OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington governor’s race candidate Dave Reichert (R) criticized his opponent Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) on Wednesday, arguing that he has remained silent on antisemitism in the midst of University of Washington student protests critical of Israel’s use of deadly force in Palestine.
Reichert argued that Ferguson has a responsibility to condemn antisemitism following the student demonstrations, implying that the pro-Palestinian protesters are prejudiced against Jewish people.
“Unlike my opponent who has remained intentionally silent, I have said from day one that the harassment and intimidation of Jewish people on our school campuses is abhorrent. There’s no debating that yesterday’s violent mob on University of Washington’s campus was the farthest thing from ‘peaceful’ as some have suggested,” Reichert said.
According to reporting from the UW Daily, the protests have caused political controversy on campus but have not yielded significant bouts of violence.
Violence in Gaza has escalated in recent days, with aid to alleviate famine in the region slowing due to an Israeli incursion following a Hamas rocket attack according to the Associated Press. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained resolutely supportive of the actions of his military in the midst of potential International Criminal Court charges for genocide or war crimes against him according to Reuters.
NonStop Local has reached out to the Ferguson campaign for a response and will update this article with additional information as it becomes available.
