[rad-green] CONGRESSWOMAN MCCOLLUM: HATE SPEECH MAKES AIPAC A HATE GROUP

https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/mccollum-statement-hate-speech-makes-aipac-hate-group

[image: image.png]

*MCCOLLUM STATEMENT: HATE SPEECH MAKES AIPAC A HATE GROUP*

February 12, 2020
Press Release

As a Member of Congress and the vice-chair of the House Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee, I believe defending human rights and freedom
are foundational to our national security and our democracy. But the
struggle to advance human rights and promote human dignity inevitably
results in confronting entrenched forces determined to dehumanize, debase,
and demonize individuals or entire populations to maintain dominance and an
unjust status quo. Hate is used as a weapon to incite and silence dissent.
Unfortunately, this is my recent experience with AIPAC – the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee.

The decision by AIPAC to use my image in paid Facebook ads
<https://mccollum.house.gov/sites/mccollum.house.gov/files/documents/Facebook%20Ad%201.jpg>
weaponizing
anti-Semitism to incite followers by attacking me, my colleagues, and my
work promoting human rights for Palestinian children detained in Israeli
military prisons is hate speech. But it doesn’t end there. According
to the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency
<https://www.jta.org/2020/02/08/united-states/aipac-apologizes-for-ad-that-said-radical-democrats-were-maybe-a-greater-threat-than-isis>,
an AIPAC petition linked to their ads designed to mobilize supporters stated
<https://mccollum.house.gov/sites/mccollum.house.gov/files/documents/02-08-2020-AIPAC-text-ad-400x250.png>
, *“It’s critical that we protect our Israeli allies especially as they
face threats from Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS and – maybe more sinister –
right here in the U.S. Congress.”*

This is not a call to action, it is incitement.

Elected representatives in Congress “more sinister” than ISIS? Last year, I
met with AIPAC representatives from Minnesota in my office. Do forces “more
sinister” than ISIS sit down and meet with AIPAC’s advocates?

AIPAC wants its followers to believe that my bill, H.R. 2407
<https://mccollum.house.gov/palestinianchildrensrights>, to protect
Palestinian children from being interrogated, abused, and even tortured in
Israeli military prisons is a threat more sinister than ISIS. This is not
empty political rhetoric. It is hate speech.

AIPAC’s language is intended to demonize, not elevate a policy debate. Vile
attacks such as this may be commonplace in the Trump era, but they should
never be normalized. Hate speech is intentionally destructive and
dehumanizing, which is why it is used as a weapon by groups with a stake in
profiting from oppression.

I will not back down from my commitment to peace, justice, equality, and
human rights for Palestinians and Israelis. I want Jews, Muslims,
Christians, and all people to be safe, secure, and able to find hope and
opportunity – in the U.S., in Israel, and in Palestine.

AIPAC claims to be a bipartisan organization, but its use of hate speech
actually makes it a hate group. By weaponizing anti-Semitism and hate to
silence debate, AIPAC is taunting Democrats and mocking our core values. I
hope Democrats understand what is at stake and take a stand because working
to advance peace, human rights, and justice is not sinister – it is
righteous.

#StopAIPACsHate
<https://twitter.com/search?q=%23StopAIPACsHate&src=typed_query>

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