FACT CHECK: Did The Anti-Defamation League Designate ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ As A ‘Hate Slogan’?
An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a section of the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) website where the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” is classified as a “hate slogan.”
Screenshot/Facebook
Verdict: False
The phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” is not listed in the ADL’s Hate Symbols Database.
Fact Check:
The phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” started circulating on social media after NBC reporter Kelli Stavast interviewed NASCAR driver Brandon Brown following his victory at a race in Talladega, Alabama, on Oct. 2, according to BBC News. During the interview, Stavast said it sounded like fans were chanting “Let’s Go Brandon” in support of the driver, though fans in the stands could actually be heard saying “F**k Joe Biden” in video. The phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” has now become a popular anti-Biden rallying cry, according to Fox Business.
An Oct. 26 Facebook post claims the ADL has now added the phrase to its Hate Symbols Database. The post features what looks like a screen grab from a section of the ADL’s website that reads: “The phrase ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ is a far-right extremist dog whistle that became popular among supporters of Donald Trump and his overtly anti-democratic views, particularly among adherents of the MAGA movement who believes in the debunked 2020 election fraud conspiracy theory.” In the screen grab, the phrase looks to be listed under the “Hate Slogans/Slang Terms” section of the website.
However, the ADL has not added the phrase to its database. Check Your Fact searched the Hate Symbols Database but found no mention of “Let’s Go Brandon.” A wider search of the entire ADL website likewise turned up no results for the text included in the image.
“‘Let’s Go Brandon’ is not listed on our Hate Symbols Database,” said Jake Hyman, an ADL spokesperson, in an email to Check Your Fact. “The photo is photoshopped.” (RELATED: Did Shared Services Canada Send This Memo Banning Employees From Using The Phrase ‘Let’s Go Brandon’?)
The claim may have originated with a satirical article published on Oct. 4 by the parody news blog The Hagerstown Report. The post includes a similar supposed screen grab of the ADL’s website, as well as a disclaimer at the bottom that reads, “The Hagerstown Report is not classified as a hate symbol. Not yet anyways. This article is satire/parody.”
Elias Atienza contributed to this report.
