The “OK” hand gesture is among the 36 new entries added Thursday to a database of hate symbols used by white supremacists and other far-right extremists.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the hand symbol began its circulation as a hoax by members of the website 4chan as a popular trolling tactic, saying the hand gesture formed a “W” and “P” for “white power.” However, by 2019, the hand gesture started being used "in some circles as a sincere expression of white supremacy," the group says.

The man responsible for the New Zealand massacre, where 51 people were killed at two Christchurch mosques in March, flashed an upside down “OK” symbol when he appeared in court, Al Jazeera reported.

“While some hate symbols are short-lived, others take on a life of their own and become tools for online trolling,” said Mark Pitcavage, senior fellow in ADL’s Center on Extremism. “We pay special attention to those symbols that exhibit staying power as well as those that move from online usage into the real world.”

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The “bowlcut” was also among the newest entry of symbols condemned by the civil rights group. The bowl-shaped haircut was worn by white supremacist mass killer Dylann Roof, who shot and killed nine black people in 2015 at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The ADL, a Jewish civil rights group, added these symbols to its online database “Hate on Display,” which is a longstanding list that provides explanations for symbols, memes and slogans that are frequently used by white supremacist and other hate groups.

The New York City-based organization launched the database in 2000 to help law enforcement officers, school officials and others recognize signs of extremist activity. It has grown to include more than 200 entries.

"Even as extremists continue to use symbols that may be years or decades old, they regularly create new symbols, memes and slogans to express their hateful sentiments," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement.

The ADL says that a printed version of the condemned hate symbols, in brochure form, will be distributed to local law enforcement and made available to school districts across the country.

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.