Matthew Hurtt

“You need a big oven, that’s what you need,” yelled a pro-Palestinian protestor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last week to supporters of military action by Israel against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

But as the protest continued and crowds grew, one woman in a hijab began to shout curses and slurs that shocked Jewish activists in the city, which has a sizable Jewish population.

“Go back to the oven,” she shouted, calling for the counter-protesters to die in the manner that the Nazis used to exterminate Jews during the Holocaust.

Another protestor and organizer of the even said, “Zionism in general is a barbaric, racist movement that really is the cause of the situation in the entire Middle East.”

The unidentified woman, who protest organizers said was a Muslim, wasn’t the only protester who raised hackles that day. Other demonstrators held signs that said “Nuke Israel,” and a number made comparisons to the Holocaust, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

The article further clarified the position of the Anti-Defamation League, whose spokesman noted,

The comparisons of the Israelis to the Nazis has Jewish organizations concerned about a “growing trend” at protests in America, where they say hatred of Israel and Jews is being increasingly preached.

“We’re worried about hate speech. We’re worried because hate speech eventually leads to pain and suffering and death,” said Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, which has been tracking Gaza protests.

“Comparisons of Israel to the Nazis are a deeply cynical perversion of history, an attempt to turn the tragedy that befell the Jewish people into a bludgeon against Israel,” he said.

This type of rhetoric is absolutely unacceptable.