The okay sign is listed as a white power symbol

The character, who is also a popular emoji, has become a symbol of white power in right-wing circles. This is because the three fingers sticking up symbolize the letter W, while the ring formed between the thumb and forefinger represents the letter P - an abbreviation of the term "white power". The BBC reports.

The most common meaning of the symbol - an expression of affection - originated in the early 19th century, according to the international organization Anti-defamation league (ADL). The sign is also common in Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as in yoga, where it is a symbol of perfection.

The new meaning stems from 2017, when users of the 4Chan site began to use the character in jokes to engage with the media. However, the new meaning of the symbol was taken over by the so-called alternative-right when the perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque attack showed the sign in connection with the trial against him.

Paul Stocker, a historian who specializes in extreme right movements, tells the BBC that the okay sign is a way for people in these movements to communicate with each other.

- It is a coded message to others who have knowledge of what it means, and what the extreme right has for itself, he says.

Now the Anti-defamation league, which works against anti-Semitism and hate crimes, has included the sign on its list of hate symbols. However, the organization points out that, for the most part, the sign still retains its original meaning.

"Although extremists continue to use symbols that are years or decades old, they regularly create new symbols, meme and slogans to express their hateful attitudes," Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of ADL, said in a press release.