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 speech, reversing years of so-called “race-blind” practices.

Read on for more on these headlines, news you can use to fight hate and the latest info about ADL from around the country.

1) Anne Frank Memorial in Idaho Defaced with Swastika Stickers

“Stickers with swastikas and the words ‘We are everywhere’ were found affixed to the diary, and another was pasted to a statue representing the ‘spiral of injustice.’ Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee called the vandalism ‘absolutely reprehensible’ and said his agency has reached out to the Anti-Defamation League as part of its investigation.” USA Today: LEARN MORE

+ ADL Pacific Northwest tweet: “We often talk about how hate crimes are message crimes because they intend to strike fear into the larger community. That's why it's important to continue to speak out…”

+ Jonathan Greenblatt tweet: “Glad to see the Boise community come out in support and solidarity, replacing the #antisemitic vandalism with flowers and messages of hope and love. We all need to choose love over hate…”

2) Christchurch Attack Report Says New Zealand Police Failed to Enforce Checks On Firearm Licenses

“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.” CNN: FULL STORY

+ Jonathan Greenbatt tweet: “We must learn from this & make sure that our governments are prepared for all forms of extremist-motivated attacks…”

+ The Christchurch Shooter and YouTube’s Radicalization Trap – WIRED

3) Facebook To Start Policing Anti-Black Hate Speech More Aggressively, Documents Show

“The overhaul, which is known as the WoW Project and is in its early stages, involves re-engineering Facebook’s automated moderation systems to get better at detecting and automatically deleting hateful language that is considered ‘the worst of the worst,’ according to internal documents describing the project obtained by The Washington Post. The ‘worst of the worst’ includes slurs directed at Blacks, Muslims, people of more than one race, the LGBTQ community and Jews, according to the documents.” The Washington Post: READ MORE

+ Press Release: ADL Statement on Facebook Reportedly "Overhauling" Hate Speech Algorithms

+ What is Stop Hate for Profit?

+ Press Release: ADL Encouraged by Twitch’s Updates To Make Platform Safer for Users

KEY ADL SOCIAL STATEMENTS

IN THE COMMUNITY

Out of Jersey City’s tragedy, there is hope (NJ.com – Greg Ehrie and Alex Rosemberg op-ed)
White supremacy propaganda handed out in Westminster neighborhood (ABC Denver – Scott Levin interviewed)
ADL Honors Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine for Her Courage (NBC Philadelphia)

ADL IN THE NEWS

Toxicity in Gaming Is Dangerous. Here's How to Stand Up to It (WIRED)
Accused hate groups receive pandemic aid (NBC News)
Conservatives flocked to Parler after the election. But its explosive growth is over (CNN)

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