717 Results

Back

GameStop Stock Spike Awakens Classic Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories

Article

February 01, 2021 Users across social media platforms evoked antisemitism during and in the wake of the GameStop incident that took place at the end of January 2021. (photo source: Twitter) During the final week of January 2021, beleaguered retailer GameStop’s stock was driven to astronomical new highs when posters on the r/WallStreetBets subreddit launched a buying frenzy -- ostensibly aimed at soaking the Wall Street hedge funds that had shorted the stock for profit. As the…

February 01, 2021

A Guide for Responding to School-Based Bias Incidents

Tools and Strategies

Teenage girl talks in group therapy session

Is your school experiencing a bias or hate incident?Whether it be a racist “joke,” slur, stereotype or some other form of implicit or explicit bias, school community members must be committed to addressing bias-related incidents in schools. Educators and school administrators play vital roles in creating an environment where all students can learn and thrive. Cultivating an equitable and inclusive school community requires ensuring that historically marginalized students are…

January 25, 2021

QAnon Adherents Reeling in Wake of Inauguration, Trump Departure

Article

January 22, 2021 Photo Credit: Ted S. Warren/AP Photo Less than one week after President Biden’s inauguration, followers of QAnon—the sprawling, largely incoherent conspiracy theory that has infected not only American discourse but corners of the Republican Party—are struggling to hold onto the conspiracy theory in a post-Trump world. QAnon is tightly tethered to the existence of a Trump presidency, as it cast the former president as the ultimate hero who would use…

January 22, 2021

QAnon: A Glossary

Article

January 21, 2021 QAnon is a nebulous and wide-ranging conspiracy theory that encompasses a host of other conspiracy theories. It has spread from the backwaters of the internet onto mainstream platforms where it has built a substantial following among mainstream Republicans and other supporters of former President Trump. Since the inauguration of President Biden, adherents have been scrambling for purpose and direction. It can be challenging to keep track of a conspiracy theory as…

January 21, 2021

2020 Richmond Lobby Day: Blueprint for a Violent Year

Article

January 18, 2021 Photo credit: Stephanie Keith / Reuters One year before the January 6, 2021 siege on the U.S. Capitol building, more than 20,000 mostly armed people gathered 97 miles away outside the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond for the Virginia Citizen Defense League’s (VCDL) Lobby Day. The event, held on January 20, 2020, allowed protesters to express their anger over newly elected Virginia Democrats’ reported plans to pursue stricter gun control legislation…

January 18, 2021

Far-Right Extremists Memorialize “Martyr” Ashli Babbitt

Article

January 15, 2021 Ashli Babbitt, the Trump supporter and QAnon follower killed during the Capitol siege, has quickly become a celebrated martyr for many on the far right. The symbolic weight of her death in the seat of the national government was immediately evident, and right-wing accounts on platforms such as MeWe, Minds, Rumble, and Telegram moved quickly to memorialize Babbitt in posts calling for “justice,” and demonizing the government and law enforcement. While some posts…

January 15, 2021

Doxing Should Be Illegal. Reporting Extremists Should Not.

Article

January 15, 2021 We live more and more in digital spaces, so we have to work harder to distinguish protected online speech from unprotected online conduct. In the wake of the attack at the U.S. Capitol on January 6—an attack that was planned, mobilized and livestreamed online—this work has gained an even greater sense of urgency, especially when it comes to doxing. Many people define doxing as posting someone’s personal information online. But doxing as a blanket…

January 15, 2021

How Platforms Can Stem Abuses of Livestreaming After the Storming of the Capitol

Article

January 15, 2021 A livestream video shot by a newly-elected West Virginia lawmaker shows a disturbing gap between what a mob of Trump supporters who attacked the Capitol thought about the events of January 6 and what the rest of the world actually saw. Derrick Evans, a freshman member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, viewed fellow rioters swarming around him and forcing entry into the Capitol as a celebration. He was visibly giddy. But for horror-struck viewers, it was a violent…

January 15, 2021

Nation of Islam’s Wesley Muhammad calls COVID-19 Punishment for “Sins” of Jews, Israel

Article

January 15, 2021 On January 10, 2021, Nation of Islam (NOI) Student Minister Dr. Wesley Muhammad provided the latest example in the group’s long history of virulent antisemitism. Muhammad delivered a two-hour sermon, broadcast live from NOI’s national headquarters in Chicago, in which he explicitly and repeatedly blamed Jews and Israel for the coronavirus pandemic. As of January 14, his sermon, titled “Beyond Tuskegee: Why Black People Must Not Take the Experimental COVID-19…

January 15, 2021

Anti-Israel Groups and Activists Link Capitol Hill Rioters with Israel and her Supporters

