The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has removed its online “Glossary of Extremism” after facing criticism for listing Turning Point USA (TPUSA) as an extremist group.
The decision comes in the wake of backlash following the assassination of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk. Tech billionaire Elon Musk also condemned the ADL’s labeling practices.
“Using such false and defamatory labels about people and organizations encourages murder,” Musk posted on X.
ADL’s Response
In a statement, the ADL said it would retire the glossary effective immediately, citing outdated entries and claims that the resource had been misused.
“With over 1,000 entries written over many years, the ADL Glossary of Extremism has served as a source of high-level information on a wide range of topics for years. At the same time, an increasing number of entries in the Glossary were outdated. We also saw a number of entries intentionally misrepresented and misused,” the group wrote.
ADL added that retiring the glossary would allow it to “explore new strategies and creative approaches” to provide information about antisemitism and extremism more effectively.
Launched in 2022, the glossary was originally described by ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt as a tool to give the public, media, and law enforcement “insight into hundreds of terms” related to extremist movements.
Critics Remain Skeptical
Despite its removal, critics accused the ADL of walking back years of politically charged labeling only after mounting pressure.
“A step in the right direction, but I won’t forgive or forget what the ADL did to Charlie Kirk and TPUSA,” cartoonist Scott Adams wrote on X.
Republicans argue that labeling groups like TPUSA as extremist inflames tensions and undermines free speech at a time when political violence is already escalating.