Survivors of the Nazi torch march in Charlottesville denounce White House’s false comparison between white supremacists and Palestine solidarity protesters

This is a press release in response to what has to be the most wrong-headed thing the White House came up with in the wake of the latest war in the Middle East.

Press Release from Charlottesville Anti-Racist Media Liaisons (CARML) 

Six years ago, we stood up against hundreds of Nazis who carried torches and chanted “Jews will not replace us” in Charlottesville, Virginia. On October 30th, we were horrified to see President Biden’s spokesperson draw a false comparison between the Nazis who attacked us, and the millions of people protesting in the streets for ceasefire and Palestinian liberation.

President Biden: you claim, as your spokesperson reiterated, that watching us stand against Nazis in 2017 inspired your campaign. We must be clear: we who stood against hate in Charlottesville are also vehemently against the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people. We refuse to have our experiences exploited to delegitimize protesters calling for a ceasefire.

Anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism. Condemning genocide is not hate speech. We stand against oppression in all of its forms—against white supremacy, against Islamophobia, and against anti-Semitism. These shared values compel us, along with millions of Americans, to demand an immediate ceasefire, an end to the siege of Gaza, and an end to Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Signed,
Thirteen survivors of the August 11th Nazi torch march
November 14, 2023