Leftists are enraged by the Anti-Defamation League’s decision Friday to de-list the woman behind the Libs of TikTok from its “Glossary of Extremism.”
Until late last week, the ADL had listed Chaya Raichik, an Orthodox Jewish children’s book author, in its glossary along with various Nazi organizations, mass-murdering terrorist groups like Hamas and ISIS, and the Ku Klux Klan. Raichik announced she would no longer stand for it, telling the leftist outfit that it had until Oct. 31 “to remove this defamatory entry” before she would take action.
The ADL blinked.
What’s the background?
Raichik, a former Brooklyn real estate agent, started the social media account Libs of TikTok in 2020, showcasing the ideological capture and radicalism of various activists in the West, particularly child-facing LGBT propagandists. She now has over 2.6 million followers on X.
For drawing attention to the efforts by teachers and others to sexualize children, Raichik drew the ire of non-straight activists and their champions in the establishment press.
Ari Drennen, LGBT program director at Media Matters, was among the many who bemoaned the efficacy of Libs of Tiktok, noting it has “been shaping public policy in a real way, and affecting teachers’ ability to feel safe in their classrooms. … Libs of TikTok is shaping our entire political conversation about the rights of LGBTQ people to participate in society.”
Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz doxxed Raichik in April 2022, framing her as a threat to the LGBT agenda.
Although Raichik subsequently faced an onslaught of hate and apparent death threats from the usual suspects, she held her ground and continued posting both as Libs of TikTok and as herself — with assurance from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that she and her family could always find refuge in the governor’s mansion if things get dicey.
Just as Raichik doubled down on her efforts, so did her critics, keen to present her work as threatening to the point of being terroristic.
Harvard Kennedy School professor Juliette Kayyem, a supposed expert on terrorism who served as the Department of Homeland Security’s assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs in the Obama administration, cited Raichik as an example of a “stochastic terroris[t].”
The ADL joined the effort to ostracize Raichik and neutralize her reportage, allegedly “push[ing] hard” for X to shut down her account. In September 2022, it added Raichik to its “Glossary of Extremism.
The entry stated, “Libs of TikTok is a popular anti-LGBTQ+ twitter account operated by former real estate agent Chaya Raichik. The account, which has over 1.3 million followers as of August 2022, attempts to generate outrage and stoke anti-LGBT+ hostility by reposting selected out-of-context social media content created by LGBTQ+ people and liberals.”
“The individuals, events and organizations targeted by the account are frequent targets of harassment, threats and violence,” continued the post.
Raichik wrote a year later in Human Events, “The truth is that the ADL no longer stands for Jewish interests. They have increasingly become just a pathetic propaganda arm for the radical left. … The ADL are just massive bullies who have way too much power. They are not about anti-defamation. They are only anti defamation as long as you go along with their far-left viewpoints. If you disagree with them, they will defame you.”
The ADL caves
On Oct. 24, Raichik posted on X, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I’m calling on the @ADL to immediately remove my name from their ‘Glossary of Extremism.’ Not only have they defamed me, they also lumped me in with terrorist organizations like Hamas. They have until Oct. 31st to remove this defamatory entry before I’m forced to take more action.”
In the post, Raichik also tagged the CEO of the ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt.
The next day, the Advocate reported that an ADL spokesman had acknowledged Raichik’s “demands and are investigating.”
Highlighting this response, Raichik noted on X, “The clock is ticking!”
The ADL came in under the wire, capitulating on Friday.
Steven Sheinberg, the chief legal officer at the ADL, reportedly told Raichik over X, “I understand that you have expressed concerns about your inclusion in the ADL Glossary of Extremism and have threatened legal action. … As a preliminary matter, we disagree with your assertions that ADL has done anything defamatory or otherwise harmful to you. Our reporting and opinions are constitutionally protected, reflect your status as a public figure and are accurate.”
“At the same time, we are not immune to criticism of our work, and take such feedback into consideration,” continued Sheinberg. “Indeed, the Glossary of Extremism is an evolving resource and one we are presently reviewing in terms of brand, substance, and function including examining the mechanics of how materials are recommended to users. As a result, we will temporarily remove Libs of TikTok from the Glossary.”
“This is not an endorsement of your body of writing and other material reflective of your odious views about, and harmful impact to, the LGBTQ+ community remain on the ADL website,” he added.
Raichik celebrated the win on X, writing, “The ADL finally caved after immense pressure and threats of legal action and REMOVED my name from their Glossary of Extremism!”
She added, “Just goes to show that the ADL knows I’m not a violent extremist. The decision to put me on their ‘Glossary of Extremism’ was all political theater. They’re a propaganda tool of the radical Left and they went too far with this.”
An ADL spokesman confirmed the removal to the Advocate, stating, “While we maintain any potential litigation is meritless, we have temporarily removed the entry from our Glossary of Extremism while we continue to review the matter. Other material reflective of Libs of TikTok’s odious views about, and harmful impact to, the LGBTQ+ community remain on the ADL website.”
While Raichik is no longer listed in the glossary, the ADL still claims that Libs of TikTok “is an anti-LGBTQ+ extremist social media account run by Chaya Raichik” in a January 2023 blog post on its website.
Alejandra Caraballo, a radical transvestite and Harvard Law School clinical instructor who testified before the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in December, wrote on X, “The @ADL are a bunch of f**king cowards caving to this terrorist,” reported LGBTQNation.
“They just set an example that any extremist can just publicly threaten them and they’ll cave like cowards. It will completely undermine the credibility and legitimacy of their work on tracking and documenting extremism,” continued Caraballo.
LGBTQNation also appeared unable to contain its fury, accusing Raichik of “stochastic terrorism against LGBTQ+-affirming institutions, adding that her “account has echoed right-wing claims of LGBTQ+ people and allies ‘indoctrinating,’ ‘grooming,’ and ‘sexualizing’ kids — rhetoric that leads to violence against queer people and their allies.”
Right Wing Cope, a popular anti-conservative and pro-LGBT account on X, and various others have denounced the ADL for “absolutely cowardly behavior.”
Raichik’s first major television interview after being doxxed was with Tucker Carlson, whom she told, “The LGBTQ community has become this cult and it’s so captivating, and it pulls people in so strongly, unlike anything we’ve ever seen. … And they brainwash people to join and they convince them of all of these things, and it’s really, really hard to get out of it.”
Libs of TikTok founder reveals her identity to Tuckeryoutu.be
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