Graham, Colleagues Urge D.C. Mayor to Rename Plaza Following BLM Pro-Hamas Rhetoric
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) joined his colleagues in Congress to urge Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to rename Black Lives Matter Plaza. In 2020, following the protests and riots, a plaza directly in front of the White House was renamed the “Black Lives Matter Plaza.”
Following the devastating October 7th attack against innocent Israelis and Americans, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization has demonstrated support for Hamas, the terrorist group responsible for the attack. BLM has circulated disturbing antisemitic rhetoric and images on social media and is encouraging the spread of pro-Hamas propaganda following the terrorist attacks.
Continuing to honor terrorist sympathizers with a plaza in our nation’s capital is a slap in the face to all Americans, especially Jewish and Israeli Americans.
They wrote: “You [Mayor Bowser] stated after the attacks that you ‘reject terrorism in all its forms’ and that ‘antisemitism has no place in our institutions, our country, our world or our hearts.’ We wholeheartedly agree with this statement. We further believe that movements that celebrate violent anti-Semitism should not be honored by the government with a plaza, especially one located directly outside of our nation’s White House.”
“BLM continues to openly celebrate the antisemitic Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel. This stance is irreconcilable with American values. America must clearly affirm its stance against antisemitism, wherever it appears. We therefore urge you to immediately rename the Black Lives Matter Plaza, to remove the associated street painting in the plaza, and to end the city’s celebration of this terrorist sympathizer group.”
Read full text of the letter here.
The bicameral letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), and Steve Daines (R-Montana) and U.S. Representatives Jim Banks (R-Indiana), Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina), Josh Brecheen (R-Oklahoma), John Rose (R- Tennessee), Ronny Jackson (R-Georgia), Jeff Duncan (R-South Carolina), Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Scott Franklin (R-Florida), John H. Rutherford (R- Florida), Elisa Stefanik (R- New York), Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-Florida), Doug LaMalfa (R-California), Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Michael Waltz (R-Florida), and Claudia Tenney (R-New York).