The Northern California offices of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) today condemned anti-Semitic robocalls made Tuesday on behalf of a state congressional candidate.
The calls, reportedly paid for by TheRoadtoPower.com, asked listeners to “End the Jewish takeover of America and restore our Democracy by voting for John Fitzgerald for U.S. Congress.”
Fitzgerald is a Republican small-business owner who is running for the Contra Costa County seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. His prior statements denying the Holocaust and spreading anti-Semitic vitriol have garnered condemnation from faith organizations and California’s Republican Party.
READ: Anti-Semitic robocalls supporting Concord candidate running for Congress (KTVU)
“We strongly condemn the hateful and racist rhetoric used in congressional candidate John Fitzgerald’s robocalls,” said CAIR Sacramento Valley (CAIR-SV) Executive Director Basim Elkarra on Wednesday. “We must come together to condemn the rising tide of hate, anti-Semitism and intolerance.”
“We condemn Fitzgerald as an anti-Semite and Californians reject his attempt to spread anti-semitic hate,” said CAIR-San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) Executive Director Zahra Billoo. “This candidate’s entire campaign has been one hateful statement after another. We are concerned about the impact that the rhetoric in this race will have on already rising hate crimes in region and across the country.”
Fitzgerald’s website expresses anti-Semitic views and urges followers to keep an eye on “Jewish supremacism,” among other posts. Fitzgerald even recently said on a radio show that “Everything we’ve been told about the Holocaust is a lie.”
READ: Holocaust Denier in California Congressional Race Leaves State G.O.P. Scrambling (NY Times)
Reports of hate incidents in California rose by more than 17 percent from 2016 to 2017, according to new Department of Justice figures released Monday, and crimes based on religion saw the highest increase.
READ: Hate crimes increase again by double digits in California (SACBEE)