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Another White Supremacist Uses Gab to Share Violent, Racist Fantasies

Article
DC Bowl Gang Gab
November 15, 2018 In a chilling postscript to Robert Bowers’ murderous October shooting spree at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, authorities in Washington, D.C., arrested Jeffrey Raphiel Clark, Jr., 30, an on-line associate of Bowers. The November 9 arrest came after family members contacted law enforcement out of concern that Clark might become violent. Clark was charged with illegal transportation of a firearm across state lines, possession of an illegal high-capacity…
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Tree of Life Shooting Revives “Optics” Debate Among White Supremacists

Article
optics bowers
November 06, 2018 Robert Bowers appears to have referenced “optics” on social media prior to allegedly opening fire at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. His comments -- “Screw your optics, I’m going in.” -- and extremists’ reaction to them highlight a division that has dogged the white supremacist movement since August 2017’s violent “Unite the Right” rally. Following the shooting rampage, Matt Parrott, co-founder of the now…
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White Supremacists' Anti-Semitic and Anti-Immigrant Sentiments Often Intersect

Article
bowers hias
October 27, 2018 The last post made to the social networking account believed to belong to Robert Bowers, the suspect in Saturday’s deadly shooting spree at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, claimed that “HIAS [Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society] likes to bring invaders in that kill our people.  I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered.  Screw your optics, I’m going in.”  The post, made just a short time before the attack on the…
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"The Jews Should Count Themselves Lucky." Extremists React to Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting

Article
gab bowers
October 27, 2018 Extremists reacted quickly and vocally to Saturday’s shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Some celebrated the killings as “another holiday to add to the calendar,” others blamed the Jewish community for inciting the violence and praising the apparent perpetrator for his decisive action. Still others bemoaned the media coverage of the “false flag” distraction from the incoming “caravan” of Central American immigrants and refugees. …
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Deadly Shooting at Pittsburgh Synagogue

Article
tree of life
October 27, 2018 According to police and media reports, Robert Bowers allegedly entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday morning, yelling, “All Jews Must Die” as he opened fire. As of Saturday evening, the death toll stood at 11, and several people remained hospitalized. A profile on Gab – a social media site frequented by right-wing extremists – which appears to belong to Bowers, showcases his virulent anti-Semitism. The vast majority of…
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International Community Can and Must Do More to Confront Hate Crimes

News
By David Weinberg | Washington Representative for International Affairs and Susan Corke | Director of Countering Antisemitism and Extremism at Human Rights First August 15, 2018 The Hill In 2017, when the number of homophobic hate crimes increased in Norway, the Oslo police force marched in the Pride parade as a show of solidarity. When Canadian synagogues were threatened, authorities denounced the threats as antithetical to Canadian values, and police promised to proactively…
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Five Lessons of Charlottesville One Year Later: ADL Director

News
by: Jonathan Greenblatt | August 12, 2018 USA Today One year ago, hundreds of torch-wielding white supremacists gathered on the campus of the University of Virginia, chanting “Jews will not replace us!" The following day, the streets of Charlottesville exploded in violence, as neo-Nazis, Klansmen and alt-right agitators clashed with counter-protestors. As the National Guard was being called in, a young counter-protester, Heather Heyer, was killed in a tragedy…
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Federal Hate Crime Prosecutions Are Critical, But Are They Enough?

News
By Melissa Garlick | National Civil Rights Counsel May 22, 2018 Harvard Law & Policy Review Three militia members from southwest Kansas were recently convicted on federal civil rights charges and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction for targeting Somali Muslim immigrants for a plan of mass murder in 2016.  On a recording made available to the jury, one of the defendants said: “The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim.” The convictions sent an important message of…
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ADL Presents Hate Crime Prevention and Response Recommendation at U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Briefing

Press Release
Washington, D.C., May 11, 2018 ... In testimony before the US Commission on Civil Rights today, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) outlined the urgent need to improve hate crime prevention, training, and response, highlighting a series of specific recommendations to improve hate crime reporting and advance police-community relations.  The ADL statement, which was presented by Melissa Garlick, ADL National Civil Rights Counsel, also discussed the current climate of incivility and…
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Was Blaze Bernstein's Murder a Hate Crime? We Need to Know.

