FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 11
Contact: Logan Smith
[email protected]
202-709-8825

Bend the Arc: Right-wing politicians still “carrying the torch” of Charlottesville rioters
The through-line from the riots in Charlottesville in 2017 to the riots at the Capitol on January 6 could not be more clear

WASHINGTON – Bend the Arc: Jewish Action released the following statement on Wednesday, the fourth anniversary of the white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia:

“Today marks four years since the Unite the Right riots in Charlottesville exposed the so-called ‘alt-right’ movement as violent white nationalists who seek to make this country only for themselves and people who look like them,” said Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action. “White nationalists may not be marching in the streets today with torches, chanting ‘Jews will not replace us,’ but they remain just as much of a threat to our democracy.”

“The GOP’s filibuster of the bipartisan January 6th commission, their ongoing efforts to suppress the votes of millions of Americans, and their scapegoating of immigrants to deflect blame for their inability to contain the Covid-19 pandemic shows that they remain the party of white nationalism. While their conspiracy theories might seem ridiculous at times, they have a very real and very deadly impact – inspiring violence that claimed the life of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville and others in El Paso, Pittsburgh, Oak Creek, Poway, and Washington, DC. The through-line from the riots in Charlottesville to the riots at the Capitol on January 6 and ongoing efforts to undermine our democracy could not be more clear.”

“As American Jews, we have a personal stake and an important role to play in the transformational movement toward a just and equitable United States where all people are thriving. We must reject politicians who work to bring white nationalism into the mainstream, prevent the government from functioning, campaign to suppress our votes, and incite attacks on our communities. Americans are rising up as one, across lines of race, religion, or citizenship status, to defeat the white nationalist movement that threatens us all. A new America is possible, and we are building it together.”

Bend the Arc: Jewish Action is uniting a movement of tens of thousands of progressive Jews across the country who are fighting for justice and equality for all. We are the only national Jewish organization focused exclusively on social change in the United States.

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