'OK' hand gesture added to extensive list of hate symbols

man holding up ok sign
Photo credit George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images

(KMOX) — It's no longer OK to give the hand gesture "OK," according to a new report released Thursday by the Anti-Defamation League.

Although the symbol is widely known as a sign of approval, the ADL says it has been appropriated to mean "white power" on the forum website 4chan.

The ADL has added the "OK" hand gesture, bowl-style haircuts and 34 other symbols to its list of hate symbols. The group started the database in 2000 and it contains over 200 entries.

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement, “We believe law enforcement and the public needs to be fully informed about the meaning of these images, which can serve as a first warning sign to the presence of haters in a community or school.”

In order to stop the spread of hate, we must be able to identify it when we see it. Our Hate Symbols Database helps us all do just that. Watch ⬇️ and learn how common gestures can evolve into sincere expressions of hate. For all 179 symbols, click here: https://t.co/pGBgWG1Wwy pic.twitter.com/WhlRDnJz3d

— ADL (@ADL) September 26, 2019

Click here to read the full list of new entries into the hate symbol database.

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