The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the nation, today renewed its call on Democrat and Republican leadership to censure Florida Rep. Brian Mast following his latest anti-Palestinian genocidal rhetoric.
When asked by activists from Code Pink if he had seen images of Palestinian babies killed by Israeli forces, Rep. Mast said “these are not innocent Palestinian civilians across the world.” When asked about half a million people facing starvation in Gaza, he said that “the half a million people starving to death are people that should go out there and put a government in place that doesn’t […] attack Israel on a daily basis.” Rep. Mast displayed no hesitation in stating how innocent Palestinian homes will continue to be destroyed; in a comment, he said: “There is more infrastructure that needs to be destroyed… and there will be more that is destroyed.”
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In addition to his explicit remarks on the destruction of Palestinian homes, Rep. Mast commented during a previous hearing where he urged caution against labeling Palestinian civilians as “innocent,” drawing a provocative analogy by stating, “I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term ‘innocent Nazi civilians.'”
SEE: CAIR Calls Florida Congressman’s Remark Comparing Palestinian Civilians to Nazis a ‘Call to Commit Genocide,’ Calls for His Resignation
In a statement, CAIR-FL Executive Director Abdullah Jaber said:
“We call on House Leaders to condemn and censor Rep. Brian Mast’s heartless malignant statements he continues to make without any consequence. He is promoting hate and unabashedly supports what can only be deemed as war crimes. His blatant disregard for human rights and justice stands as a repugnant stain on the values cherished by Americans. His open encouragement of genocide is not just a provocation but an endorsement of violence.”
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CONTACT: Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, CAIR-Florida Media and Outreach Director, Ph. (305) 502-6749, E: wruiz@cair.com