Extremist Icons Posted Online to Teach About Hate Groups

The Anti-Defamation League has launched an online database of extremist symbols, allowing users to scan a menu of racist images and learn about their use by hate groups.

“We are giving parents, educators, community leaders and law enforcement instant access to a wealth of information on hate symbols with the goal of raising awareness to these potential warning signs,” Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director, said Wednesday.

The database, accessible at www.adl.org, provides information about more than three dozen hate symbols commonly exploited by neo-Nazis, white supremacists and racist skinheads, as well as organized hate groups, said David A. Lehrer, ADL regional director.

Although neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups have long used recognizable symbols, such as the Nazi swastika, the Internet has made these and other less common symbols widely accessible, ADL officials said.

The site, “Hate on Display: Extremist Symbols, Logos and Tattoos,” will be updated as new information becomes available. Internet users can send information on images to an ADL e-mail address: hate-symbols@adl.org.