OK hand sign added to the list of hate symbols



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The emoji of the hand OKCopyright of the image
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The OK hand sign has been added to a list of hate symbols.

The finger-thumb gesture – which is also a popular emoji – is used by some as "a sincere expression of white supremacy", according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

But the American anti-hate group says that "the overwhelming use" of the hand gesture today is always to show his approval or that someone is fine.

Therefore, "one must take special care not to jump to conclusions about the intention of someone who has used the gesture".

Other symbols added to the list include neo-Nazi symbols on fire, images of the "happy merchant" and the slogan "Diversity = white genocide".

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Legend

Members of the far right group Proud Boys made the hand gesture at a rally in Oregon

The Anti-Defamation League launched its "Hate on Display" list in 2000 with the aim of helping people recognize signs of extremism.

It now contains more than 200 entries, including the swastika and the burning cross of the Ku Klux Klan.

"Even though extremists continue to use symbols dating back several years or decades, they regularly create new symbols, memes, and slogans to express their heinous feelings," said Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the ADL.

"We believe that law enforcement and the public should be fully informed of the meaning of these images, which can serve as the first alarm signal for the presence of enemies in a community or community. school."

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Legend

The OK sign is believed to have been used for the first time in Britain in the 17th century

The ADL claims that the OK symbol has become a "popular trolling tactic" of "right-wing" individuals, who often post pictures on social media and pose while doing their deeds.

It started as an online joke on 4Chan – take an innocent gesture and pretend there was a hidden meaning behind it, hoping to deceive the media and the leftists.

But the joke has been so successful and so widespread among right-wing extremists that many believe that the OK sign changes meaning.

The man accused of killing 51 people in mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, waved at the OK sign during the year when he appeared in court.

He pleaded not guilty to murder.

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Legend

The suspect waved as he appeared in court for murder

Dr. Paul Stocker, a historian specializing in right-wing movements, explains that the OK sign is a way for people on the far right to communicate with each other.

"It's a coded message for people who know and understand what the far right is doing," he told Radio 1 Newsbeat.

"This symbol tells the base supporters that they are one of them."

The writer says it is common for extremist groups to take signs "already in the public domain and distort their meaning".

"The process of searching for symbols is accelerated with the right-hand key.They work primarily online and use a coded language and memes that may seem trivial, but if you deepen them, they have meaning."

The Anti-Defamation League wishes to emphasize that most often, the symbol means that everything is fine.

"The overwhelming use of the gesture of the hand remains today its traditional goal.

"As a result, we can not assume that someone who uses the symbol uses it in a backdrop or white supremacy context."

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