(WASHINGTON) — A Congressional committee hearing on white nationalism has begun with statements criticizing the spread of hate crimes in the U.S. and social media’s role in the spread.
The House Judiciary committee is hearing from Facebook and Google executives, as well as human rights leaders, about the spread of hate crimes and white nationalism in the U.S.
The hearing room and the hallway outside were thronged with young people, some wearing T-shirts with names of people said to have been victims of hate crimes.
Mohammad Abu-Salha, whose two daughters and son-in-law were shot and killed in a hate crime in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 2015, tells lawmakers that the government must stand up against bigotry and social media companies must stop “providing platforms and safe haven” for hate groups.
