The Anti-defamation League has officially added the hand gesture that signifies “OK” as a symbol of white supremacy.
The ADL claims the hand symbol started as a hoax by users of the websites 4chan and 8chan before turning into what they call a “popular troll tactic.”
The suspect in the New Zealand massacre last March flashed the symbol during his court appearance in March after his arrest for killing 51 people.
The league announced dozens of new additions to their “Hate On Display” database on Thursday, including the “bowl-cut” hairstyle, as seen on Charleston Church Shooter Dylan Roof, the “Moon man” (a parody of an old McDonalds ad signifying the “Late Night/Alt-Right” slogan and the “Happy Merchant” (an anti-Semitic meme).
Some of these new entries started as trolling campaigns or hateful memes on internet message boards, before migrating to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms, taking on whole new meanings.
According to CBS News, many of the newly added symbols have appeared at white supremacist events such as the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville and were painted on guns used by the Christchurch shooter.
The ADL created the database back in 2000 to help track hate groups and aid law enforcement officials, educators and the public in recognizing symbols that serve as a warning to the presence of white supremacists, terrorists, and extremists.
“These are the latest calling cards of hate,” said Mark Pitcavage, a senior fellow at the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism. “While some hate symbols are short-lived, others take on a life of their own and become tools for online trolling.” Pitcavage added that “We pay special attention to those symbols that exhibit staying power as well as those that from online usage into the real world.”
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