Boebert says tackling anti-Semitism is a way to target conservatives

His comments quickly drew criticism from his critics who accused him of confusing a simple campaign against anti-Semitism with an attack on the right – and by implication, of equating conservatives with anti-Semites.

“So are you okay?” Do you think you are anti-Semitic? Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) tweeted in a popular meme format from the teen comedy “Mean Girls.”

In response to questions about her tweet, Boebert’s office provided a statement equating the anti-hate effort with censorship of free speech and adding that she does not condone anti-Semitism.

“This is the latest version of this administration’s failed ‘Ministry of Truth’,” Boebert said in the statement. “The First Amendment guarantees a marketplace of ideas where truth, beauty, and justice ultimately prevail.”

White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said Boebert was “mistaken”. He added that Biden’s push against hate defies politics and is rooted in long-standing American values.

“If anyone finds opposition to hate threatening, they must look within,” Bates said in a statement. “Convener Boebert should also google the Soviet Union’s long and loathsome history of anti-Semitism. She could find a result for Joe Biden, who at the time decried anti-Semitic acts by Soviet Communists as “shameful”.

Boebert has a history of controversial and inflammatory statements. In February, she suggested God used her to stand up to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), whom she indirectly called one of his “demons,” during a conference of women in a church in Dallas.

Biden announced the four-pillar strategy to combat hate in a video address Thursday, outlining a plan that included more than 100 actions for the government to take. Goals included raising awareness and understanding of anti-Semitism, making Jewish communities safer, reversing the normalization of discrimination, and improving collective efforts to combat hate.

“Over the past few years, hate has been given too much oxygen, fueling a record rise in anti-Semitism,” Biden said. “It’s just plain wrong. This is not only wrong, it is immoral, it is unacceptable. It’s up to all of us to stop it.

The Anti-Defamation League, a group dedicated to combating anti-Jewish hatred, counted 3,697 anti-Semitic incidents last year, a 36% increase from the previous year and the highest figure since that he started keeping records in 1979.

Last month, a trial began for a Pennsylvania man accused of fatally shooting 11 people and wounding two at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in the states’ history. -United. Authorities said the defendant, Robert D. Bowers, regularly posted anti-Semitic and white nationalist rants on social media before the murder.

Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president, said at Thursday’s event that anti-Semitism threatened to divide the country and erode trust in its institutions.

“Anti-Semitism delivers simplistic, false and dangerous narratives that have led extremists to commit deadly violence against Jews,” said Emhoff, who has made combating anti-Semitism a central part of his role. “It is incumbent on all of us to end the visceral hatred that we see in our country. We cannot normalize this.

Biden’s plan outlines steps Congress, state and local governments, tech and other private businesses, faith leaders and others can take to combat anti-Semitism. For example, he calls on tech companies to establish “zero tolerance” policies against anti-Semitic content on their platforms.

White House officials have also touted the planned opening next year of the first US-based Holocaust research center as part of a broader effort to increase education about the dangers of anti-Semitism. Federal agencies commit to more diversity, equity and inclusion training to eradicate workplace discrimination and violence.

A group of more than 25 Jewish organizations applauded Biden’s plan, saying in a statement that they “appreciated the clarity and urgency shown by the White House in releasing its national strategy to combat anti-Semitism.”

Anti-Semitic tweets and account creation increased after Elon Musk took over the platform, The Post previously reported.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), who is Jewish, has previously publicly said he was bombarded with anti-Semitic posts on Twitter and called on the platform to strengthen its moderation process.

On Friday, he applauded the administration’s announcement as “extremely important,” saying it should be welcomed by all Americans, regardless of their political beliefs.

“Nobody is interested in suing conservatives – it’s ridiculous,” Moskowitz said. “We are going after the Nazis. And if the fact is that the majority of Nazis vote for the Conservatives, then perhaps the better question is: why? Why do a majority of Nazis vote for the Conservatives? That’s a question they should ask themselves, maybe.