Anti-Semitic Robocall Endorses Holocaust-Denying GOP Congressional Candidate
An anti-Semitic robocall, issued by the white nationalist organization TheRoadToPower.com, is calling on voters to vote for Northern California’s 11th District GOP congressional candidate John Fitzgerald, and “end the Jewish takeover of America and restore our democracy.”
During the call, Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” plays in the background.
“Even if you’re a registered Democrat, it’s no longer a real democracy when the 2 percent ethnic minority that are Jews has dominance over America and uses it to serve the foreign country of Israel,” the robocall states. “Your vote for John Fitzgerald means no more U.S. wars for Israel based on their lies, like the Jewish-conducted attack of 9/11.”
The robocall further accuses Jews of getting the United States to fight wars on behalf of Israel and states that claims of Fitzgerald being a neo-Nazi “shows how dumb they [Jews] think you are.”
Fitzgerald has distanced himself from the robocall.
“Road to Power is a despicable, hate-filled person, dresses like a Nazi soldier, calls blacks ‘negroid ape creatures’ and openly hates Jews,” Fitzgerald wrote. “I do not.”
Fitzgerald also told a local TV station in an email: “I have NO affiliation to Road To Power nor any of his/their affiliates, organizations or otherwise, and nor will I ever in the future.”
Democratic Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, the incumbent, told a local TV station that the robocall is “not going to resonate in California, Contra Costa County. People are open-minded, tolerant, good people.”
Fitzgerald has a history of Holocaust denial. He told The New York Times the Holocaust was a “complete fabrication.”
Fitzgerald has a history of Holocaust denial. He told The New York Times the Holocaust was a “complete fabrication” and “everything we’ve been told about the Holocaust is a lie.” He also perpetuated the conspiracy theory to the Times that the Israeli government was behind the 9/11 terror attacks and that “elitist Jews” are the puppetmasters of the Democratic and Republican parties.
He also told The Realist Report podcast in June that people call him anti-Semitic because of his statements on “Jewish control and supremacy and that lovely state/country called Israel that does all these horrible atrocities and blames them all on everybody else and vilifies everybody else.”
Anti-Defamation League Central Pacific Regional Director Seth Brysk told Oakland TV station KTVU that Road to Power is “a white supremacist and extremist group that’s based in Idaho” and spreads “lies and bigotry, mostly targeting the Jewish community.”
Simon Wiesenthal Center Associate Dean Abraham Cooper told the Journal in a phone interview, “We shouldn’t be surprised that once an individual like that goes public and has managed to get his name on the ballot with a major political party for the November election, that like-mind bigots and Jew-haters will try to find a way to be of help to him.”
Fitzgerald was the only Republican to run against DeSaulnier, garnering 23.1 percent of the vote in the primary to face DeSaulnier in the runoff. Being the only Republican triggered an automatic endorsement from the state GOP, but the party rescinded the endorsement in late May after Fitzgerald’s views on Jews, Israel and the Holocaust came to light.
California GOP Chairman Jim Brulte said in a statement, “As always, California Republicans reject anti-Semitism, and all forms of religious bigotry, in the harshest terms possible. We reject John Fitzgerald’s campaign and encourage all voters to do the same.”
American Jewish Committee Northern California Director Rabbi Serena Eisenberg credited the GOP for rejecting Fitzgerald’s candidacy, but said more needs to be done: “We must work together to ensure that Fitzgerald’s worldview and the message in these vile robocalls are rejected by Americans from every walk of life.”
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Rabbi Matt Shapiro has joined the clergy team of Conservative congregation Temple Beth Am as a full-time interim associate rabbi.
