It is OK to point the index finger and thumb together – which is a very popular emoji for many. But the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization opposed to hate speech, says many use it as a symbol of white supremacy.
As a result, they have listed it as one of the ‘hate signs’.
But anti-apartheid groups in the United States say the widespread use of the symbol is now a sign of approval or “okay.”
So they think that it would not be right to make a hasty decision about those who are using this symbol.
The ADL’s list of hateful symbols also includes the burning of the New Nazi symbol, a picture of Happy Merchant.
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Since 2000, the Anti-Defamation League has started compiling lists of ‘hate speech’. The purpose of their list is to help people recognize the signs of extremism.
So far this list has 200 items, including the Nazi patriarch and the Ku Klux Klan’s burning cross.
“Extremists may have been using these symbols for many years or decades, but they are regularly creating new symbols, memes and slogans to express their hateful attitudes,” said Jonathan Grenblatt, ADL chief.
“We believe that law enforcement and the police should have a full idea of these symbols. As a result, the presence of these hateful people in the society or in the educational institution can be warned first.
It is thought that the ‘OK’ symbol began to be used in the United Kingdom in the seventeenth century by combining the two fingers of the first hand.
OK emoji is a symbol of hate among right wingers
The ADL says the ‘OK’ symbol has now become a popular symbol among right-wingers who pose for themselves, often posting such signs on social media.
The man who shot and killed 51 people at Christchurch Mosque in New Zealand has been seen in court showing signs of OK.
Right-wing movement expert, historian Paul Stoker says the “OK” sign is one of the symbols for extreme right-wingers to communicate with each other.
“It’s a symbolic message for people who know and understand the workings of the extreme right,” he told Radio Newsbeat.
“This symbol symbolizes the orthodox supporters that he is one of them.”
