Symbols of hate plague assembly meeting
A group of mostly unmasked ultra-conservatives packed the Assembly chambers last night — repeatedly disrupting a meeting of the Anchorage Assembly. Grown adults, mostly unable to control their feelings and bristling at any scientific mention, booed, hollered, and repeatedly ignored warnings given by Assembly Chair LaFrance — leading to the removal of several people from the chambers.
Assembly meetings are not football games where individuals can cheer for their "team" or cult leader.
However, more disturbing than the lack of decorum demonstrated by many of last night's attendees were the yellow stars some individuals wore bearing the words, "We will not comply."
The Nazis used the Star of David during the Holocaust to identify Jews — if a Jew was found in public without a star, they could be severely punished or murdered. The yellow stars, worn by members of the public last evening, appear to be an attempt to compare their anti-mask "plight" to the millions of Jews murdered in the act of mass genocide during World War 2 — arguably an abominable comparison being made by anyone with even the most rudimentary historical understanding of that period.
As images of individuals wearing stars synonymous with genocide began circulating on social media last evening, Twitter lit up in a firestorm of outrage. Many wrote that the imagery was clearly antisemitic and contemptible.
The Mudflats wrote that the pictures were an excellent summary of public testimony given at last evening's meeting and suggested that people should be ashamed of themselves.
Over the summer, members of "Save Anchorage" posted pictures of tattoos associated with the Holocaust to the group — comparing COVID-19 contact tracing efforts to the genocide of millions of Jews by Hitler during World War II.
In May, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Anchorage Police Department partnered to investigate who was responsible for placing stickers showing swastikas and the words "We are everywhere" at Mad Myrna's, a local gay bar, and the Alaska Jewish Museum in Midtown.
In June, the Peninsula Clarion reported that "Save Anchorage" member Alaska House Rep. Ron Gillham, R-Kenai / Soldotna, shared a "sensitive image" on his Facebook page, which likened members of the media and medical professionals who provide information about COVID-19 vaccines to Nazis executed for war crimes. The Clarion's reporting reached The Times of Israel.
Coronavirus lockdowns last year shifted anti-Semitic hatred online, where conspiracy theories blaming Jews for the pandemic's medical and economic devastation abounded. It's easy to see how the coronavirus pandemic has sparked anti-Semitic conspiracy theories—each time there was a flu or other epidemic in past centuries, Jews were referred to as "plague spreaders."
These conspiracy theories have widely circulated over the past year, attempting to link Jews and Israel with the coronavirus. They combine several common antisemitic tropes, including 'dirty Jews spreading infection' and 'Jews getting rich by exploiting a defenseless public.' This narrative is nearly identical to allegations made last year by members of "Save Anchorage," who claimed former Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz was attempting to profit off of shutdowns because he owned a small stake in Snow City Cafe, which was able to stay open through coronavirus related shutdowns and restrictions.
Jewish organizations have been more aggressive in recent years about calling out antisemitic offenders — from professional athletes to government officials, and we should collectively be no different— not hesitating for a moment to call out those who continue to slander the memory of the six million Jews executed at the hands of the planet's most horrific mass murderer.