News
by: Jonathan Greenblatt | February 05, 2018 USA Today The cold-blooded murder of Blaze Bernstein has horrified the Jewish community and indeed all Americans. It is hard to come to terms with the shocking brutality that ended the life of such a bright and promising young man. At just 19, Blaze already had shown an aptitude for writing and the arts, even while excelling in a rigorous molecular sciences program at the University of Pennsylvania. Blaze will always be remembered for the…
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ADL Experts to Offer Series of Recommendations at Justice Department's Hate Crimes Summit

Press Release
Washington, DC, June 28, 2017…The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) will join with representatives of America’s leading civil rights and religious organizations on Thursday to present at the Justice Department’s Hate Crimes Subcommittee Summit, where Attorney General Jeff Sessions will address participants. ADL’s experts will participate in workshops and roundtables and offer a series of recommendations and strategies on how to improve hate crime training, reporting,…
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Interfaith Dialogue: A Jew and a Muslim Discuss the Spate of Hate Crimes in Aftermath of 2016 Election

Article
December 21, 2016 Editor’s Note:A Muslim academic and a Jewish interfaith rabbi recently sat down together for a discussion about the spate of hate crimes that have taken place in the aftermath of the 2016 election campaign and what can happen with Jews and Muslims work together to combat hate speech. The following conversation between Dr. Mehnaz Afridi, Director of the Holocaust and Genocide Institute at Manhattan College, and Rabbi David Sandmel, Director of Interreligious…
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The Term “Alt Right” Is Here to Stay

Article
December 01, 2016 There has been a lot of debate lately about whether media outlets should use the term “alt right.” Some argue that the term whitewashes or normalizes a grouping that is, at its core, racist and anti-Semitic.  The problem is not so much with the term “alt right” but in how people define or not define it.  It is crucial that whenever the term “alt right” is used, it be defined clearly and put in the proper context. The…
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Watchdog Groups: OSCE Countries Can Do Better On Hate Crime Data

Press Release
New York, NY, November 30, 2016 … As xenophobic and hate-filled rhetoric dominates political discourse in Europe and the United States, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Human Rights First (HRF) today released a report analyzing hate crime data in the Organization for Society and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) region.  The report documents the failure of OSCE participating States to uphold their commitments to record and prevent hate crimes. …
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Speaking Truth, Facing Bias and Promoting Empathy

Article
Ex haero iusto natu quidem.
July 14, 2016   It has been a rough summer as the topic of guns, violence, police and bias scream across the news headlines and our smart phones. Still reeling from the June 12 massacre of 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, a few short weeks later we watched on video the back-to-back shooting deaths by police of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, LA and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, MN.  Just a day later, as cities across the country engaged in protests over these…
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We Are Not Powerless When Faced with Hate, Bias, Propaganda and Extremism

Article
by: Jinnie Array June 14, 2016 The unspeakable tragedy that took place at the Pulse Club in Orlando, FL in the early morning of June 12 brings with it a wide range of emotions for people across the country and world. Those feelings include anger, sorrow, loss, hopelessness, horror, fear, rage and also—a sense of powerlessness. It is easy to feel powerless when you think there is nothing you can do: nothing you can do about the hate, the gun violence, the terrorism and the extremist…
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Gun Violence and Mass Shootings

Tools and Strategies
A Sandy Hook Elementary School makeshift memorial on Berkshire Road in Newtown, CT 12 days after shooting of 26 people who were killed, twenty were children.
Table Talk: Family Conversations About Current Events For Parents, Families, and Caregivers | 12 and up Talking with Children about Gun ViolenceThe issue of gun violence and mass shootings is in the news frequently. Young people are usually aware of what is happening and will want to talk about it. However, it is a sensitive, scary, and potentially painful topic. Before raising the matter with young people, consider your child’s personality. To what extent will the conversation…
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Combating Hate Crimes in Every State

Press Release
ADL Launches "50 States Against Hate," New Campaign for Tougher Hate Crimes Laws All Across the Country Atlanta, GA, August 17, 2015 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today announced the formation of a new campaign to improve legal response to hate crimes across the United States. 50 States Against Hate: An Initiative for Stronger Hate Crime Laws will work toward the passage of hate crime laws in the five states which do not have them – Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina…
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What Should We Tell Our Children About Charleston?

Article
DC Vigil for Charleston Murders
June 22, 2015   As we grieve, protest and further investigate the horrific murder of nine African American parishioners at the historic Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC, many people are asking: What should we tell the children? Parents, family members and others are sometimes uneasy about discussing issues of violence and injustice with children because they want to protect them from terrible and scary topics. However, it is important that children have a language for…
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The Aryan Circle

Profile
Crime in the Name of Hate For Law Enforcement Read the full comprehensive report, The Aryan Circle: Crime in the Name of Hate (PDF). The Aryan Circle is a large, growing and dangerous white supremacist prison gang based primarily in Texas, though it has a presence in a number of other states. It is active both in prisons and on the streets. It is an extreme and violent group, with a long track record of murder, including the deaths of two police officers in Bastrop, Louisiana, in…
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