era on the social media platform, free from “left-wing” censorship.
Use the short evocative videos and films in this lesson plan to engage young people in conversations about identity, diversity, bias and social justice.