ADL Declares Pepe The Frog a Hate Symbol

Internet meme Pepe the Frog has been declared a symbol of hate by the Anti-Defamation League. The green amphibian has been frequently used by alt-right campaigners, Donald Trump supporters and white supremacist groups, NBC News reported.

While Pepe's origin as the "feels good man" is inoffensive, it has recently been appropriated for bigoted, anti-Semitic themes, according to the ADL.

"Although Pepe memes have many defenders, the use of racist and bigoted versions of Pepe memes seems to be increasing, not decreasing," ADL announced in their inclusion of the meme into the database of hate symbols.

The frog has been posted on social media by presidential candidate Donald Trump and his son in various contexts, including a play on a poster of "The Expendables" to "The Deplorables," featuring Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, alt-right icon Milo Yiannopoulos and Pepe the Frog.

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