Arab Cartoons Dehumanize and Demonize Israel, Its People and Leadership
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During the past few weeks, tensions have been high across Israel and the Palestinian territories, spurred by a wave of Palestinian terrorism, Israel’s military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, ongoing violence by Jewish extremists against Palestinians, rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, and Israel’s continued settlement building across the West Bank.
An ADL review of cartoons related to these developments that were published in Arab-language media outlets highlight a…
Despite game companies having policies prohibiting hate, researchers easily found usernames in 5 categories of hate across 5 popular online multiplayer games.
Six Things ADL is Watching Following Meta's Threads Launch
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Threads raises concerns similar to other Meta platforms on user safety, policies on hate, harassment, and extremism, transparency, and election integrity.
1. Stew Peters is a far-right conspiracy theorist, radio show host, Christian nationalist and prolific antisemite. Peters rose from obscurity to national prominence in 2022, thanks in large part to the success of several conspiratorial documentaries he released that year, most notably the anti-vaccine film “Died Suddenly.” Since then, Peters has emerged as one of the most influential right-wing conspiracy theorists in the United States, gaining public notoriety for his hate…
Facing Charges, Some Goyim Defense League Extremists Embrace “Sovereign Citizen” Tactics
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As they rack up littering charges for distributing propaganda, some individuals associated with the antisemitic and extremist Goyim Defense League (GDL)—including leader Jon Minadeo—have adopted pseudo-legal “sovereign citizen” tactics in a misguided attempt to escape legal troubles.
The sovereign citizen movement is a far-right, anti-government extremist faction whose adherents claim that the government is illegitimate and has no jurisdiction or authority over them…
Sport is the setting of some of humanity’s greatest stories. Through the perspective of athletes, teams, fans, coaches, and others, we experience narratives filled with emotions and learn life lessons, like the fulfillment of success and the devastation of failure. Some of these stories are as short as an afternoon, like a pickup basketball game with friends, while others are lifelong journeys, such as unwavering fandom for a favorite team or the privilege of competing on the world&rsquo…
Another Weekend of Hate: Neo-Nazis Gather in Florida
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On June 10, 2023, eighteen white supremacists – from two different neo-Nazi groups - held three separate demonstrations in Florida. At least six participants traveled from out of state for the events, which took place outside Disney World in Orlando and at a park in Lakeland. These gatherings show how profoundly a small group of extremists can impact entire communities -- and make residents feel that the hate is local.
At the gathering in Orlando, thirteen individuals associated with…
The Dangers of Manipulated Media and Video: Deepfakes and More
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As artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies become more user-friendly, extremists and conspiracy theorists are using deepfakes, AI-generated audio and other forms of synthetic media to spread harmful, hateful and misleading content online.
Background & Definitions
Synthetic media is media content which has been fully or partially generated by technology, typically through artificial intelligence or machine learning processes. This includes any…
Quds Day Vitriol Offers No Cover for Iran’s Bankrupt Regime
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By Meir Javedanfar
Last month, the Islamic Republic of Iran again marked Quds Day, which has been commemorated on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan by the clerical regime since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with its usual chants of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.” Over the decades, Tehran has repeatedly used Quds Day as an opportunity to spread anti-Israel hatred, incite violence against Israelis, and call for the destruction of the Jewish state…
2023 Nakba Day Events Marked by Antisemitic Rhetoric and Themes
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Every year on May 15, Palestinians and their supporters, including many anti-Israel activists, mark Nakba Day (“catastrophe” in Arabic) as a day of mourning the creation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. Events also highlight the plight of Palestinian refugees and advocate for the Right of Return. Historically, there have been numerous instances of inflammatory and antisemitic language espoused by anti-Israel activists at Nakba Day events. The 2023 events were no exception.
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Data compiled by the ADL Center on Extremism (COE) shows that QAnon-related content has surged on Twitter since Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform last fall.
QAnon is a decentralized, far-right political movement rooted in a baseless conspiracy theory that the world is controlled by a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles known as the “Deep State,” which can only be stopped by former President Trump, and that these individuals will be brought to justice during a violent…
Threads of Hate: How Twitter's Content Moderation Misses the Mark
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Twitter’s decision to reinstate influential banned accounts allowed CTS to examine how they act as nodes in broader networks and exploit inadequate policies
Americans’ Views on Generative Artificial Intelligence, Hate and Harassment
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Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) has dominated news headlines for its potential to transform how we work, write, and play. For example, OpenAI’s ChatGPT allows people to ask various questions, summarize a book or write a new song in the style of their favorite musical artist. AI-enhanced search tools return summaries of online content, rather than a list of links to different webpages. Other tools create realistic photos or pieces of artwork from a description. Some tools create…
Allen Gunman’s Writings Reveal a Disturbed, Hateful Man—But No Clear Motive
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On the afternoon of May 6, 2023, a gunman opened fire in a mall parking lot in the Dallas suburb of Allen, Texas. The shooter killed eight people and wounded seven more before a police officer shot and killed him.
Authorities later identified the gunman as 33-year-old Mauricio Martinez Garcia. Unlike some other recent perpetrators of mass shootings, Garcia composed no manifesto or document explaining the reason for his violent spree. However, he did leave behind voluminous writings,…
Evaluating Twitter's Policies Six Months After Elon Musk's Purchase
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Policy and enforcement developments since Elon Musk acquisition of Twitter and what they mean for enforcement of hate speech policies and protecting users.
Shooter in Allen, Texas, Embraced Antisemitism, Misogyny and White Supremacy
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Preliminary research by the ADL Center on Extremism appears to show Mauricio Garcia, the suspect in the Allen, Texas, mass shooting, was obsessed with violence and subscribed to a range of extremist ideologies, including antisemitism, violent misogyny and white supremacy.
An initial assessment of a massive social media trove, which ADL researchers can link to Garcia with a high degree of confidence, reveals a preoccupation with violence that manifests in a wide range of hate, including…
2023 Quds Day Rallies Bring Antisemitism to the Fore
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Throughout the weekend of April 14th, 2023, multiple rallies across the U.S. celebrated the annual Quds Day, or “Jerusalem Day,” a display of anti-Israel activism originally conceived by the leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. Many of the events descended into antisemitism and support for violence/terror against Israel. In several instances, rally-goers and speakers called for Israel’s dissolution, venerated members of terror groups and…
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) 2023 Featured Expressions of Antisemitism
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Some activities across the U.S. marking the 17th annual Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), which is a series of worldwide anti-Israel events spearheaded by the BDS Movement and rooted in antizionism and antisemitism, featured instances of overt antisemitism and expressions of support for violence against Israel. As is typically the case, anti-Zionist campus group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) was the primary organizer of IAW, spearheading most of the approximately 16 apartheid walls and…