US lawmakers to examine ways to rein in hate crimes, white nationalism

House Judiciary Committee says Tuesday hearing will focus on social media as a conduit for hate and on government efforts to counter it

By JTA 9 April 2019, 2:21 am

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Illustrative: White nationalist demonstrators use shields to guard the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia, August 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on hate crimes and the rise of white nationalist groups in America.

The hearing scheduled for Tuesday will also look at how social media can rein in white nationalist propaganda and hate speech online.

“Social media platforms have served as world-wide conduits to spread vitriolic hate messages into every home and country,” said a statement from the committee, which is chaired by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat.

“The deadly 2017 ‘Unite the Right’ white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, served as a frightening reminder of the current threat white nationalism and hate groups pose to the nation.”

The Hill political news website reported that Nadler was planning to summon officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to the hearing to answer questions about efforts to counter white nationalism in the aftermath of the recent attacks on a Pittsburgh synagogue and two New Zealand mosques.