The international community mourned the 6 million Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust last Thursday to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The commemoration serves as a day to “never forget” the consequences of tyranny and unchecked hate. Leaders across the globe made statements in solitarily with the Jewish community and pledged to keep those victims’ memories alive.
Gov. Ron Desantis (R) urged Americans to “confront antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head.”
However, Rep. Charlie Crist (D), who is running for governor this election cycle, saw the day as an opportunity to take a jab at Republicans or Conservatives by politicizing the day in a press release.
His statement opens with a description of the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol – specifically referencing the individual wearing a ‘Camp Auschwitz’ sweatshirt.
He further referenced conspiracy theories like QAnon which are “rife with anti-Semitic rhetoric.” Crist’s statement seems to point the blame on the recent surge in antisemitism nationwide on right-wing extremism.
"For Holocaust survivors and their families, the images of rioters storming the Capitol – one wearing a ‘Camp Auschwitz’ sweatshirt - were shocking, but not new. Nationalism, anger, bigotry, and misinformation are the unholy forces that brought about the Holocaust. And they are the same forces that led to the deaths of five Americans at the US Capitol on January 6. To see these forces rise again in America, coupled with conspiracy theories like QAnon rife with anti-Semitic rhetoric, is yet one more example of why ‘Never Again’ is not a statement of fact, but a call to action," stated Crist.
But hours after posting the politicized release, Crist replaced it with a non-politically charged statement. According to his official website, this is how the statement begins:
"Today, we remember the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust and the millions of other people murdered by the Nazis. As we mark the unthinkable horror birthed from hatred of Jews, we acknowledge that that same hatred remains with us today. From the hostage crisis at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas to recent incidents of the distribution of anti-Semitic propaganda in Jewish communities in South Florida, we must recommit ourselves to calling out, and fighting against, anti-Semitism and hate," stated Rep. Crist.
However, Rep. Crist is silent as to antisemitic, progressive movements like B.D.S., which aims to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel, or the growing antisemitic bias against Israel that masked as “antizionism.”
Crist also remained silent when his colleague Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) compared Israel to terrorist organizations like Hamas and, most recently, when his opponent Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) compared Gov. Ron Desantis to Adolf Hitler.
Javier Manjarres contributed to this story.
