Biden says enemies won't have the 'last word' and wants to end social media immunity.
Biden said the United States has long experienced a "hate line" against minority groups, which has received "too much oxygen" from politics and the media in recent years.
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - US President Joe Biden urged Americans to speak out against racism and extremism during a White House summit on Thursday, and said he would ask Congress to do more to hold social media companies accountable for spreading hate.
"White supremacists will not have the last word," Biden said at the 'United We Stand' summit of bipartisan local leaders, experts, and survivors.
Biden said the United States has long experienced a "hate line" against minority groups, which has received "too much oxygen" from politics and the media in recent years.
"It's so important that we keep shouting," he said. "It's so important that people know that we are not who we think we are."
The event also recognized communities that have suffered hate-based attacks, including mass shootings at a gay nightclub in Orlando in 2016 and at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, earlier this year, in which 10 black people were shot dead by an avowed racist.
Hate crimes in the United States hit a 12-year high in 2020, the latest data available, the FBI said last year.
Biden was introduced by Susan Bro, mother of Heather Heyer, who was killed during a white nationalist rally in August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. "Her murder resonated around the world, but the hatred didn't begin or end there," Bro said.
Participants gave Biden a standing ovation when he said he wanted Congress to "hold social media companies accountable for spreading hate."
"I'm asking Congress to get rid of the special immunity for social media companies and impose much stronger transparency requirements on all of them," Biden said.
The White House has repeatedly called for the repeal of Section 230, a law that protects online companies from liability for content posted by users, and has also supported increased antitrust oversight and transparency in technology companies.
The event at the White House comes just weeks after Biden warned in a speech in Philadelphia that extremist Republicans are a threat to democracy.
Biden addressed criticism that his speech was divisive on Thursday.
"Silence is complicity, we cannot remain silent," Biden said. "Some say we brought this up, we divided the country. By bringing this up, we silenced them."
Biden announced a $1 billion effort by philanthropists to build bridges between Americans of different backgrounds, an initiative supported by the foundations of former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Gerald Ford.
Several major technology companies have also joined in. YouTube said it is expanding its efforts to combat violent extremism by removing content that glorifies violent acts with the aim of inspiring others to commit harm, raise funds, or recruit.
Microsoft said it is expanding its use of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to detect credible threats of violence and to use games to build empathy.
Federal agencies also announced new initiatives.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said at the summit that all 94 U.S. attorneys' offices would work on a "United Against Hate" initiative next year to increase community understanding and reporting of hate crimes and build trust between law enforcement and communities.