Press Release – New York – Ahead of today’s U.S. Department of Justice’s Hate Crimes Subcommittee Summit, which Bend the Arc Jewish Action is attending alongside many of its allied organizations, Bend the Arc Jewish Action Director Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block released the following statement:
“The investigation and prosecution of hate crimes is, more than ever, a critically important issue and we have and will continue to support the work of career employees of the Justice Department tasked with fighting the spread of hate-fueled violence.
“But to be serious about reducing hate crimes, the Trump Administration must start with itself. Donald Trump, by virtue of the power of his office, has done more than any other one person in this country to create a climate of fear and intolerance for America’s Muslim, immigrant and other targeted communities over the past year. Mr. Trump, Jeff Sessions, and Steve Bannon have championed white nationalism and emboldened hate groups. The impact of Trump’s rhetoric on the documented rise in hate-fueled violence cannot be discounted.
“We will hold this Justice Department, Attorney General Sessions, and President Trump to the highest account for both their actions and their words in either spreading or halting the spread of hate.”
