The_Donald: Reddit’s haven for hate

The pro-Trump subreddit continues to incite violence against Muslims while admins do nothing.

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman continues to resist repeated calls for The_Donald to be banned. In the past he has likened them to an annoying “little brother.” (Wikimedia Commons)

Following the cold-blooded slaying of 50 Muslims in Christchurch last month, social media companies were forced to grapple with their role in spreading hate speech and many began cracking down. While Facebook expanded the scope of its prohibited content, Reddit responded by quarantining several of its white nationalist subreddits. However, admins once again declined to act against r/The_Donald, the site’s single largest venue for violent anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Islam is a perennial target of vitriol on the pro-Trump subreddit. It’s not uncommon to see posts calling Muhammad a “pedophile” or referring to Muslims as “inbred,” “goatfuckers,” “ragheads,” “rapefugees,” “mudslimes” and “sand monkeys.”

Despite the horrific events in Christchurch, this steady stream of racist demonization continued unabated. The bodies of those murdered in New Zealand weren’t even cold before comments filled the subreddit claiming that the slaughter was justified or that the victims brought it on themselves. Some examples:

“Every single one of those in the Mosque were at least terrorist sympathizers. There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim.”