Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons
New York City mayoral hopeful Andrew Yang is receiving criticism for his tweet about the violence surrounding forced Palestinian evictions in Sheikh Jarrah, New York Daily News reports.
For the past few days, Palestinians have been protesting the forced evictions of their people in Sheikh Jarrah. The protests have been met with violence from Israeli police. Israel has also hit Gaza with airstrikes that have killed at least 30 Palestinians, according to The New York Times. Hamas, a Palestinian liberation group, says it has launched rockets at Israel in retaliation.
On Monday, Yang posted a tweet condemning “Hamas terrorists.”
“The people of NYC will always stand with out brothers and sisters in Israel who face down terrorism and persevere,” Yang said.
I'm standing with the people of Israel who are coming under bombardment attacks, and condemn the Hamas terrorists. The people of NYC will always stand with our brothers and sisters in Israel who face down terrorism and persevere.
— Andrew Yang🧢🗽🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) May 10, 2021
Politicians, activists and Twitter users pointed out that Yang’s tweet ignored the Israeli airstrikes that killed Palestinians, including 10 children. The hashtag #YangSupportsGenocide trended Monday night, according to Business Insider.
A Muslim community group in Queens disinvited Yang from a community event on Tuesday. The event was meant to help distribute groceries to Muslim families in need at the Astoria Welfare Society in New York City on the eve of Eid, which marks the conclusion of Ramadan.
Yang was also confronted in Astoria over his pro-Israel tweet. According to Spectrum News NY1 reporter Emily Ngo, Yang said “what’s happening in the Middle East” is “heartbreaking,” but did not directly condemn the Israeli airstrikes.
Yang’s tweet drew criticism from fellow Democratic politicians like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
“Utterly shameful for Yang to try to show up to an Eid event after sending out a chest-thumping statement of support for a strike killing 9 children, especially after his silence as Al-Aqsa was attacked,” Rep. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “But then to try that in Astoria? During Ramadan?! They will let you know.”
Yang’s tweet drew praise from Republicans like Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Meghan McCain and Stephen Miller, according to Business Insider.
However, Yang rejected their praise saying at a press conference that he “would certainly never ask for their support,” The Intercept reports.
Yang also received criticism from several prominent Asian celebrities. Crazy Rich Asians lead actor, Henry Golding, called Yang a “twat.”
Minari actor Steven Yeun responded to Yang’s tweet with one word: “no.”
“If you want to be nuanced,” he added. “This is definitely not it. Stop”
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Asian Americans voted for trump, and we had four years of hate and pain for the AAPI community, in NYC politics every mayor for the last 200 years have Never give a shit about chinatown, because asians dont vote. We have a chance to vote in the first asian American Mayor, yet our community spend more time tearing him down, than actually voting in the NYC primary June 22, when it counts! In a close race between black and white candidates, asian american votes can swing the election, I rather give Andrew a Chinaman’s chance than see another candidate ignore and underfund our community, its time for the Asian Americans in NYC to show we can vote together, and not be laughed out of town by the racist who call our disunity “The Chinese FIredrill”