An 'OK' hand gesture made by an Australian video review official during a recent World Cup match has ignited a fresh controversy, sparking a wider discussion about the evolving nature of hate symbols and their interpretation in a global arena. Shaun Evans, who was officiating Germany's 7-1 victory over Curaçao, was seen making the gesture with his right hand as the broadcast introduced the video review officials.
While the 'OK' symbol is widely understood as a positive affirmation, its association with extremist ideologies has grown in recent years. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a leading anti-hate organisation, updated its database in 2019 to include the gesture. Initially gaining traction as part of a trolling campaign on the online forum 4chan to mislead viewers into believing it signified 'white power' (with fingers forming 'W' and 'P'), the ADL now confirms that genuine extremists are also employing it as a sincere expression of white supremacy.
This extremist link was notably highlighted in 2019 when Brenton Tarrant, the Australian man charged with the murder of 51 people at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, flashed the 'OK' symbol during a courtroom appearance. The ADL's director of its Center on Extremism, Oren Segal, stressed in 2019 that context is paramount when interpreting the symbol, acknowledging the ADL's initial reluctance to add it to their database due to its long-standing innocent meaning. However, Segal concluded that the volume of its use for hateful purposes warranted its inclusion.
Following the World Cup incident, FIFA's discrimination monitor, the Fare network, called for Evans' immediate removal from the tournament. Fare, a long-term partner of FIFA and UEFA that monitors racist and discriminatory chants and symbols, stated that their experts advised the gesture 'clearly resembles an upside-down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in global far-right circles', describing it as 'neo-Nazi'. They questioned why an official would use such a symbol while knowing cameras were focused on him.
Shaun Evans vehemently denied any malicious intent, asserting, 'I did not intentionally make a hand gesture or symbol to communicate a message, affiliation, game or belief of any kind.' He attributed the movement to an 'involuntary, subconscious twitch', pointing to images from later in the match showing him repeating the movement while holding a pen. A FIFA committee ultimately concluded that the Australian official did not breach the sport's disciplinary code, a decision welcomed by Australia's Professional Football Referees Association (PFRA), which defended Evans and unequivocally rejected racism and extremist ideology.
The ADL's online 'Hate on Display' database, established in 2000, serves as a crucial resource for law enforcement and educators to identify signs of extremist activity. It has expanded to nearly 200 entries, encompassing symbols like burning crosses and the swastika. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, noted the dynamic nature of hate, with extremists constantly creating new symbols, memes, and slogans to convey their hateful sentiments, underscoring the ongoing challenge of identifying and addressing such gestures.