Pilot, July 25. This newspaper is owned by the Los Angeles Times, and is
distributed free of charge along with the Times to subscribers in Costa
Mesa and Newport Beach (Orange County). Also below is a letter by IHR
Director Mark Weber in response to the Pilot article, and a commentary
by a local writer on another aspect of that Pilot item.
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NEW REPORT IDENTIFIES COSTA MESA HATE GROUPS
-- In 'Digital Hate 2002,' Simon Weisenthal Center in Los Angeles says
two Web sites based in the city promote intolerance on the Internet.
Daily Pilot (Costa Mesa, California) -- Thursday, July 25, 2002
By Lolita Harper, Daily Pilot ( [email protected] )
http://www.latimes.com/tcn/pilot/news/la-dpt-hate25jul25.story?coll=la%2Dtcn%2Dpilot%2Dnews
Costa Mesa -- A newly released report designed to outline the use of the
Internet as a tool to further hate has identified two local
organizations as hosting extremist activities.
"Digital Hate 2002," compiled and released by the Los Angeles-based
Simon Weisenthal Center, highlighted the Web sites of the Aryan Baby
Drive and the Institute for Historical Review -- which are both based in
Costa Mesa -- as promoting intolerance via the World Wide Web.
The Simon Weisenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights
organization, charges that the Institute for Historical Review uses the
Internet to distribute anti-Semitic propaganda, which it says
manipulates history and influences similar intolerant viewpoints. "The
IHR Web site houses some of the most vile materials, denying the murder
of 6 million Jews by the Nazis during World War II," the report states.
Mark Weber, the director of the Institute for Historic Review and a
Costa Mesa resident, said he is appalled by the report's findings but
not surprised. Weber said his Web site has published a number of
articles that dispute some details regarding the Holocaust and has
subsequently become a frequent target for the Simon Weisenthal Center.
The two organizations have a long-standing history of not seeing eye to
eye, he said.
But to call his organization a hate group takes a lot of gall, Weber
said.
"They use the word 'hate' very loosely, but it is a damaging buzzword,"
Weber said. "How do you disprove that?"
Weber said the Institute for Historical Review exists to promote greater
public awareness of historical issues that have political, financial and
social significance. Many of the articles and postings on the
institute's Web site relate to Jews because they hold a great deal of
political clout, Weber said.
"This is a very big issue because it plays a huge factor in our life and
foreign and domestic policy," said Weber, adding that the United States
is one of the few remaining world powers that support Israel.
Weber said he does not deny the "genocidal and murderous catastrophe"
known as the Holocaust but denounces its use to justify support of what
he calls murderous Israeli policies.
The Weisenthal report monitored more than 3,000 Web sites and broke them
down into specific categories, such as manipulation of history, using
the Internet for recruitment, marketing and online games that promote
violent killings of various minority and ethnic groups. The study
highlights both national and international groups and devotes a large
section to terrorist movements. The Costa Mesa-based Web sites were
found under the "manipulation" subheading.
The Aryan Baby Drive Web site states the movement was designed to
distribute care packages for "all white folk who have children" in an
effort to help support Aryan families.
"It is our hope that by sending out these care packages that your
expenses will be somewhat relieved and free up some extra cash to spend
on other necessities for your children," the Web site reads. "After all,
this is what white unity is all about -- giving our children the best we
can today."
An e-mail contact for the Aryan Baby Drive, known only as White
Revolutionary 88, denounced the Weisenthal report's claims but declined
further comment.
Weisenthal Center officials defend their study and said they will
continue to monitor Internet use and abuse by "bigots, racists and
anti-Semites" as they use cutting-edge technology in their quest to
promote hateful agendas.