Resource for Workers and Local Business Owners

The Role of Local Business

In the last few years, violent extremist groups have paraded their hateful ideology online
and in public, trying to normalize their ideas in mainstream society and everyday life. This
guide is designed for dealing with extremism at work - whether that’s officer workers,
business owners, restaurateurs, hoteliers, and barkeeps, to help them deal with situations
in which violent extremists speak out or plan to conduct activities inside places of business.

What should you do if you have an event space?

Violent extremist groups frequently use restaurants, bars, and hotel event spaces for
recruitment events and regular group meetups. Often, the hotel, restaurant, and bar owners
do not know who they are hosting or what kind of group meetup they are facilitating. Keep
in mind that extremist groups will often rent facilities under a false pretense, such as a
wedding, birthday, or a concert series. It is not unusual for organizers of music acts for
right-wing bands to target youth for recruitment during the event.
Don't let yourself be fooled. With a clear "No" to renting your space to extremist and hate
groups, you can avoid being an unwitting accomplice to their activities and avoid having
your reputation tarnished. Even the appearance that your business is affiliated with hate
groups and extremism is terrible publicity - failure to take a stand can appear like support
for these groups and their hateful ideas. Distancing yourself from these sorts of group
get-togethers will also limit the chances of violent radicals frustrating or annoying your
other customers.

When making a reservation, you can do the following:

1. Ask exactly what the purpose or nature of the event is, and keep this in the contract
of use as stipulated. Are the rooms being used for cultural purposes, political
purposes, professional/commercial purposes, and/or private purposes? By
establishing the nature of the event ahead of time, and getting it in a written
contract, you can hold them to the contract as agreed upon or cancel if the event was
misrepresented.

2. Ask for the name and background information about any speakers, artists, and/or
music groups performing in your space. Look up their names on the internet (and in
the links at the end of this resource), and be on the lookout for signs, symbols, or
affiliation with neo-nazi, white supremacist, and other extremist ideologies.
 3. Take note of questions and special wishes from prospective customers. If there are
requests such as "no service", "Exclusively American-made menu or dishes", or the
display of nationalist banners, caution should be exercised. Ask to see any banners
before the event. If in doubt, compare the symbols used at the potential event with
symbols on the internet. You will find a list of links at the end of the resource for
reference.

What can you include in your contract if you are a small business?
1. Change your Terms and Conditions in your contract to reflect limitations of use.
2. Always have a written rental agreement xin which you refer to the use of space for
the individual event:
a. Ensure that the space cannot be subleased to other organizations.
b. Ensure that individual names are linked to each rental contract.
c. Include in your rental agreement that the event will not feature any racist,
xenophobic, anti-Semitic, violent extremist, or anti-democratic content.
3. Specify that the event:
a. May not attack the human dignity and rights of other people.
b. May not feature symbols which are anti-democratic.
c. May not be discriminatory based on race, ethnicity, sex, gender, or religion.
d. Specify that any violations will lead to the immediate termination of the
contract.
4. Specify that no illegal activities can be planned in your space.
5. Your staff reserve the right to enter the space to verify adherence to the contract.

