From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 16, 2023
Biden slams rise in hate crimes against Jews, Muslims, links it to Hamas’s ‘evil acts’
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Joe Biden expresses his solidarity with Americans worried about an uptick in violence on US soil as a result of the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.
“To those Americans worried about violence at home, as a result of the evil acts of terror perpetrated by Hamas in Israel — we see you. We hear you,” Biden says in a statement.
He notes that the FBI released its annual hate crimes statistics earlier today, which showed that antisemitic hate crimes rose 25 percent from 2021 to 2022, and that antisemitism accounted for over half of all reported religion-based hate crimes.
In addition, annual anti-LGBTQ hate crimes rose by 16%, and Muslim Americans and African Americans continue to be overrepresented among victims, the FBI data showed.
“The data is a reminder that hate never goes away, it only hides. Any hate crime is a stain on the soul of America,” Biden says.
The US president says he has tasked his administration, including US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland “to prioritize the prevention and disruption of any emerging threats that could harm Jewish, Muslim, Arab American, or any other communities during this time.”
“My administration will continue to fight antisemitism and Islamophobia,” Biden declares.
