President Joe Biden made a call on Tuesday (7) to combat a “fierce wave” of antisemitism that is emerging, stating that such hatred has no place in America.
“We must not give hate any safe harbor against anyone,” Biden said.
However, Biden’s firm support for Israel’s war against Hamas, which has already led to the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian authorities, has caused deep fractures in the coalition that sent him to the White House in 2020. Protests on university campuses across the country reveal potential political problems the president faces with younger voters, whose support he needs to secure a second term.
His speech – made during the annual Days of Remembrance celebration at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. – sought to establish direct links between the horrors experienced by Jews under the Nazi regime and what happened in Israel last year, as well as the rise in antisemitism following the Hamas attack.
“This ancient hatred of Jews did not begin with the Holocaust – it did not end with the Holocaust, nor even after our victory in World War II. This hatred continues deeply in the hearts of many people in the world and requires our ongoing vigilance and frankness,” Biden said.
He continued: “Now, here we are – not 75 years later, but just seven and a half months later – and people are already forgetting. They are already forgetting that Hamas unleashed this terror. (…) I haven’t forgotten, nor have you, and we will not forget.”
Biden highlighted a “fierce wave” of antisemitism in the U.S. since October 7, from social media propaganda to Jewish students being harassed or attacked on college campuses.
“Many people deny, minimize, rationalize, and ignore the horrors of the Holocaust and October 7 – including the horrific use of sexual violence by Hamas to torture and terrorize. It is absolutely despicable – and it must stop,” he said.
The latest data from the Anti-Defamation League, which has tracked antisemitic incidents in the U.S. since 1979, revealed a 140% increase in incidents from 2022 to 2023, with a “dramatic” rise occurring after October 7. Regarding antisemitic attitudes in America in 2024, the League found that younger Americans are “more likely to endorse antisemitic speech.”
Source: CNN