Watertown severs ADL ties

A Massachusetts town council unanimously voted to end its partnership with the Anti-Defamation League's anti-bigotry program.

In an 8-0 vote, the Watertown Town Council moved Tuesday to rescind its participation in the No Place for Hate program, the Boston Globe reported. The move came under immense pressure from the town's large Armenian community, which is angry over the ADL's unwillingness to acknowledge the killings of Armenians during World War I as genocide.

The ADL says it does not deny the genocide, it just isn't willing to affirm it.

On Monday, the committee overseeing the No Place for Hate program in Watertown met with local ADL officials to seek clarification of their position. Will Twombly, the committee's co-chairman, told the Globe the committee finds ADL's position "unacceptable." More...