Monday, 29 October 2018

Jewish leaders to Trump: until you denounce white supremacy, stay out of Pittsburgh

After this weekend's anti-Semitic mass-shooting at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue, President Donald Trump blamed the victims, implying that if they didn't want to get murdered, they should have paid for armed guards.

What Trump has notably not said is that the white supremacist movement he has legitimized and fueled with his anti-Muslim, anti-Mexican, anti-disabled, anti-LBGT statements, is connected to anti-Semitic violence -- from the "good people" who marched in Charlottesville chanting "Jews will not replace us" to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion-style demonization of George Soros.

Trump's omission is not subtle. People have noticed. Among them is a coalition of Pittsburgh's Jewish leaders who have published an open letter to the President telling him that he is "not welcome in Pittsburgh until you fully denounce white nationalism," "not welcome in Pittsburgh until you stop targeting and endangering all minorities," "not welcome in Pittsburgh until you cease your assault on immigrants and refugees" and "not welcome in Pittsburgh until you commit yourself to compassionate, democratic policies that recognize the dignity of all of us."

(Image: Dllu, CC-BY-SA)