World-renowned Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Scharansky spoke out forcefully Monday against the display of neo-Nazi and other anti-Semitic sentiment and racist hate during protests in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend.
“I am deeply concerned by the expressions of antisemitism and other forms of racism and hatred exhibited at the neo-Nazi rally this past weekend in Charlottesville,” Sharansky said in a statement. “I am horrified by the death of a protester at the hands of one of the marchers.
(Video: courtesy, Brennan Gilmore)
“These is no place for such hate speech or violence in any democratic society, and I am confident that American authorities will do everything in their power to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“No student, Jewish or otherwise, should feel threatened at his or her university,” he added. “Jewish students at the University of Virginia should know that the local Hillel staff is available to them at all times, as is the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow at UVA.”
One woman was killed in a ramming attack aimed at a crowd of counter-protesters; 19 others were injured as well. In addition, two Virginia state troopers were killed when their police helicopter crashed and caught fire while responding to the clashes.
The Yad Vashem World Holocaust Memorial Center likewise expressed its concern over the “images, hateful rhetoric and subsequence violence emanating from [Sunday’s] rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“The anti-Jewish ideology of the Nazis was a precursor to the eventual murderous policy and extermination of six million Jews,” the Center said in its statement. “These images are yet another reminder that we must remain vigilant about educating the public regarding hatred and xenophobia.”
