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A lighter tone struck by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in the wake of a terrorist attack at a Jewish celebration in Australia clashed sharply with calls for a harder line on rising antisemitism on Sunday, prompting debate on the role of rhetoric in countering violence.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the highest-ranking lawmaker of Jewish descent in American history, sparked criticism online for offering his condolences, while in the same breath celebrating a football victory for New York.
“I’m going to say a few words about the terrible shooting in Sydney, Australia. And first, of course, as I always say — go Bills. They beat the Patriots today. It’s a big deal,” Schumer said, referring to a Sunday NFL game.
ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER SAYS AUSTRALIAN OFFICIALS ‘DID NOTHING’ AMID RISE OF ANTISEMITISM BEFORE SYDNEY ATTACK
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., left, pictured alongside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., right. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Fellow New York lawmaker Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., reposted a clip calling Schumer’s comments tone-deaf.
“Retire. Immediately,” Lawler said in a post on X.
On the other side of the aisle, lawmakers like Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., called on viewers to take a graver stance on rising antisemitism, arguing that a failure to do so would only reward and encourage further acts of violence.
“It’s an absolute betrayal, for Israel and for the worldwide Jewish community — like whether it’s France or Australia or any of these nations, our Western allies — now calling for a two-state solution when Hamas refuses to disarm and are actively trying to kill Jews. I can’t imagine why anybody would do that at this point,” Fetterman said on Sunday.
The divide between Fetterman and Schumer’s responses illustrates a stark contrast in how lawmakers talk about Israel in the Democratic Party, even as they universally expressed horror at…
