Dear Friend,
This week’s domestic terror attack on the U.S. Capitol was an assault on our democracy. Despite ADL’s warnings and fears about increasing escalation of extremist activity, disinformation and incitement, the blatant act of sedition was shocking. It was a warning about the clear and present
threat of extremism which will require a sustained response by anyone who values democracy, equality, and justice. We were shocked, but we were not surprised – violence by domestic extremists is something ADL has been warning about for several years and especially over the last few months related to the 2020 elections.
ADL is calling on Congress to follow these five immediate, meaningful steps:
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Take immediate action to counter and severely limit the influence of QAnon in Congress;
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Form a joint select congressional committee to investigate any complicity between social media companies and extremists, and to probe how extremists used social media platforms to promulgate conspiracy theories, radicalize users, and incite violence;
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Investigate the inadequate law enforcement response on January 6, 2021, particularly in contrast to law enforcement overreach in cases of legitimate exercise of free speech;
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Explore legislative efforts to close existing gaps in federal law to prosecute domestic terrorists; and
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Support the reintroduction and passage of the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (DTPA).
Over the last several months, ADL has been working closely with federal, state and local officials to provide intelligence briefings on extremist groups and help mitigate the threat
of election-related violence. Many of those officials stepped up to take the threat more seriously. On January 4, ADL's Center on Extremism (COE) released a blog warning about the potential for violence on January 6.
Since the violence on the Capitol, COE has been helping law enforcement identify extremists and extremists groups that participated in the attack. They include members of the
Proud Boys, QAnon adherents, Oath Keepers
, Groyper Army and other far-right extremists.
Below are other resources which may be helpful:
Discussing Political Violence and Extremism with Young People including a new section based on this week’s event.
Tech Companies Still Supporting Hate
Extremists React to Pro-Trump Siege on Capitol
Antisemites Implicate Jews, Anti-Zionists in DC Violence
ADL Calls on Twitter to Suspend Accounts Supporting QAnon
Extremists Engage in Political Violence in Pro-Trump Rallies
And more…
Our democracy is a precious gift granted to us. Thank you for your support and leadership in helping to protect and preserve it for ourselves and future generations.
Wishing you and yours a happier, healthier, and more peaceful 2021,
Max Sevillia
VP of Government Relations, Advocacy and Community Engagement (GRACE) | |