Politics

Schumer, Pelosi Slow To Condemn Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes

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Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer were slow to condemn the recent spike in anti-Semitic hate crimes, with Pelosi waiting until Monday to issue a statement.

Pelosi tweeted Monday morning that the spike in hate crimes around the nation and worldwide is “horrific.”

“The recent spike in antisemitic attacks against Jews around the country and the world is horrific, heartbreaking & demands action,” Pelosi tweeted. “Antisemitism cannot be tolerated. We must come together as Americans to condemn and combat this appalling bigotry and hatred.”

Prior to taking a stance against anti-Semitism, Pelosi tweeted about a national paid family and medical leave program, her meeting with President of South Korea Moon Jae-In, and the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot.

Schumer came out against the attacks twice: once Friday and once again late Sunday evening, calling on Americans to “stand together to stop the recent surge in anti-Semitic attacks.”

“Anti-Semitism, bigotry, and intolerance have no place in New York or anywhere else,” he continued.

But the self-proclaimed ‘Shomer,’ which means ‘guardian’ in Hebrew, spent the past several days tweeting about a myriad of subjects despite the ongoing hate crimes. In fact, Schumer actually visited the site of one of the anti-Semitic attacks to speak about bringing New York theaters back.

Schumer also tweeted about the student debt crisis, the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot, and marijuana before making any mention on his Twitter of the anti-Semitic hate crimes.

Meanwhile, as Schumer and Pelosi were tweeting about the Capitol Riot among other things, pro-Palestinian individuals were assaulting and attacking Jews.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) confirmed in a statement to the Daily Caller that they responded to a call regarding a hate crime on May 17. Video footage appears to show an Orthodox Jewish man running for his life as two cars chase him through the parking lot. One video taken from the point of view of one of the pro-Palestinian protesters is captioned “This Zionist flipped us off for supporting Palestine. We went after him. Y’all some big ass p**sys bitches. You can run but you can’t hide.”

The LAPD responded to a call of an “assault with a deadly weapon” just one day later after Jewish diners were allegedly attacked by a pro-Palestine mob. (RELATED: 2 Jewish Boys Beaten After Refusing To Repeat ‘Anti-Jewish Statements,’ Police Say, Before Rescue By Anonymous Driver)

Video footage posted to Twitter appears to show two individuals eating outside of the Sushi Fumi restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. The duo appears to then get attacked by members of the pro-Palestinian group. One victim was hospitalized, and the investigation into the incident remaining ongoing, according to police.

On May 20, a Jewish man was beaten down in the middle of Times Square by members of a pro-Palestinian mob. While Pelosi and Schumer were slow to condemn the attacks, others quickly denounced them. Former Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords called out the anti-Semitism on May 20, noting her synagogue was vandalized.

“The View” co-host Meghan McCain issued a statement on May 20 addressing the “pure, unadulterated, monstrous evil” of Jewish hate crimes.

Republican New York Rep. Lee Zeldin condemned the attacks in a tweet before Pelosi.

Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott offered his support to American Jews and denounced the attacks prior to Pelosi, as well.

Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida also condemned the attacks — before both Schumer and Pelosi on Friday.