Ohio Gov. Condemns Anti-Semitic Sign at Protest, Lawmaker’s Nazi Comparison

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, issued a statement condemning an anti-Semitic sign at a recent protest as well as a state lawmaker’s Facebook comment comparing the state’s actions to Nazi Germany.

The sign in question was at an April 18 protest at the state capitol building against the state’s shelter-in-place order. The sign said, “The real plague” with a rat wearing a Star of David and a yarmulke.

The man holding the antisemitic sign at yesterday’s protest against coronavirus restrictions in Columbus, Ohio (on right), appears to be a member of the neo-Nazi NSM and also participated in the Motor City Pride protest last June (on left).👇https://t.co/s6V50murbE pic.twitter.com/Uk3QyMwzOY

— Oren Segal (@orensegal) April 19, 2020

Ohio State Sen. Andrew Brenner’s (R-Powell) wife, Sara, had written in an April 22 Facebook post that since has been deleted, “This actually feels like Hitler’s Germany where you had to have blonde hair and blue eyes to be able to function, and you were damned otherwise.” She was responding to Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton saying on April 21 that some countries should issue certificates to those who have recovered from COVID-19.

Brenner responded to his wife’s post with a comment that read, “We won’t allow that to happen in Ohio.”

Days after anti-Semitic protests and hours after @DrAmyActon spoke about hope on Holocaust Remembrance Day, here is Ohio Republican Rep. @andrewbrenner + his wife comparing Acton (who is Jewish) to Nazi Germany and concentration camps. pic.twitter.com/RBkNJMZiSf

— Tyler Buchanan (@Tylerjoelb) April 22, 2020

DeWine said in a statement that the sign at the protest “was vile and disgusting. While even disgusting speech is constitutionally protected, it still demands condemnation.”

He then turned to Brenner’s Facebook comment, saying that it “showed a complete lack of understanding of the Holocaust — made even more offensive by posting on Holocaust Memorial Day — and was a slur on a good, compassionate, and honorable person who has worked non-stop to save lives and protect her fellow citizens.”

DeWine added: “Any complaints about the policy of this administration need to be directed at me. I am the office holder, and I appointed the Director. Ultimately, I am responsible for the decisions in regard to the coronavirus. The buck stops with me.”

I am deeply concerned by the anti-Semitic sign at Ohio’s Statehouse during a recent protest rally. The sign was vile and disgusting. While even disgusting speech is constitutionally protected, it still demands condemnation.

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) April 23, 2020

The recent Internet post by Ohio State Senator Andrew Brenner, likening Ohio’s Department of Health Director’s actions to fight coronavirus to those taken by the Nazis in Germany during World War II, must also be condemned.

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) April 23, 2020

The comments showed a complete lack of understanding of the Holocaust — made even more offensive by posting on Holocaust Memorial Day — and was a slur on a good, compassionate, and honorable person who has worked non-stop to save lives and protect her fellow citizens.

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) April 23, 2020

Any complaints about the policy of this administration need to be directed at me. I am the office holder, and I appointed the Director. Ultimately, I am responsible for the decisions in regard to the coronavirus. The buck stops with me.

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) April 23, 2020

The American Jewish Committee thanked DeWine for his statement.

“Thank you, @GovMikeDeWine, for your zero-tolerance stance on anti-Semitism,” the Jewish organization wrote. “Hate has no place in Ohio or anywhere else in America.”

Thank you, @GovMikeDeWine, for your zero-tolerance stance on antisemitism. Hate has no place in Ohio or anywhere else in America. https://t.co/CQVMlIvZHV

— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) April 22, 2020

Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations CEO William Daroff similarly tweeted, “Thank you @GovMikeDeWine for condemning the outrageous Facebook post by [the wife of] an Ohio State Senator likening COVID restrictions to Nazi Germany. Using Nazi references in politics cheapens the sacredness of the true horrors of the Holocaust and is deeply offensive.”

Thank you @GovMikeDeWine for condemning the outrageous Facebook post by an Ohio State Senator likening COVID restrictions to Nazi Germany. Using Nazi references in politics cheapens the sacredness of the true horrors of the Holocaust and is deeply offensive. https://t.co/kElgHUPSqi

— William Daroff (@Daroff) April 23, 2020

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — both of whom are Democrats — as well as Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, also have been subjected to Nazi comparisons for their shelter-in-place orders.