Rep. district office South Bronx Ritchie Torres was vandalized by “anti-Israel extremists” on Christmas Day, with blood-red paint covering a doll representing Jesus Christ – which the congressman took as an attempt to intimidate him for his staunch defense of the Jewish state.
“On Christmas Day, anti-Israel extremists vandalized my Bronx Office with red paint, symbolizing blood,” Torres said in a statement post on X. “Covered in ‘blood’ is a doll meant to represent Jesus, described by vandals as the ‘Palestinian messiah.'”
“The increase in threats and incitement against Members of Congress feels like it’s heading in a dangerous direction,” he added. “I, for one, will not be intimidated.”
The chilling message echoes a Christmas Day broadcast from the Rep. “Squad.” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who also drew a connection between the situation faced by civilians in Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas and the baby Jesus Christ.
Rep. district office Bronx Democrat. Ritchie Torres was vandalized by “anti-Israel extremists” on Christmas Day, with blood-red paint smeared on a Jesus doll to scare him. Getty Images “Covered in ‘blood’ is a doll meant to represent Jesus, described by vandals as the ‘Palestinian child Messiah,'” Torres said in a post on X. X/Ritchie Torres
“In the Christmas story, Christ is born in modern-day Palestine under the threat of a government engaged in the genocide of innocent people,” the Bronx and Queens lawmaker wrote on Instagram.
“He was part of the target population that was killed arbitrarily to protect the power of an unjust leader. Mary and Joseph, displaced by violence and forced to flee, became refugees in Egypt with a newborn baby waiting to one day return home,” he added.
“Thousands of years later, right-wing forces violently occupied Bethlehem as a similar story unfolds for Palestinians today, so much so that the Christian community in Bethlehem canceled this year’s Christmas Eve celebration from both. [fear for their] safety and respect.”
The chilling message echoes a Christmas Day broadcast from the Rep. “Squad.” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who also drew a connection between the situation facing civilians in Gaza and Jesus Christ. X/Ritchie Torres
Torres has been one of the most outspoken Democrats in favor of providing military aid to Israel as it fights to eliminate Hamas.
The conflict has split the Democratic coalition, with more saying they sympathize with the plight of the Palestinians than with Israel, according to a recent Wall Street Journal poll.
Torres has come out strongly against antisemitic rhetoric and displays in major US cities, slamming the Democratic Socialists of America for a weak apology after a New York City chapter event failed to condemn Hamas and saw protesters burn Israeli flags and even display swastikas.
Torres, who represents New York’s 15th district, has been one of the most outspoken Democrats in favor of providing military aid to Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas terrorists. AP
The DSA’s apology condemned the violence but then blamed the Jewish state as its “main cause,” making a justification similar to that made by people like Ocasio-Cortez, who is a DSA member.
“DSA, despite its name, is not democratic. It is vile, disgusting, shameful, and shameful. The same can be said for anyone who enables them,” Torres said in a post on X at the time.
The rally came a day after Hamas’ October 7 invasion of Israel, in which the jihadist group killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians and including 33 Americans. About 240 were also taken hostage back to Gaza.
More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since fighting in the densely populated territory, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry has reported. Reuters
“Something is rotten in America. When institutional leaders in our country cannot condemn the cold-blooded killing of Israeli children and civilians with moral clarity, one must ask: what kind of society do we have now?” Torres also wrote in an op-ed for The Post that month.
“The time has come to confront not just the symptom but the disease: the Democratic Socialist industrial complex that is indoctrinating America’s youth with anti-Israel hatred so virulent that it leaves them indifferent to the deadliest genocide of Jews since the Holocaust.”
Torres has also denounced the spread of antisemitism on American college campuses, where students and professors alike defend the actions of Hamas.
Torres has strongly opposed anti-Semitic rhetoric and displays in major US cities, including a statement against a DSA rally in New York City days after the Hamas attack. Getty Images
The group’s surprise terror attack prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare war on Hamas, launching airstrikes against its commanders and a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Keep up with the news on the Israel-Hamas war and the surge in global antisemitism with The Post’s Israel War Updates, delivered straight to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since fighting in the densely populated territory, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry has reported.
The entity does not distinguish between civilian deaths and terrorist deaths, and Hamas often uses civilians as human shields by placing their operational posts and weapons caches in mosques, hospitals and schools.
A senior Israel Defense Forces official confirmed earlier this month that about two civilians have been killed for every Hamas terrorist killed as a result.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
