It didn't take very long for the Left to turn Saturday's horrific attack on Jews in a synagogue in Monsey, New York into a partisan issue.
Members of the Left quickly blamed US President Donald Trump for the violent incident in which five people were critically wounded after the assailant, Grafton E. Thomas, stabbed them with a machete.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who in September suspended his presidential campaign for the Democratic ticket in 2020, blamed "an atmosphere of hate" for the recent outburst of violence against the Jewish community in the New York area.
"A lot of it is emanating from Washington and it's having an effect on all of us," he said.
He added that "[New York] is seeing a growth of anti-Semitism in this country that is profoundly dangerous."
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio blames yesterday's anti-Semitic attack in the NY suburb of Monsey on President Trump
pic.twitter.com/wRfQkPjn6q— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 29, 2019
And, of course, one of Trump's biggest critics on the Left, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), cited Trump's rhetoric as the reason behind violence against Jews.
"And folks still don't see the connection with his words and how it ignites violence. He fuels people's anger & misguided hate. Instead of leading with compassion, he simply gaslights and laughs about it," she said.
And folks still don't see the connection with his words and how it ignites violence. He fuels people's anger & misguided hate. Instead of leading with compassion, he simply gaslights and laughs about it. https://t.co/S3JxXYTDs3
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) December 29, 2019
Some critics on the Left were even less nuanced and claimed Trump was solely responsible for the rise of anti-Semitism in America.
Radical activist Ariel Gold, who is the national co-director of an anti-Israel organization in favor of BDS, Code Pink, said simply, "This is Trump's America."
This is Trump's America https://t.co/3g0vLWEVMu
— Ariel Gold אריאל
(@ArielElyseGold) December 29, 2019
In the same vein, journalist Mairav Zonszein, also tweeted that she thinks Trump is "directly responsible."
"Just to be clear, I hold the Trump White House directly responsible for the increasing violent attacks on Orthodox Jewish people in America. It should be clear now that exceptionalizing Jews – whether in a negative or positive light – endangers us and keeps us forever at risk," she said.
Just to be clear, I hold the Trump White House directly responsible for the increasing violent attacks on Orthodox Jewish people in America. It should be clear now that exceptionalizing Jews- whether in a negative or positive light- endangers us and keeps us forever at risk
— Mairav Zonszein מרב זונשיין (@MairavZ) December 29, 2019
Naturally, the Republican Jewish Coalition condemned these accusations. Calling their were claims "absolutely deranged" the RJC shot back at Democrats, saying they clearly don't care about Jewish victims of anti-Semitic hate crimes and are only focused on pushing forward a "partisan agenda."
It is absolutely deranged to blame President Trump for the attack in Monsey last night. @USJewishDems clearly doesn't care about the Jewish victims of anti-Semitic hate crimes in New York, they simply care about pushing their partisan agenda. https://t.co/6BSKO06YFP
— RJC (@RJC) December 29, 2019
As for the suspect, Thomas pleaded not guilty after he was arraigned on five counts of murder and one count of burglary on Sunday morning. He is now being held in custody with a $5 million bail.
