Hasan Piker has now been condemned by dozens of Democratic senators and members of Congress, which must mean that his comments were so horrifying they would shock anyone with a conscience.
According to these fairly scripted denunciations, Piker said that American Jews “deserve” or “bear responsibility” for rising antisemitism. Here’s how Sen. Cory Booker put it: “Suggesting that Jewish Americans bear responsibility for hatred or violence directed against them is wrong, dangerous, and antisemitic.”
Rep. Jimmy Panetta edited it slightly, saying: “The suggestion that Jewish Americans who publicly support Israel bear responsibility for violence against the broader Jewish community is wrong, reckless, and antisemitic.”
So if Hasan Piker’s remarks were severe enough to warrant this extensive round of condemnation, it should be easy to pick them out. See if you can find his below. (The answer is in the reply.)
“You can’t have the kind of policies the government of Israel is engaged in and not expect that there’s gonna be pushback and backlash. The people that say that people that disagree with the policies of the government of Israel are antisemites are frankly full of shit and they need to be told that.” 1
“Anti-Zionism is rising as a response to what Israel is doing. It will simply not be possible to treat it as a marginal viewpoint that can be shamed or shunned into invisibility. Yes, antisemitism often cloaks itself in anti-Zionism. So don’t do the antisemites’ work for them. If you keep telling people that if they oppose the Jewish state then they must hate the Jewish people, eventually, they will believe you.” 2
“Look, the anti-Zionist Jews in my community, you have a very tough job ahead of you, where you have to go back to your communities and try to get your elderly relatives to understand that this connection between Israel and Zionism that is expressed over and over again through a lot of these Jewish institutions . . . is teaching people the idea that Jews are monolithic. And this is a dangerous…mode of propaganda…If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action. Not against the State of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews…I don’t know how many different ways I can explain this. I don’t know how people don’t recognize how dangerous this predicament is, how dangerous this is for Jews.” 3
“A lot of the actions by [Netanyahu and his] government are making Jews in the United States unsafe.” 4
“Benjamin Netanyahu has made us less safe. He has frankly put Jews in an uncomfortable position across the country.” 5
It is an “obvious fact that Netanyahu is making Jews in America and the world less safe.” 6
Democratic Socialists of America extends our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Dolly Parton, a hero of the working-class and an inspiration to us all.
@JohnBlevinnzgn@HasanabiProd@SenJackyRosen No, it would be like posting a 30 minute compilation of him arguing for racial justice. Which doesn’t exist because he’s racist. What you said would be like compilation of Hasan having Jewish people on his show, which would be a bad argument
@nikicaga this is the part of the election where i try to forget about it for a while, set my expectations to rock bottom, and then hopefully distract myself for a few hours and come back to the race when theres a clearer picture
hopefully aipac doesnt come to me in my dreams tonight