The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) applauded US President Joe Biden for announcing an upcoming summit on hate-fueled violence.
The “United We Stand” summit, which comes after the ADL and other advocacy organizations called for action in response to the May mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, will discuss violent extremism and hate-related violence.
“Hate and extremism are at a historic high. They threaten our democratic institutions and undermine our norms of inclusion and tolerance,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said. “Violent extremists like white supremacists threaten our children and our neighbors, and they create terror that reverberates across our communities. United We Stand promises to be an excellent first step to understanding the problem and creating lasting change to reduce these threats.”
The ADL praised the Biden administration for releasing the first National Strategy to Counter Domestic Terrorism in June 2021.
“This followed an interagency process and advice from civil society organizations like ADL, which released its PROTECT Plan after the January 6th attack to counter domestic terrorism while preserving civil liberties,” the ADL said in a statement.
One year later, the ADL worked with the McCain Institute to bring together thought leaders and policy makers to review the progress being made but “it was clear that more must be done.”
“We are in uncharted territory, policy-wise,” said Ryan Greer, ADL director for national security and former DHS and State Department official. “We need new ideas and fresh engagement to rethink policies from terrorism prevention to online disinformation and how to balance civil liberties with law enforcement approaches.”
“As President Biden said in Buffalo after the horrific mass shooting earlier this year, in the battle for the soul of our nation ‘we must all enlist in this great cause of America.’ The United We Stand Summit will present an important opportunity for Americans of all races, religions, regions, political affiliations, and walks of life to take up that cause together,” the White House said in a statement.
Following the shooting, the ADL worked with the White House to “refresh its thinking and create new ideas.”
“The domestic violent extremist threat is severe,” Greenblatt said. “ADL is committed to uniting communities and building bipartisan solutions to prevent hate-fueled violence. We have been on the frontlines countering extremist violence, including working with administrations and members of Congress from both parties, and look forward to continuing our work to help tackle these challenges.”