NEW YORK — Everyone’s favorite internet meme Pepe the Frog has now been designated as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League. <br /> <br />The Anti-Defamation League said on Tuesday that Pepe had been added to its “Hate Symbol Database,” according to the Washington Post. <br /> <br />Pepe was thrown into the database after recent racially charged caricatures featured him as Hitler and a KKK member, according to the ADL. <br /> <br />The cartoon frog was created in 2005 as a character in Matt Furie’s comic book series “Boy’s Club,” the Washington Post reported. <br /> <br />Furie told the Daily Dot that Pepe was created from the joy he feels when he would see a frog. <br /> <br />Pepe eventually became a popular meme, especially on message boards like 4chan. <br /> <br />Recently however, Pepe has been shown with several racially charged symbols. He’s also been appropriated by the alt-right. <br /> <br />Donald Trump supporters have also taken a liking to the Pepe meme and have embraced him throughout Trump’s presidential campaign. <br /> <br />“Once again, racists and haters have taken a popular internet meme and twisted it for their own purposes of spreading bigotry and harassing users,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. <br /> <br />The ADL did go on to say that not all images of Pepe are racist or bigoted, the San Diego Union Tribune reported.
