By Lilly Maier September 28, 2016

The Anti Defamation League (ADL) has added “Pepe the Frog” to its database of online hate symbols. The cartoon frog is a popular meme among “alt-right” Twitter trolls and white supremacists.

Pepe the Frog was originally created in 2005 without any anti-Semitic or racist overtones. At the time, it was simply a meme of a sad frog.

But more recently the frog has been portrayed with a Hitler-like mustache, wearing a yarmulke or a Ku Klux Klan hood.

Image by twitter

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Pepe has also been used in hateful messages targeted at Jewish and other users on Twitter, according to the ADL. (To see a time line of such anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish journalists, click here.)

“Once again, racists and haters have taken a popular Internet meme and twisted it for their own purposes of spreading bigotry and harassing users,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, the ADL’s CEO.

“These anti-Semites have no shame. They are abusing the image of a cartoon character, one that might at first seem appealing, to harass and spread hatred on social media.”

Earlier this month, Trump’s son posted a movie poster parody of himself heroically grouped with Pepe and others deemed “The Deplorables” on Instagram.

A friend sent me this. Apparently I made the cut as one of the Deplorables??? All kidding aside I am honored to be grouped with the hard working men and women of this great nation that have supported @realdonaldtrump and know that he can fix the mess created by politicians in Washington. He’s fighting for you and won’t ever quit. Thanks for your trust! #trump2016 #maga #makeamericagreatagain #basketofdeplorables

A photo posted by Donald Trump Jr. (@donaldjtrumpjr) on Sep 10, 2016 at 7:18pm PDT

In June, the ADL created a task force to document attacks on journalists, and analyze the size of the “alt-right” movement. They are planning to release a detailed report on their findings in mid-October.

With JTA

Lilly Maier is a news intern at the Forward. Reach her at maier@forward.com or on Twitter at @lillymmaier

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.

This year, we have stood together in strength and sorrow. Our Forward team has worked around the clock to help you find clarity amid the chaos.

If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.

Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism. 

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount