Biden Calls Recent Attacks Against Jewish Community ‘Despicable,’ Condemns Anti-Semitism

President Joe Biden speaks at the White House in Washington, on May 17, 2021. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

President Joe Biden on May 24 denounced recent attacks against the Jewish community, calling them “despicable,” while calling for an end to anti-Semitic assault incidents.

“The recent attacks on the Jewish community are despicable, and they must stop,” the president wrote on Twitter. “I condemn this hateful behavior at home and abroad—it’s up to all of us to give hate no safe harbor.”

Biden’s comments come as multiple violent anti-Semitic attacks have taken place across the United States and overseas—including in the Times Square area of New York City, as well as in Los Angeles, southern Florida, Germany, and the United Kingdom, among other places.

Some of the attacks were reported during or shortly after pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations coinciding with the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has since ended in a cease-fire agreement.

In a letter dated May 21, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) urged Biden to call out anti-Semitism and recommended specific actions, including fighting hate on college campuses and enhancing security for religious institutions. The Jewish non-governmental organization, based in the United States, has noted numerous anti-Semitic incidents, including on social media, since the start of the Israel–Hamas conflict.

“The perpetrators of these attacks deliberately targeted Jewish institutions and individuals for no other reason than their religion, justifying it with age-old antisemitic tropes, exaggerated claims, and inflammatory rhetoric,” the letter claims.

Biden isn’t the first high-profile politician who has publicly condemned recent attacks against the Jewish community.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on May 21 he “unequivocally” condemns attacks on “visibly Jewish New Yorkers” and the state won’t tolerate “anti-Semitic violent gang harassment and intimidation.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference in New York, on May 10, 2021. Mary Altaffer/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The governor’s comments came after a 29-year-old Jewish man was attacked by a group of men in Times Square on May 20 amid dueling demonstrations over the deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The attack, which was captured on video and widely shared on social media, drew the attention of several politicians. Police said the incident is being investigated as a hate crime, and Cuomo also ordered a special task force to assist in the investigation.

The pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations in midtown Manhattan over the fighting in the Middle East resulted in dozens of arrests. That same night, a cease-fire was also called between Israel and Hamas.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News