Jews were being told they should "go back to the oven" at a protest in Fort Lauderdale, Fl.
The protest of Israels campaign eneded badly, like many others they've had. Police had to calm an ugly fight between supporters of Gaza and Israel by breaking up the warring sides as their screaming and chanting threatened to turn into something worse.
Unfortunately, some protesters at this rally in Fort Lauderdale, Fl took their rhetoric a step further, calling for the extermination of Israel and Jews.
Separated by battle lines and a stream of rush-hour traffic outside a federal courthouse last week, at least 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators faced off against a smaller crowd of Israel supporters.
Most of the chants were ordinary. There were men and women waving Palestinian flags calling Israel's invasion of Gaza a "crime"; And the pro-Israel group carried signs calling the Hamas-run territory a "terror state."
As the protest continued and crowds grew, one woman in a hijab began to shout curses and slurs. Not only were they hurtful but shocking to Jewish activists in the city, which has a sizable Jewish population.
"Go back to the oven," she shouted, calling for the counter-protesters to die in the manner that the Nazis used to exterminate Jews during the Holocaust.
"You need a big oven, that's what you need," she yelled.
This is hurtful to the Jewish ethnicity/religion because millions of Jews were gassed and burned in crematoria throughout Europe during Adolf Hitler's rule of Germany (AKA: The Holocaust). The protest organizers were asked to comment on the woman's call for Jewish extermination. They said she was "insensitive" but refused to condemn her statement.
"She does not represent the opinions of the vast majority of people who were there," said Emmanuel Lopez, who helped plan the event, one of many sponsored nationwide on Dec. 30 by the ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism ) Coalition.
It was admitted by Lopez, a state coordinator for ANSWER, that there is a problem with anti-Semitism within his organization's ranks. But then he went on to call the supporters of Israel across the street "barbaric, racist" Zionist terrorists.
"Zionism in general is a barbaric, racist movement that really is the cause of the situation in the entire Middle East," Lopez said.
The unidentified woman, who was said to be Muslim by protest organizers, wasn't the only protester who started trouble that day. Other demonstrators held signs that said "Nuke Israel." A number of them made comparisons to the Holocaust, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
In the 12 days of Israel's campaign in Gaza, more than 670 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians have been killed.
"This is absolutely inhumane," said Ahmed Suid, who attended the demonstration, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "This is a modern-day Holocaust."
"We're worried about hate speech. We're worried because hate speech eventually leads to pain and suffering and death," said Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, which has been tracking Gaza protests.
Organizers called the Fort Lauderdale protest a success, saying it drew crowds of new activists, even though police had to interecede and break up a confrontation which could have became voilent.
"It was not just an academic exercise . . . not just a protest," said Lopez. "It's a material force."
Christian Web News - Galatians 3:13-14. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree''), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Christian Web News - Often when we talk about sin, we use lots of examples such as abortion, homosexuality, murder, substance abuse - I could go on and on. However, I want to direct this little three letter word to the Christian who is serving God and can tell a sinner all about his or her sin. We use to call it “pointing the finger” at someone who does so many bad things.
