CNN Michael Smerconish avoided repeating a sentence from the senator. John Fetterman (R-PA) lambasting “Jew-hating assholes” who are planning an anti-Semitic protest against various Jewish-owned Philadelphia businesses.
Smerconish noted on his show Saturday that the bike ride, primarily organized by Philly Bike On Your Left, comes on the eve of the 88th anniversary of “Kristallnacht” or “Night of Broken Glass,” a night in which Germany’s Jewish citizens saw their businesses and synagogues burned while tens of thousands were taken to concentration camps.
The organizers of this bike ride claim that they are not anti-Semitic, but “anti-Zionist”. A flyer for their bike ride includes the names of several Jewish-owned businesses, including a macaroni and cheese shop and a deli, with those names crossed out. Organizers declared that these “Zionist establishments must disappear.”
Smerconish said:
Organizers say it is Zionism, not Judaism. Okay, so explain what a pastrami sandwich has to do with Gaza. As one local Jewish leader said, the only thing these owners have in common is that they are Jewish. The First Amendment protects a lot of ugly speech. It’s one of the ugliest I’ve seen. But I’m not asking anyone to stop them. Even if the law allows them to ride, it doesn’t require the rest of us to sit still while they do it. And by the way, I predict that the counter-protesters will outnumber the protesters. We can hope.
Smerconish later read a statement from Fetterman while scrolling through social media reactions to the show.
“Assholes on wheels who love Hamas and hate Jews,” Fetterman wrote.
Smerconish showed the comment and laughed, but avoided throwing such language on air himself.
“Should I read it? I’m happy to read it, but here it is from Senator Fetterman. Thank you, senator,” the CNN host said.
Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and other state officials have called the bike hike blatantly anti-Semitic.
“This bike ride, disguised as a protest aimed at advancing the cause of justice, is nothing more than blatant anti-Semitism intended to intimidate and drive Jewish businesses from our communities,” the governor said in a statement. “There is no place for this in our Commonwealth.”
Watch above via CNN.
The message “Should I read it?” » Smerconish avoids repeating Fetterman’s viewer comment “jew-hating shit” on Air, which first appeared on Mediaite.
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