90 Holocaust organizations, 70 educators bemoan rise in hate speech
Ninety US Holocaust remembrance institutions, and more than 70 individual scholars and educators, have decried a rise in intolerance and hate speech.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the signatories also called on US lawmakers to condemn white nationalist groups and asked citizens to be vigilant.
“Recent months have seen a surge in unabashed racism and hate speech – including blatant anti-Semitism and attacks on Hispanics, Muslims, African-Americans, women, the LGBTQ community, as well as other targeted groups. Journalists have been threatened. Places of worship, schools and playgrounds have been defaced with Nazi symbols intended to intimidate and arouse fear. White supremacist groups have become self-congratulatory and emboldened,” reads the statement.
“As Holocaust scholars, educators and institutions, we are alarmed by these trends. History teaches us that intolerance, unchecked, leads to persecution and violence. We denounce racism and the politics of fear that fuels it. We stand in solidarity with all vulnerable groups. We take Elie Wiesel’s words to heart: ‘I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation,’” the statement continues.