Press Release
Published on September 12, 2017
Washington, D.C.—Human Rights First applauds yesterday’s unanimous passage of a joint resolution in the Senate condemning white nationalists, white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis, and similar hate groups following the violent events in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 11 and 12.
The resolution, introduced by Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Johnny Isakson (R-GA), calls on the Trump Administration to speak out against groups espousing hateful rhetoric, urges the administration to use all available resources to stem the rise of hate groups in the United States, requests that the Attorney General thoroughly investigate all acts of violence, intimidation, and domestic terrorism by white supremacists, and calls on federal agencies to improve data collection on hate crimes. The resolution now heads to the House of Representatives.
“Although often divided by policy and party, this resolution proves that the Senate is united in its response to hate,” said Human Rights First’s Susan Corke. “History has shown us that bigotry, white supremacy, and antisemitism are dangerous forms of evil; we must reject them as antithetical to American values. We hope the House will soon join the Senate in unanimous passage of this resolution.”
Human Rights First further calls on the Senate to advance the spirit of this resolution by passing the National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality (NO HATE) Act of 2017.
