AOC slammed for saying 'false accusations' of antisemitism are 'wielded against people of color'
Fox News
Jewish leaders ripped Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for saying that "false accusations of antisemitism are wielded against people of color."
"Antisemitism, hate and violence against Jews because of their identity is real, and it is dangerous. It is also important to say here in this moment and during that conversation that criticism of the Israeli government is not inherently antisemitic and criticism of Zionism is not automatically antisemitic," Ocasio-Cortez said. Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering politics, crime, police and more. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on Twitter: @danimwallace.
"That being true does not mean that we should not recognize that criticism and when that criticism crosses a line into real harm against our Jewish community," she continued. "Antisemitism is an assault on our values as Americans and especially as progressives. Antisemitism is also a threat to a community that is a vital partner in our struggles against injustice. So, when the Jewish community is threatened, the progressive movement is undermined. That is why we reject it as fiercely as we reject and look for misogyny, Islamophobia or any form of bigotry or discrimination in any space that we occupy. Right now, antisemitism is on the rise in America and across the world. Acknowledging that fact does not take away from fights for liberation, it actually advances them."
"At the same time, it is also true that accusations and false accusations of antisemitism are wielded against people of color and women of color by bad-faith political actors," Ocasio-Cortez said. "And weaponizing antisemitism is used to divide us and create a false choice between the fight for Jewish safety and the calls for Palestinian self-determination. Defending and standing for the rights of Palestinians is not antisemitic, and we must be able to identify when bad-faith political actors make accusations simply to divide us. People can disagree bitterly about Israel and Gaza, but it has felt that we’ve been at a point where even coming together to acknowledge and discuss any antisemitism at all can feel impossible."