A former Democratic New York state assemblyman and noted pro-Israel advocate was escorted out of a Muslims for Peace event held on Rutgers University campus during a speech by Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
Dov Hikind, a former lawmaker who sued New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for blocking him on Twitter, attended the Tlaib event on Sunday with the hopes of asking the freshman Democrat about a tweet she shared from Palestinian leader Hanan Ashrawi that claimed a young Palestinian boy was murdered by Jews in east Jerusalem last week.
“What about your anti-Semitism?” Hikind asked before being drowned out by “Rashida” chants from the crowd. Hikind was then walked out of the event by several police officers.
Hikind, 69, demanded Tlaib apologize for spreading what he calls “blood libel” against Jews after it was revealed that the Palestinian boy had died from drowning instead of kidnapping and execution, as suggested by the tweet Tlaib retweeted. Tlaib quietly deleted the tweet in question and did apologize for posting information that wasn’t “fully verified.”
A shame to see a US Congresswoman amplifying this claim @RashidaTlaib pic.twitter.com/6ZfRewsKaW
— Ben Hartman (@Benhartman) January 25, 2020
“She point-blank accused Jews of killing a child,” Hikind told the Washington Examiner. “I went to confront her. This is as fundamental as anything, this is not disagreeing with her on some policy matter like abortion or something, this is blood libel. When you say something like this, and it spreads all over the world.
“The Muslim community looks up to her,” Hikind added. “When she says something like that, it’s incredibly damaging. She owes the Jewish people an apology, period.”
Tlaib, 43, has boasted of her support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, which seeks to punish Israel economically for its relationship with the Palestinian people. She is one-fourth of the freshman House group known as “the Squad,” a Democratic coalition of liberal women rounded out by Reps. Ilhan Omar, Ocasio-Cortez, and Ayanna Pressley.
The Squad’s goal is to push the Democratic Party further to the left by advocating for “Medicare for all,” a $15 federal minimum wage, immigration reform, and action on a number of social justice issues.
Tlaib’s office declined to provide a comment for this report.
Police just ejected me from an event of @Muslims4Peace at @RutgersU which was a fine event until @RashidaTlaib showed up. I challenged her about her antisemitism and spreading of an anti-Jewish blood libel! She had no answer for me.
They will never silence us!
Cc @IlhanMN pic.twitter.com/vyMGCGGxlX
— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) February 9, 2020
