(LibertySons.org) – The White House publicly continues to fight against hate speech targeting violence against a group. This time, deputy press secretary Andrew Bates chastised protesters for their “completely unjustifiable” use of “Antisemitic” language to target a Middle Eastern food restaurant co-owned by an Israeli-born chef over policy disagreements, per The Hill. Bates was responding to a protest by Gaza supporters who gathered outside Goldie, one of restauranteur Michael Solomonov’s falafel-based restaurants in Philadelphia.
Bates went on to charge that the protestors’ behavior typified Antisemitism’s “cruel and senseless double standard.” The spokesman said President Joe Biden had battled “the evil of Antisemitism his entire life.” The Commander-in-Chief had previously promised to stand firm against such “undignified actions.”
The pro-Gaza protestors gathered in front of the restaurant on Sunday evening, December 3, calling for a permanent ceasefire. Yet, some crowd members rallied to cheers of “Goldie, Goldie, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) pushed back on the protest as a “blatant act of antisemitism.” He claimed that protesters chose the location only because one of its owners was Jewish and born in Israel. He lamented that the “hate and bigotry” echoed from “a dark time in history.”
Hate speech and the culture of intolerance have become more frequent White House topics recently. The White House has harshly criticized instances of Antisemitism, Islamaphobia, or anti-Arab acts, expressions, or sentiments since the Hamas attack. Even before the attack, President Biden announced the United We Stand Initiative To Counter Hate-Fueled Violence Together in August 2022. The year’s extreme events prompted the president to update his policy and provide a progress report in September 2023.
In May 2023, the administration specifically launched a National Strategy To Counter Antisemitism, a flagship program to counter hateful speech and actions aimed at a specific group. It appears to be the first step in many to root out hate.
~Here’s to Our Liberty!
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