New York, January 8, 2021 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today called for the removal of President Donald Trump from office, either by the means afforded by the U.S. Constitution or through his own resignation.
“As this week comes to a close, we must not allow the historic and horrific events of the past 48 hours to simply fade without significant consequences,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. “In our over 100 years of history, ADL has never called for the President of the United States to be removed from office, but what occurred on Wednesday was inexcusable. It will forever be remembered as one of the darkest days of American democracy and it makes unambiguously clear: President Trump is unfit for office and needs to be removed.”
“Violence and sedition. Confederate flags being proudly displayed by rioters in the United States Capitol. White supremacists and far-right extremists marauding through the hallowed halls of one our nation’s most sacred institutions. This was incited by President Trump and organized on social media for all the world to see,” Greenblatt said. “The horrific events of this week are a culmination of years spent denigrating our democratic institutions, months of delegitimizing the electoral process, and innumerable tweets demonizing his perceived enemies, with zero regard for the consequences of his actions.”
Further, ADL is calling for a complete, thorough, and transparent investigation into the failings of law enforcement and Capitol Hill security. While there were those who bravely sought to repel the invasion of the building, including one officer who tragically lost his life, we need to understand why there was such a dangerously inadequate deployment of law enforcement despite the mob assembled on the National Mall. Additionally, investigations must be conducted regarding the disturbing inequities between how peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters were handled last summer in comparison to armed extremists storming the Capitol.
Finally, ADL, along with the Stop Hate for Profit coalition, which ADL co-founded with eight other storied civil rights and advocacy organizations, has called on all social media platforms to #BanTrumpSaveDemocracy and permanently remove him from their services by January 20. Brands and companies should pull back on advertising on these social media networks, like Facebook and Twitter, until Trump is entirely removed from these platforms.
“These are the bare minimum steps that must occur,” Greenblatt said. “Racism, antisemitism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and so many other forms of hate were on full display as extremists perpetrated violence and sedition. We must root out this evil if we are ever to heal as a nation.”
ADL is the world’s leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education, and fighting hate online, ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.