Urge the Senate to Pass the Nonprofit Security Grant Program

From the Anti-Defamation League (https://www.adl.org/):

It has been five years since torch-wielding white supremacists marched across the University of Virginia campus, shouting racist, antisemitic rhetoric including “Jews will not replace us.” Marchers threw Nazi salutes as they waved swastika flags, shouted “sieg heil!” and called white counter-protesters “race traitors.”

This deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, an event that stunned the nation and brought the profound threat of domestic extremism into sharp focus, saw hundreds of right-wing extremists from at least 39 states descend on Charlottesville to protest the planned removal of the city’s Robert E. Lee statue. As violent clashes erupted on the streets, a white supremacist murdered counter-protester Heather Heyer.

Charlottesville galvanized white supremacists — but it also energized those of us who work to keep them from spreading hate.

In the weeks leading up to Unite the Right, as the ADL Center on Extremism closely monitored white supremacist activity, we provided key assessments to law enforcement in Virginia and beyond. You can watch this video for shocking scenes from the crisis and insights into ADL’s work to fight back.

In the years that followed, ADL provided critical support to Integrity First for America (IFA) in driving Sines v. Kessler , a groundbreaking civil lawsuit against the organizers of the 2017 Unite the Right rally, forward. The plaintiffs won their lawsuit and were awarded more than $25 million in damages in one of the most important cases against extremists in modern history; the penalties impaired the ability of the extremists to take further action and sent an important message of accountability and deterrence.

White supremacists have reimagined their messaging and tactics and remain a critical threat, as clearly evidenced by attacks in Pittsburgh, El Paso, Poway and Buffalo, and by their participation in attempts to intimidate vulnerable communities and subvert our democracy.

Since Charlottesville, ADL has launched the PROTECT Plan that aims to address increasing domestic terrorism driven by violent extremism while safeguarding civil rights and civil liberties. We also offer a wide range of anti-extremism tools and resources, including a Glossary of Extremism and a Hate Symbols Database that you can use to recognize the signs of hate and report incidents to ADL.

Today, as we mark five years since Charlottesville, the need to protect your communities is even more critical so please use your voice to help keep our communities safer. Go to https://adl.salsalabs.org/fundfightagainsthate/index.html to urge the Senate to pass the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to provide enough funds for synagogues, churches, mosques and other houses of worship to take much-needed security measures and to further fund the COVID-19 Hate Crime Act, an ADL-backed law that significantly expands the collection of hate crime data.