Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Jewish Leaders: Trump Not Welcome in Pittsburgh Until He Denounces White Nationalism


A member of the secret service police walks toward the white house. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

A Jewish progressive group sent a letter to Donald Trump on Sunday saying the president is not welcome in Pittsburgh until he denounces white nationalism following the massacre at a synagogue in the city.

Eleven members of the Pittsburgh affiliate of Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice conceded that Trump called the murderer evil, but said in the letter that “yesterday’s violence is the direct culmination of your influence.”

Emphasizing that Trump is “not welcome in Pittsburgh until you fully denounce white nationalism,” the group wrote that “Our Jewish community is not the only group you have targeted. You have also deliberately undermined the safety of people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. Yesterday’s massacre is not the first act of terror you incited against a minority group in our country.”

The letter told Trump “the murderer’s last public statement invoked the compassionate work of the Jewish refugee service HIAS at the end of a week in which you spread lies and sowed fear about migrant families in Central America.”

The San Diego and Jewish World reported that Bend The Arc put out a statement on Saturday that the “attack comes after weeks of escalated conspiracy theories and rhetoric scapegoating Jewish people, including philanthropist George Soros, which have been driven by candidates for office, arms of the Republican Party, and the President of the United States in campaign ads and at rallies.”

The statement continued that rarely has this 'been legitimized by such a powerful and visible platform. The mainstreaming of white nationalism in American politics means that our nation is ripe for the type of violence we have witnessed today, this week and throughout the Trump presidency.'
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Read Newsmax: Jewish Group: Violence in Pittsburgh Direct Culmination of Trump's Infulence | Newsmax.com