Damien Patton, founder and former CEO of Banjo, said the key to combatting the rise in extremism and hate groups is to offer forgiveness to those who people who associated with such groups in the past.
“Today, the influence of hate groups is growing, amplified by social media and a political climate that normalizes extremist views," Patton wrote in a recent op-ed on The Hill. “Hate thrives in environments where communities are divided, and we must recognize that no political faction is immune to this poison. It festers in any space that closes itself off to empathy and understanding.”
“We can reverse the rise of extremism and hate, but only if we offer a path to redemption," he wrote. “History shows us that America has embraced forgiveness to heal divisions. These policies had flaws, but they succeeded in uniting people and paving paths to rehabilitation.”
In recent years, the rise of violent extremism and hate groups has become a significant global threat. The number of domestic terrorism-related investigations in the United States alone has surged by 357% over the past decade, with the FBI investigating 2,700 cases by the end of 2022.
Globally, the diffusion of extremist ideologies has been fueled by violent conflict, state fragility, and the increasing use of social media platforms to spread propaganda. These trends are evident across multiple regions, where racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism (REMVE) movements have gained traction, often undermining democratic governance and values.
Research from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Center for Technology and Society (CTS) identified local community Facebook groups as breeding grounds for harassment and toxic behavior, contributing to the spread of extremism in everyday settings.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of ADL, has advocated for replacing ‘cancel culture’ with ‘counsel culture,’ emphasizing that everyone has an inherent degree of dignity and the capacity for redemption.
Damien Patton is the founder and former CEO of Banjo and a leader in the AI and technology sectors. Once a member of an L.A. gang in his youth, he has since become a vocal advocate for the Anti-Defamation League, championing efforts to combat hate on social media and promoting greater inclusion and accessibility within the tech industry.