Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on October 25, 2020

At a Trump rally in Fla., a man appears to display a hand gesture that the Anti-Defamation League calls a hate symbol used by white supremacists. Wochit

Video of President Donald Trump's rally in Florida on Friday appears to show a man standing in the crowd behind the president making a repeated hand gesture commonly used by white supremacists and other far-right extremists.

About six minutes into video of Trump's speech at The Villages, a large retirement community in northern Florida, at a quieter moment when the crowd was not cheering, a man in a checkered shirt, sunglasses and a black baseball cap holds up his left hand in an "OK" symbol and appears to look directly forwardfor 10 seconds.

Less than a minute later, as the president was speaking and the crowd remained quiet, the man makes the gesture again for about 8 seconds, holding his right hand in the air. The man makes the gesture at least one more time.

A feed of the speech by C-SPAN provides a clear view of the incident.Watch a clip of the video below:

The "OK" hand gesture is included in the Anti-Defamation League'sdatabase of hate symbols used by white supremacists and other far-right extremists.

The gesture is an "obvious and ancient gesture that has arisen in many cultures over the years with different meanings," according to theAnti-Defamation League. However, it took on "new and different significance" in 2017. That's when the symbolbegan its circulation as a hoax by members of the website 4chan as a popular trolling tactic, saying the hand gesture formed a "W"and "P"for "white power."

By 2019, the hand gesture started being used "in some circles as a sincere expression of white supremacy," the group says. In September of that year,theAnti-Defamation League added the gesture to its database of hate symbols.

A member of the "Proud Boys" far-right group holds a bible and displays the OK hand gesture believed to have white supremacist connotations during "The End Domestic Terrorism" rally at Tom McCall Waterfront Park on August 17, 2019 in Portland, Oregon.(Photo: JOHN RUDOFF, AFP/Getty Images)

Members of the "Proud Boys" far-right group have been known to flash the symbol. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal advocacy organization, has designated the "Proud Boys" asa hate group.

The man responsible for the New Zealand massacre, where 51 people were killed at two Christchurch mosques in March, reportedly flashed an upside down "OK" symbol when he appeared in court.

In October of last year, Universal Orlando Resort fired an actor whoformed an upside-down "OK" symbol with his fingers on the shoulder of a biracial 6-year-old girl, who posed for a photo with the an actor dressed as the movie character Gru from "Despicable Me." The man seen in the video could not immediately be identified or reached for comment.

The Trump campaign and the Anti-Defamation League did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The man in the video could not immediately be identified or reached for comment.

According to theAnti-Defamation League,many people since 2017 have been falsely accused of being racist or white supremacist for using the "okay"gesture "in its traditional and innocuous sense."

"Someone who uses the symbol cannot be assumed to be using the symbol in either a trolling or, especially, white supremacist context unless other contextual evidence exists to support the contention," the group says.

The gesture is widely known for saying things are "good-to-go." It has now been added to a database by the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL says the sign has been hijacked. Video Elephant

In September, at the first presidential debate, moderator Chris Wallace asked if Trump would condemn white supremacists and militia groups. WhenTrump asked for the name of a specific group, former Vice President Joe Biden said "Proud Boys."

Trump responded,"Proud Boys stand back and stand by. But I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left."

Experts in extremism said Trump's response energized the group online.

More than two weeks later, ata60-minute NBC forum in Miami, moderator Savannah Gutherie asked why Trump hadn't affirmatively denounced white supremacy in the first debate.

"I denounce white supremacy," he said. "What's your next question."

Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez, Courtney Subramanian and Jordan Culver,USA TODAY

President Donald Trump speaks during his campaign event at The Villages Polo Club on October 23, 2020 in The Villages, Florida.(Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images)

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Video of Trump rally appears to show attendee making hand gesture commonly used by white supremacists - USA TODAY

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