Tag: anti defamation league
Texas Mall Shooter Wore Neo-Nazi Regalia And Shared Racist Content Online

Texas Mall Shooter Wore Neo-Nazi Regalia And Shared Racist Content Online

The man who murdered eight people using an AR-15 at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, Saturday likely identified with neo-Nazi beliefs, The Washington Post reports.

Allen resident Mauricio Garcio, according to the Post wore a "patch on his chest" at the time of the shooting that read "RWDS," meaning "Right Wing Death Squad," a "phrase popular among right wing extremists, neo-Nazis and white supremacists."

Additionally, NBC reports Garcia "interacted with neo-Nazi and white supremacist content online."

Last year, an Anti-Defamation League's Center (ADLC) on Extremism report revealed "all extremist-related murders in 2022 were committed by right-wing extremists," adding, "More than four out of five extremist-related murders last year were committed by white supremacist right-wing extremists."

The report also noted "nearly all extremist-related mass killings were committed by right-wing extremists, and warns the number of those mass murders 'is of growing concern.'"

An official familiar with the matter told NBC not only did Garcia engage with neo-Nazi content online, but he also posted such content himself.

Regarding the issue of gun violence specifically pertaining to Texas, the Postreports:

In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 4,613 firearms-related deaths in Texas. The state's annual death toll from guns has increased steadily since 2014.

Led by Abbott, Texas has moved in recent years to loosen restrictions on firearms. In 2021, the state began allowing permitless carry so residents can carry handguns in public without a license. The state 'does not specifically put restrictions on who can carry a long gun such as a rifle or shotgun,' according to a Texas government website.

ADLC's report added the "main threat in the near future will likely be white supremacist shooters," noting, "The increase in the number of mass killing attempts, meanwhile, is one of the most alarming trends in recent years."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet


GOP Leadership Silent Over Gosar's Video Of AOC Murder

GOP Leadership Silent Over Gosar's Video Of AOC Murder

A day after Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) tweeted a graphic anime video showing him scaling rooftops to slaughter Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and threaten President Joe Biden, the far-right congressman has faced no repercussions, despite calls for Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to punish him and for social media channels to delete his accounts.

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FBI

FBI Will Bolster New York Police To Probe Surging Hate Crimes

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

With federal agents investigating more than two dozen anti-Semitic hate crime cases across New York City, they have opted to join forces with the New York Police Department (NYPD).

According to The Wall Street Journal, officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have noted that the bureau's agents "discussed anti-Semitic crimes with Jewish groups and held meetings and conference calls with community leaders in May as more than two dozen crimes with anti-Semitic motivations were reported to the NYPD."

The bureau is also hoping to bring forth public-relations strategies designed to encourage victims to report hate crimes to New York law enforcement authorities. Campaigns are also expected to be more diversified as they will feature a variation of "languages including Yiddish, Hebrew, and Mandarin."

The push for change comes as the New York Police Department has seen a dramatic increase in hate crime cases over the last several months. According to the publication, the law enforcement agency has "recorded 226 hate crimes in the city from Jan. 1 through May 23, a 93% increase from 117 reported during the same period last year." The NYPD has also reported a total of 89 arrests since Jan. 1 of this year.

Since many hate crime incidents go unreported, police officials have noted that there is a strong possibility that the actual number of cases could be significantly higher.

Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, expressed concern about the uptick in anti-Semitic cases signals another problem: extremists are rapidly becoming more unapologetically "emboldened."

Greenblatt said, "We're living in a moment where extremists feel emboldened."

Lachlan Murdoch and Tucker Carlson

Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch Defends White Nationalist Tucker Carlson

Reprinted with permission from Media Matters

Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch is defending Tucker Carlson's April 8 segment promoting the white supremacist "replacement" conspiracy theory after the Anti-Defamation League's chief executive, Jonathan Greenblatt, called for Carlson to be fired.

Over the weekend, Greenblatt appeared on CNN to explain how the Murdochs, Fox's board, and its advertisers enable Carlson to push white nationalist conspiracy theories on Fox News' prime time.


According to CNN, Murdoch "dismissed the Anti-Defamation League's demand that the company fire host Tucker Carlson, telling the organization in a letter that his company saw no problem with comments Carlson made about the racist 'great replacement' theory."

"Fox Corporation shares your values and abhors anti-semitism, white supremacy and racism of any kind," Murdoch wrote ADL chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt on Sunday. "In fact, I remember fondly the ADL honoring my father with your International Leadership Award, and we continue to support your mission.
"Concerning the segment of 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' on April 8th, however, we respectfully disagree," Murdoch continued in the letter, which the ADL provided CNN. "A full review of the guest interview indicates that Mr. Carlson decried and rejected replacement theory. As Mr. Carlson himself stated during the guest interview: 'White replacement theory? No, no, this is a voting rights question.'"

Murdoch is joined in defending Carlson by the Fox host's fan base -- a chorus of enthusiastic young white supremacists online.