Hate Speech and Hate Crimes

Today, Tom examines the connection between hate speech and hate crimes.On Saturday, 11 people were killed in a shooting at a Pennsylvania synagogue by a man who later told police that he was seeking to kill Jews. The first funerals for the victims will be held today, and the hashtag #ShowUpForShabbat, calling for solidarity with the Jewish community, is trending on Twitter.The Southern Poverty Law Center found 954 hate groups in the United States in 2017, four percent more than they identified the previous year. The number of neo-Nazi groups rose 22 percent. Anti-Semitic incidents are also on the rise in the US at a rate that represents the largest year-on-year increase since the Anti Defamation League began collecting data in the late 1970s. Critics of President Donald Trump assert that these upticks in hate and bias incidents are a direct result of the President’s incendiary rhetoric, and the rhetoric of his supporters.Joining Tom to discuss these issues are University of Connecticut Law Professor Richard Ashby Wilson, Hood College Professor of American and African American History Terry Anne Scott and Beth Am Synagogue Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg.Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.