Leading New York City progressives have moved to condemn the recent spate of anti-Semitic violence in the United States, which has come amid renewed unrest in the Middle East.
“We will never, ever tolerate antisemitism here in NY or anywhere in the world. The recent surge in attacks is horrifying. We stand with our Jewish communities in condemning this violence,” AOC said in a tweet Friday evening.
Her call was echoed by fellow New York progressive lawmaker Rep. Jamaal Bowman in a press release.
“In the past several weeks, our district, state, and country have seen an increase in antisemitic hate crimes — a continuation of a trend that has been apparent for years but seems to have been enflamed by the violence in the Middle East. I will say now what I have said before: There is no room for antisemitism, hate, or prejudice in New York’s 16th Congressional District,” he said Friday. “So I ask you today — wherever you encounter antisemitism, speak up. This is our community. Our words and our actions can build a future in our district that we can be proud of, and be safe in.”
The statements, a belated acknowledgment of the violence US Jews have faced at the hands of pro-Palestinian activists, comes after both members have spent more than a week offering unrelenting criticism of Israel as it battled with Hamas terrorists.
AOC has accused the Jewish State of perpetuating “apartheid” and has led efforts to halt more than $700 million in planned arms sales to the country. Bowman too has been strident, even attacking his own progressive colleague Rep. Ritchie Torres after he defended Israel in an Op-Ed for The Post.
Critics have accused the pair and many of their Hamas-sympathetic colleagues of inciting violence.
“Hey @AOC as a member of Congress, your opinions and words hold power. Abusing that power by spreading this incendiary lie fans the flames of incitement and leads to violence,” Aviva Klompas, an Associate Vice President at Combined Jewish Philanthropies said in a tweet dinging the squad leader.