Article

January 13, 2021 As images of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol have been shared across social media, activists in the broader anti-Israel movement used photos that showed the appearance of an incongruous Israeli flag among pro-Trump protestors at the rally and outside the Capitol to falsely link Zionism and Israel with the extremism of January 6. According to photos and reports, other national…

January 13, 2021

The Dangers of Disinformation

Tools and Strategies

Protestor standing in front of U.S. Capitol holding sign that reads "Check Facts Before Posting"

Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current EventsAs people increasingly turn to online sources, such as social media and AI, for news and information, a legitimate question arises: "How do I know this information is accurate?" This concern is well founded. Studies, including one published by Yale Insights, have found that social media algorithms and platforms "inadvertently encourag[e] users to spread misinformation." Given these risks, it's perhaps unsurprising that a 2023 Pew study found…

January 11, 2021

Powers of Governments

Lesson Plan

Metal wheels interlocking with words written on them such as rules, policies

Civics Lesson GRADE LEVEL: High School Which Form of Government Has the Most Power? What are the Differences in Power Between Each Form of Government? Which Form of Government Has the Most Power to Address Equity and Social Justice Issues? Aside from the separation of powers at the federal level, the U.S. Constitution also describes the power relationships between state and federal governments, how that power will be distributed, and the relationships between the…

October 29, 2020

Parler Users Prepare for Site Shutdown with Conspiracy Theories, Threats

Article

January 10, 2021 Screenshot of Parler logo as the site struggles to load during Sunday’s heavy traffic Parler, the social media site frequented and promoted by a range of conservatives and right-wing extremists, is expected to be taken offline Sunday night, after Amazon Web Services announced the platform had violated its terms of service. This follows news that Apple app store and Google Play had suspended Parler. Ahead of the shutdown, Trump surrogates and a range of…

January 10, 2021

Tech Companies Still Supporting Hate

Article

January 08, 2021 Photo credit: Associated Press Since the violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, some technology companies have taken additional steps to crack down on the dissemination of hate and violent conspiracy theories. This includes indefinite bans of many of Donald Trump’s social media accounts and Shopify ceasing its sale of merchandise from the Trump Organization. However, many tech companies continue to play a significant role in spreading the hate and…

January 07, 2021

Extremists React to Pro-Trump Siege on Capitol

Article

Extremist graphic that reads Violence Works Make Them Afraid

January 08, 2021 On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, pro-Trump extremists, including some identified right-wing extremists, stormed the U.S. Capitol building, interrupting the Congressional session affirming the election results and forcing a partial evacuation. The nation and the world watched the chaos unfold, including scenes of the mob on the Senate floor, in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, and swarming the Capitol steps. By the time the siege ended, four people were dead: three from…

January 07, 2021

Los Antisemitas Implican a Judíos y Sionistas en la Violencia de DC

Article

January 07, 2021 Manifestantes dentro del Capitolio de EE.UU, uno de ellos con una camisa que dice “Campamento Auschwitz” — Fuente: ITV news A pocas horas de que extremistas pro-Trump irrumpieron en el edificio del Capitolio de los EE.UU., ideólogos, activistas y adeptos a las teorías de conspiración antisemitas intentaron implicar a los judíos y a los sionistas en la violencia. Aunque estos antisemitas tienen una variedad de…

January 07, 2021

Antisemites Implicate Jews, Zionists in DC Violence

Article

January 07, 2021 Protestors—one wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt—inside the U.S. Capitol building. Photo credit: ITV news In the hours since pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol building, antisemitic ideologues, activists and conspiracy theorists have attempted to implicate Jews and Zionists in the violence. Although these antisemites have a range of opinions about President Trump, many were united in their belief that the events of Wednesday,…

January 07, 2021

The Storming of the Capitol was Predictable

Article

January 07, 2021 The invasion of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 by pro-Trump extremists forced a suspension of the Joint Session of Congress certifying the results of the 2020 election and necessitated the evacuation of elected officials and staff. Security preparations for the certification were likely developed and implemented with the knowledge that state capitols have been a frequent target of extremists throughout 2020. Why these preparations failed so dramatically…

January 06, 2021

Extremists Engage in Political Violence During Pro-Trump Rallies

Article

January 06, 2021 On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, pro-Trump extremists, including a broad coalition of right-wing extremists, descended on Washington, D.C. and a number of state capitals. Ostensibly gathered to hear President Trump and his family speak, and to dispute the result of the 2020 presidential election, which is scheduled to be certified in Congress on Wednesday, protesters stoked violence against law enforcement officers before storming the U.S. Capitol in an extraordinary display of…

January 06, 2021

Human Rights

Lesson Plan

Civics Lesson GRADE LEVEL: High School What are Human Rights? What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? In 1946, in the immediate aftermath of World War II, with hopes of preventing future atrocities, an international committee with varied legal and cultural backgrounds began to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR was proclaimed by the new United Nations General Assembly in 1948. This document contains 30 Articles that set a standard…

October 02, 2020