The Anti-Defamation League has added the Echo symbol — a series of three brackets placed before and after a Jewish name — to its database of hate speech. The symbol has emerged on social media on sites used by white supremacist and other anti-Semitic groups who aim to identify and target Jews, particularly journalists, politicians and celebrities.
The move by the ADL comes a week after Google’s popular Chrome browser removed a plug-in that could create the symbol in a single keystroke. The written symbol seems to have been created after a 2014 podcast broadcast a literal echo sound when speaking Jewish names.
The story gained public attention following an article by New York Times editor Jonathan Weisman, who then became a target of the symbol. Here & Now‘s Robin Young talks to ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt about the symbol and its significance.
Guest
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO, Anti Defamation League. He tweets @jgreenblattADL.
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