Fringe group, not Christians, classified as extremist on ADL website | Fact check

The claim: Anti-Defamation League classifies Christians as an extremist group

A Nov. 18 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a page on the Anti-Defamation League website titled "Christian Identity," which is tagged with the labels "Extremism, Terrorism & Bigotry."

"Tell me again how they are not going after Christians when they are labeling them under 'Extremism, Terrorism & Bigotry,'" reads part of the post's caption.

Other versions of the claim were shared on Instagram, Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

The page shown in the post describes a specific right-wing extremist group, not Christians in general.

ADL website describes Christian Identity movement, not Christians

Todd Gutnick, an ADL spokesperson, told USA TODAY the post's claim is "entirely false."

"The article in question refers only to a single longstanding racist and antisemitic religious sect known as 'Christian Identity,' which is widely acknowledged as extremist," he said.

The ADL website describes the Christian Identity movement as a "religious ideology popular in extreme right-wing circles" with anti-government, racist and anti-Semitic beliefs. The group has inspired hate crimes and terrorist attacks across the U.S., ADL reports.

The page notes the movement's "small size" and mid-19th-century origins. Christianity, of course, is much broader and older, with 2.18 billion followers worldwide and origins in the1st century.

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The Southern Poverty Law Center similarly describes the extremist movement on its website and includes a map of the 10 active Christian Identity groups across the country as of 2023.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Reuters also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources

• Todd Gutnick, Nov. 25, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• ADL, accessed Nov. 22, Christian Identity

• Pew Research Center, Dec. 19, 2011, Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population

• Britannica, Nov. 22, Christianity

• Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed Nov. 22, Christian Identity

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, ADL didn't classify Christians as extremist group | Fact check