Facebook Ad Pause Grows; Georgia Lawmakers Pass Hate Crimes Bill; Soldier Confesses to Plot with Satanic Neo-Nazi Group on Attack

June 27, 2020

THE WEEK’S BIG 3

Companies like Patagonia, The North Face, Ben & Jerry’s, Eddie Bauer, Eileen Fisher and REI have joined the Stop Hate for Profit campaign organized by civil rights groups, calling on Facebook to rein in hateful content on the platform: The Ad Pause begins July 1. The Georgia Legislature on Tuesday passed a hate crimes bill that will now head to the desk of Gov. Brian Kemp. An Army private confessed to sharing secret information with a satanic neo-Nazi-group in a plot to attack his own unit while it was overseas and cause the deaths of as many of his fellow service members as possible, according to federal prosecutors.

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. Facebook Ad Pause Gains Momentum

“The ADL, NAACP, Sleeping Giants, Color of Change, Free Press and Common Sense launched the Stop Hate for Profit campaign last week, calling on companies to pull their advertising dollars from Facebook for the month of July.” The Hill: READ MORE

+ What is “Stop Hate for Profit”?

+ Anti-Defamation League sends letter to advertisers, urging them to boycott Facebook -- AdAge

+ Here's a running list of companies boycotting Facebook – Yahoo Finance

2. Georgia Legislature Passes Hate Crimes Bill

“Advocates and lawmakers renewed their push to pass the bill after the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man pursued by two white men and shot dead while jogging through a Brunswick neighborhood on February 23.” CBS News: FULL STORY

+ ADL Applauds Georgia Legislature’s Bi-Partisan Passage of Hate Crimes Bill; Calls on Governor Kemp to Sign into Law Immediately

+ ADL Resource: Hate Crime Map

3. U.S. Army Soldier Charged in Neo-Nazi Plot to Attack Fellow Troops

“The private, Ethan Phelan Melzer, was charged in an indictment unsealed this week with collaborating with the Order of the Nine Angles, or O9A, a group that prosecutors described as ‘an occult-based neo-Nazi and racially motivated violent extremist group.’” The New York Times: FULL STORY

+ Soldiers’ cases highlight reach of white supremacy in U.S. military – The Washington Post

+ READ: Mark Pitcavage's Testimony Before the House Subcommittee on Military Personnel Regarding White Supremacy in the Military

KEY ADL SOCIAL STATEMENTS

• Roger Waters recently employed a range of antisemitic tropes, claiming that the U.S. is being controlled by a Jewish “puppet master” who is “filling the coffers and pulling all the strings” on U.S. policy…
• Winona Ryder’s account is another example of Mel Gibson's disgusting #antisemitism & #homophobia…
• ADL’s new Online Hate & Harassment report finds that more than one quarter of Americans have experienced severe online harassment…

IN THE COMMUNITY

• Jewish and Black leaders discuss race and community understanding (South Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Vandals strike India Palace in racist attack (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• Connecticut lawmakers and community leaders fear rash of attacks against Black residents signals growing racist backlash to the George Floyd protests (Hartford Courant)

ADL IN THE NEWS

• Online harassment increases to 35% for American minority groups (The Guardian)
• White House Defends Trump Comments on ‘Kung Flu,’ Coronavirus Testing (The Wall Street Journal)
• George Soros conspiracy theories surge as protests sweep US (Associated Press)