SPLC: At least 160 Confederate symbols taken down in 2020
FILE - In this July 7, 2020, file photo, crews attach straps to the statue Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va. At least 160 Confederate symbols were taken down or moved from public spaces in 2020. AdโThese racist symbols only serve to uphold revisionist history and the belief that white supremacy remains morally acceptable,โ SPLC chief of staff Lecia Brooks said in a statement. In December, a state commission recommended replacing Leeโs statue with a statue of Johns. He served as president of the Confederate States of America after becoming a U.S. senator, not before becoming a U.S. senator.
Hate groups migrate online, making tracking more difficult
In its annual report, released Monday, the Southern Poverty Law Center said it identified 838 active hate groups operating across the U.S. in 2020. AdThe Montgomery, Alabama-based law center said many hate groups have moved to social media platforms and use of encrypted apps, while others have been banned altogether from mainstream social media networks. White nationalist organizations, a subset of the hate groups listed in the report, declined last year from 155 to 128. The number of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ hate groups remained largely stable, while their in-person organizing was hampered by the coronavirus pandemic. People who support or express hatred and bigotry are not always card-carrying members of far-right groups.
Civil rights group pushes back at GOP condemnation
The resolution claimed that it puts conservative groups or voices at risk of attack.The SPLC, which conducts investigations and engages in civil rights litigation, said in a statement Monday that the resolution gave comfort to hate groups and accused the RNC of being selective in its condemnation. community with dehumanizing rhetoric.The resolution was the latest clash between the SPLC and conservative groups over the Alabama-based organizations Hatewatch list, which tracks radical and extremist groups. The civil rights group, championed by many on the left, has denied that assertion, saying that groups with beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics make their list. The RNC resolution cited the presence of the anti-abortion Family Research Council (FRC) on the list, accusing the SPLC of leading to a 2012 shooting at the FRC. The RNC also approved resolutions defending the federal celebration of the Christopher Columbus holiday; condemning cancel culture and reaffirming its support for President Donald Trump.