The Anti-Defamation League on Sunday called on President Donald Trump to condemn white supremacy “without hesitation” after violence broke out at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“The gathering of extreme hate yesterday in Charlottesville is something we have not seen in at least a decade and it continues a troubling pattern,” ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt said in a statement. “Now is the time for our leadership across the board to name the hate.”
He called on Trump to “acknowledge that this is not a matter of equivalence between two sides with similar gripes.”
Trump on Saturday did not remark on the white supremacist movement but instead called the clashes an “egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides.”
“This is a moment that demands moral leadership,” Greenblatt said. “There is no rationalizing white supremacy and no room for this vile bigotry. It is un-American and it needs to be condemned without hesitation.”
“We call on the White House to terminate all staff with any ties to these extremists,” he added. “There is no rationale for employing people who excuse hateful rhetoric and ugly incitement. They do not serve the values embodied in our Constitution nor the interests of the American people.”
Greenblatt said it was “long overdue” for Trump “to develop a plan of action to combat white supremacy and all forms of hate.”
“We stand ready to partner in this effort,” he said. “Without a clear denunciation and plan of action, these bigots are only emboldened.”