Example of a Contract
In addition to the contract specifics included in the example linked above, as well details in
accordance with your local laws, you can add in this general requirement to your contracts
with customers:
General Terms and Conditions.
In particular, events in our space require consideration for our guests and employees of
diverse backgrounds, as well our own ideological commitment. As such, any assembly
and use that includes violent extremist ideas, or glorifies violence and discriminatory
attitudes to the outside world are undesirable.The tenant recognizes this request, and
their obligation to ensure that the use of the rooms does not welcome violent extremist
groups or ideology.
What to do about extremism in the office?
Hateful ideologies, extremist conspiracy theories, racism, anti-Semitism, sexism or ableism
can all show up in various ways in the workplace and because such sentiments are
represented across society, they will also show up at work. You may face them suddenly in
an interaction in the company, whether on the assembly line, in the office, or while eating
together during a lunch break. But speaking up at your workplace requires courage. It is
normal for fears and doubts to arise, and for you to wonder whether it is worth the effort.
You may be wondering if you are a snitch if you name or shame a colleague? Or whether
you would be risking your job for saying something to your boss?
There is no one-size-fits-all response for how to handle extremism and racism in everyday
business settings. The forms of engagement are as diverse as the companies and situations
in which they operate. The most important thing is to:
- Inform yourself. Keep yourself and others educated on how extremists show up,
and how to effectively stand up against them. You can hang posters, organize events,
host a workshop at the company, or alert employees to anti-racist events going on in
the area.
- Create awareness around the topic at work. Prevention works better than
reaction - create a work environment where everyone feels included. Companies can
promote inclusivity by organizing an international potluck style lunch for its
employees, during which the employees are encouraged to share their culture
through food - this brings people into conversation about culture, race, and ethnicity
in a non-confrontational way.
- Develop a process for dealing with hate incidents at work. It is best to address
racism before there is any actual incident. Talk to you boss(es) and managers about
what would happen if a hate incident occurred at work. Who handles it? What
happens to the perpetrator? What happens to the victim? Have a dedicated person
on staff, who is tasked to respond to any infractions, and to take care of any victims.
- Take a clear stance. Racist behavior and language will disrupt your business and
your community engagement, regardless whether it is daily racist jokes or
discussing an extremist conspiracy theory. Take a clear stance that your business
does not accept racist behavior by employees or customers. The quicker you address
the issue, the less likely it is to fester and get worse.
- Lean into your values. Clearly show that extremists are not welcome in your
business, either as customers or employees. Extremism thrives when good people
do nothing or stay silent when hate speech is expressed. Employers can create a
Code of Conduct for employees, so they know what is expected of them and what
they can expect of their colleagues. Such contractual agreements signal company
values, and the threat of sanctions allow people to refer to these when they speak
out, and request consequences for offending behavior.
 - Use the law, if necessary. Extremist activity in the company is often against the law.
- Create a network. This network can be company-wide, part of an employee union,
or a partnership with other companies/businesses in the area. It is hard to change
the world alone, but it can be fun to do so together.

Further Information and Related Resources

General
● https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/2022january31_splc_peril_parents_and_
caregivers_guide_jan_2022.pdf
● https://www.pps.net/cms/lib/OR01913224/Centricity/Domain/4/ConfrontingWhite
NationalisminSchoolsToolkit.pdf

Symbols and numbers

● https://www.adl.org/hate-symbols
● https://moonshotteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Incels_-A-Guide-to-Symbol
s-and-Terminology_Moonshot-CVE.pdf

Musicians and artists

https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/combating-hate/Sounds-of-H
ate-White-Power-Music-Scene-2012.pdf
Important Dates for Extremist Groups
The date on or around which an event is scheduled can also be an important indication of
its true character.

January
● January 18 (1871) Foundation of the German Reich
● January 30 (1933) Transfer of power to the NSDAP
February
● February 13 (1945) Dresden is bombed by the Allies. Overall, site-specific
anniversaries of bombings are to be observed
● February 23 (1930) Death anniversary of Horst Wessel, SA-Sturmfuhrer, author of
the party anthem of the NSDAP
● February 27 (1934) First "Heldendenktag", later each 5th Sunday before Easter
March 5th Sunday before Easter so-called “Hero Memorial Day”
April
● April 20 (1889) Adolf Hitler's birthday
May
● May 1 “National holiday of the German people”
● May 8 (1945) Liberation from National Socialism, unconditional surrender of the
Wehrmacht. Also known as "Day of Honour" among right-wing extremists.
● May 14 (1948) Foundation of the State of Israel
● May 26 (1923) Anniversary of the death of Freikorps member and National Socialist
Albert Leo Schlageter
June
● June 20th to 21st Summer solstice
August
● August 17th (1987) Anniversary of the death of Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess
September
● September 1st (1939) German invasion of Poland, beginning of the Second World
War
● September 15th (1935) Proclamation of the “Nuremberg Race Laws”
● September 24th (1993) Anniversary of the death of Ian Stuart Donaldson, singer and
"head" of Skrewdriver and founder of "Blood and Honor"
October
● October 29 (2009) Anniversary of the death of right-wing extremist Jürgen Rieger
November
● November 9 (1923/1938) "Memorial day for the fallen of the movement” in memory
of the failed coup attempt by the NSDAP/Reichspogromnacht Two Sundays before
the First Advent Day of National Mourning
December
● December 20th to 21st December winter solstice