Congresswoman Condemns Hasan Piker After He Says Jews ‘Singularly’ Supporting Israel Invite Violence, As Senate Candidate El-Sayed Backs Streamer’s Free Speech Rights

A Democratic lawmaker from Michigan, Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, is calling on other Democrats to condemn Hasan Piker after the Twitch streamer said Sunday that Jewish Americans may be inviting violence by staunchly supporting the state of Israel. Ms. Scholten has so far refused to endorse her party’s Senate nominee, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who campaigned with Mr. Piker during the primary campaign. Mr. Piker has become the focus of Republicans’ attacks on Democrats headed into the fall. His past statement that America “deserved” the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is featured prominently in several ads, including ads from Republican’s Senate nominee in Michigan, Mike Rogers. Mr. Rogers is attempting to persuade moderate Democrats and Jewish voters to back his campaign after Dr. El-Sayed narrowly won his primary over a more moderate, pro-Israel opponent, Congresswoman Haley Stevens. On Sunday, Mr. Piker again stirred up controversy in the state when talking about Michigan state senator Jeremy Moss, a Jewish pro-Israel lawmaker who is running to succeed Ms. Stevens in Congress this year. Recently, an audio clip has gone viral purportedly catching Mr. Moss saying that the “entire purpose” of his campaign was to ensure America continues to support Israel, and that it is not wrong for Jewish people to use America as a “pawn” in defense of Israel. Mr. Moss, however, says the clip is entirely fabricated. “I would never say these things,” Mr. Moss said in a statement to the Detroit News. “The clip is manipulated, either stitched and edited together or just a complete fabrication.”Mr. Piker took the clip at face value, reacting to it live on his Twitch stream over the weekend. He proclaimed that Jewish Americans who are “singularly” dedicated to Israel could be responsible for future violence against Jews. “If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s gonna come around and take action,” Mr. Piker said. “Not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.”“I don’t know how people don’t recognize how dangerous this predicament is — how dangerous this is for Jews,” he continued. “You’re running around basically tying your entire identity to a country that will inevitably be seen as basically Jewish ISIS, and you’re saying, ‘As Jews, this is all we care about.’ You’re making antisemitism worse.”On Monday, Ms. Scholten came out swinging against Mr. Piker, whom she had condemned in the past as he campaigned with Dr. El-Sayed. “Hasan Piker’s calls for violence against American Jews, and directly naming a Michigan elected official (and future Congressional colleague) Jeremy Moss are unacceptable. Full stop,” Ms. Scholten, who represents Grand Rapids, wrote in a statement. “Piker is a hack who thrives on hate, shock and awe because he lacks substance. It’s dangerous for everyone.”“We should all be calling out this disgusting rhetoric so it loses its grip on our politics once and for all. It has no place in Michigan, and no place in our country,” she argued. Dr. El-Sayed, meanwhile, issued a statement both defending Mr. Piker’s First Amendment rights and condemning antisemitism after his GOP opponent, Mr. Rogers, called on him to condemn Mr. Piker. “I believe all Americans deserve the right to advocate for what they believe without fear of violence. This is particularly true for communities that have been intimidated for their beliefs in the past,” Dr. El-Sayed wrote. “Antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms. And I stand against any rhetoric that puts the community at risk,” he continued, without naming Mr. Piker. He went on to say that “nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople,” and condemned “politicians and pundits” who are trying “to make this race about a Twitch streamer.”

Congresswoman Condemns Hasan Piker After He Says Jews ‘Singularly’ Supporting Israel Invite Violence, As Senate Candidate El-Sayed Backs Streamer’s Free Speech Rights

Congresswoman Condemns Hasan Piker After He Says Jews ‘Singularly’ Supporting Israel Invite Violence, As Senate Candidate El-Sayed Backs Streamer’s Free Speech Rights

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