(LOS ANGELES, CA – 5/6/2019) The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today condemned the racist and bigoted statements ofJohn Dave Denilofs, a candidate for Riverside City Council Ward 7.
According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Denilofs has made statements on Facebook and YouTube calling for the execution of Muslims, people who wave a Mexican flag in the U.S. and “the people who made laws where it’s safe for Muslims.
Denilofs has also made statements referring to “black people on the street” by the N-word and has called forPresident Donald Trumpto martial law and kill 6 million people, in a reference to the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust.
Denilofs told the Press-Enterprise he did not believe what he said but was attempting to drive traffic to his social media pages.
READ:Riverside City Council candidate acknowledges racist comments but says he didn’t mean them
SEE:What is going on in Riverside County?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t48WBPa8NY
In a statement,CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloushsaid:
“While it is not surprising, it is unfortunate to see an equal-opportunity bigot running for public office.At a time when the current trend of normalizing hate speech has emboldened bigots in their speech, as well as in their actions, the last thing Riverside needs is a bigot setting the vision and goals of the city from the City Council dais. I hope the voters will send a clear message that bigotry and intolerance have no place in Ward 7.
CAIR California (CAIR-CA) found that there was a marked rise in anti-Muslim bias incidents in California in 2017, as detailed in the new CAIR-CA Civil Rights Report. CAIR-CA recorded an 8 percent increase in anti-Muslim bias incidents in 2017 compared to 2016.
READ:2018 CAIR-CA Civil Rights Report
Ayloush urged community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR-LA’s Civil Rights Department at 714-776-1177 or by filing a report at http://bit.ly/2Am5yjG.
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT:CAIR-LA Communications Manager Eugene W. Fields, 714-776-1847 orefields@cair.com
