The Milwaukee Jewish Federation raised the alarm on “inaccurate or hateful ideology,” after a protest near the Republican National Convention reportedly featured accusations of “genocide” against Palestinians and the chant, “we don’t want no Jewish state, we want 1948!”
The Coalition to March on the RNC held the protest in downtown Milwaukee on July 15, to coincide with the Republican National Convention. Hundreds of protesters, largely affiliated with local groups, expressed support for abortion and immigrant rights, while pressing for an end to the war in Gaza, according to the Associated Press.
“An important part of our democracy is the right to express our opinions on issues in a safe and constructive manner, but this line is crossed when inaccurate or hateful ideology is pushed out as facts. March on the RNC crossed that line today,” stated Milwaukee Jewish Federation, in a July 15 news release. The Federation called on the organizers of March on the RNC “to turn down the temperature of their events,” and to fact-check their messaging and speakers.
“Hatem Abudayyeh, national chair of the United States Palestinian Community Network, shared his opinion as fact, that Israel is engaging in genocide and that it is an apartheid country,” stated the Federation release, referring to the rally and press conference of Coalition to March on the RNC, on July 15. “It is reasonable to have different opinions on Israel’s response to October 7, but to declare it an attempt to kill all Palestinians is simply wrong. His words sparked hateful chants of ‘from the river to the sea,’ and ‘We don’t want no Jewish state, we want 1948!’”
According to its website, the agenda of the Coalition to March on the RNC is to fight the “racist and reactionary agenda” of the Republican Party; defend women’s, LGBTQ, and reproductive rights; defend and expand immigrant rights; peace, justice, and equity for all; and stand with Palestine.
“Calling for peace while not calling on Hamas to release the hostages and bring an end to this war is sheer hypocrisy,” said Milwaukee Jewish Federation President and CEO Miryam Rosenzweig. “The leadership of this march would better serve the Palestinian people by using their passion to promote the ceasefire deal that’s been proposed, speaking out against Hamas and working towards a two-state solution as we continue to do. Especially in these times, we call on March on the RNC to turn away from their false and hateful rhetoric and strive to bring civility to their organization, greater Milwaukee and our state.”
One speaker at the event accused the Democratic Party, inaccurately, of supporting “the genocide of hundreds of thousands of people for the past ten months and counting.” The speaker said a Republican administration would do the same.
The Federation statement addressed misinformation: “While organizations like the Milwaukee Jewish Federation actively continue to push for an end to the war by publicly calling for the release of the hostages, performative protests and press conferences such as today’s March on RNC call for peace and equity while advancing divisive rhetoric and misinformation, completely ignoring the crimes of Hamas and the continued barriers to progress.”
The Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s statement called for “March on RNC to publicly stand up for its own antiwar stance and call for Hamas to release the remaining Israeli and American hostages and put an end to this terrible war.”
Loading ...