Although Democrats have long decried Jew-hatred on the far right, “today, too many Democrats are noticeably and shamefully silent when antisemitism comes from the far left,” according to Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.).
“It’s a glaring double standard,” the congressman wrote in the New York Times.
“Consider the response to—really, the embrace of—Hasan Piker, a prominent left-wing commentator with millions of online followers,” who “referred to Orthodox Jews as ‘inbred’ and said ‘America deserved 9/11,’ both statements he halfheartedly walked back,” the congressman wrote.
“He said that Hamas, a designated terrorist organization that has killed Americans and taken Americans hostage, is ‘a thousand times better’ than Israel, America’s ally, which he called a ‘fascist settler colonial apartheid state,’ a statement he stands by,” Gottheimer added. “None of this should be waved away as mere edgy commentary. Mr. Piker traffics in antisemitic and anti-American extremism that has been met by silence from many on the Democratic left.”
‘Sadly, we’ve seen several prominent Democrats appear on his show and even campaign with him, granting his views legitimacy,” he added.
Although it’s hard, “principled” leadership is about saying what’s right even if it comes with heckling and trolling, according to Gottheimer.
“It takes far more courage to stand up to those who have long claimed to be in your corner than to oppose your political opponents,” he wrote.
“There should be one response to those who express hatred toward any American: condemnation. Hate is hate,” he added. “It doesn’t get a pass because it comes from your side of the aisle.”
