The Crist for Governor Campaign today released the following response to Ron DeSantis’s campaign ad featuring an anti-Semitic pastor – whose vile comments include saying “…it’s a shame Jewish people, who should know better, reject their own Messiah” – lauding Ron DeSantis for his “leadership”.
This comes at the same time that anti-Semitism is on the rise in Florida, according to a new report, which found a 40 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in 2020 and a 50 percent increase in 2021. The report also includes this horrific detail:
“The Sunshine State Nationalists (SSN) are a new Florida-based neo-Nazi organization established in early 2022 by ‘Pale Heretic,’ an associate of GDL and NSM. The group, which refers to itself as ‘Ron’s Holocaust Task Force,’ a reference to Governor DeSantis, engages in activism ‘to free the state from Jewish rule from Miami, Dayton, Palm Beach County and Boca Raton.’”
In a statement, Crist Spokesperson Samantha Ramirez says:
“Governor DeSantis has consistently refused to condemn hate or extremism, including the Nazis running around our state waving flags bearing his name. So while it may be shocking, it isn’t surprising that he would spend millions of dollars in advertising to elevate an anti-Semite with a history of hateful speech. Ron owes Florida’s Jewish communities an answer for his refusal to forcefully condemn these groups and make clear he does not want their support.”
