Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib accused of “antisemitic dog whistling” by Jewish groups in America
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has been accused of “antisemitic dog whistling” by Jewish groups in America.
It was reported that during a video conference at the Democratic Socialists of America’s national convention on 3rd August, the Democratic Congresswoman said that “if you open the curtain and look behind the curtain, it’s the same people that make money and, yes they do, off of racism, off of these broken policies. There is someone there making money.”
“They do it from Gaza to Detroit. And it’s a way to control people, to oppress people. And it’s those structures that we continue to fight against,” she allegedly added.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations released a statement on Twitter which said that it was “deeply concerned by the antisemitic nature of recent comments and allegations” made by Congresswoman Tlaib, adding that she was “suggesting that the Jews are a uniting factor.”
Head of ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, tweeted: “Stunning to hear @RashidaTlaib claim ‘behind the curtain,’ those who prevent a ‘free Palestine’ are the ‘same people’ who exploit ‘regular Americans.’ We’ve heard this kind of ugly #antisemitic dog whistling before, but it’s appalling when it comes from a member of Congress.”
This is not the first time Congresswoman Tlaib has been accused of antisemitism.
In 2019, Congresswoman Tlaib was criticised for her comments when discussing the Holocaust on a podcast. She said: “There’s kind of a calming feeling I always tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors, Palestinians, who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out, and some people’s passports.
“I mean, just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time, and I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right, in many ways. But they did it in a way that took their human dignity away, right, and it was forced on them. And so when I think about a one-state, I think about the fact that, why couldn’t we do it in a better way?”
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, accused her of antisemitism, tweeting: “Your words are both grossly #antisemitic and ignorant. You should take some time to learn the history before trying to rewrite it.”
Shortly after, Congresswoman Tlaib released her own statement on Twitter, writing: “Policing my words, twisting & turning them to ignite vile attacks on me will not work. All of you who are trying to silence me will fail miserably. I will never allow you to take my words out of context to push your racist and hateful agenda. The truth will always win.”
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