Commends School District and Law Enforcement for Investigating and Responding

Denver, CO, October 13, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League, responding to reports of a student-run online Facebook chat group calling itself the “4th Reich’s Official Group Chat,” expressed concern about  the group’s existence and its discussions which included members talking about “killing all Jews and “n******.” According to the Boulder Daily Camera, group members posted images of guns, referenced “the final solution” and “white power,” and endeavored to recruit other students “so they can complete their ‘mission’”.

Scott L. Levin, ADL Mountain States Regional Director, issued the following statement:

The Anti-Defamation League is deeply disturbed to learn of the existence of the “4^th Reich” Facebook chat group and concerned that the group included students from several area schools. It is particularly tragic that one of the involved students took his own life.

From the time we were first alerted to these atrocious postings, we offered support in a variety of ways to the family that first brought this matter to our attention and sought to ensure that law enforcement and the school district were taking the matter seriously.  While ADL denounces the hateful and threatening language used by the group, we are heartened by the swift response of both the Boulder Police Department and the Boulder Valley School District.

Every member of the community has a role to play in ensuring that there is no room in Boulder for this type of hateful rhetoric. ADL already has a robust presence in the Boulder Valley School District through our No Place for Hate® campaign, and we plan to augment our focus on countering cyber-hate in response to this disturbing matter.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.