Biden: "We must all stand together" against antisemitism
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President Biden. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
President Biden on Friday called the recent spate of antisemitic attacks in the United States "despicable, unconscionable, un-American."
What he's saying: "We have seen a brick thrown through [the] window of a Jewish-owned business in Manhattan, a swastika carved in the door of a synagogue in Salt Lake City, families threatened outside a restaurant in Los Angeles, and museums in Florida and Alaska, dedicated to celebrating Jewish life and culture and remembering the Holocaust, vandalized with anti-Jewish messages," Biden said.
- "These attacks are despicable, unconscionable, un-American, and they must stop," he said, reiterating the Justice Department's commitment to "deploying all of the tools at its disposal to combat hate crimes."
- "May is Jewish American Heritage Month, when we honor Jewish Americans who have inextricably woven their experience and their accomplishments into the fabric of our national identity," he said.
- "I will not allow our fellow Americans to be intimidated or attacked because of who they are or the faith they practice," he added, denouncing "hatred, dangerous lies, and conspiracy theories."
The big picture: Rights groups across the U.S. and Europe have documented a rise in antisemitic attacks following this month's fighting between Israel's military and Hamas in Gaza.
- Biden's statement Friday echoed comments he made earlier this week.
- Jewish faith leaders and groups organized a virtual rally on Thursday to denounce the attacks. Though lawmakers, celebrities and others participated in the event, neither Biden or Vice President Harris took part, which privately "frustrated" some Jewish leaders, according to Time.
Go deeper: Latest Gaza conflict fuels anti-Semitism, Islamophobia across U.S., Europe
