Rachel Carmona, the chief operating officer of the Women’s March, said Friday that the national movement has been “unequivocal about denouncing anti-Semitism” amid a controversy about the group’s ties.
“Women’s March has been unequivocal about denouncing anti-Semitism, and there is statement after statement lined up on our website that say that,” Carmona told Hill.TV’s Buck Sexton, who pressed her over whether the group has dealt with those concerns.
“We do organize under Kingian nonviolence principles, which means we don’t denounce the people who are doing evil but the systems of oppression and evil,” she continued.
Carmona’s comments come amid a national controversy over the group’s leaders and the ties some have to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has made anti-Semitic remarks in the past.
Women’s March co-founder Tamika Mallory attended an event hosted by Farrakhan in February, where he praised her and in the same remarks declared that “powerful Jews are my enemy.” The national group later denounced the comments in March, but many said Women’s March leaders should have acted sooner.
When pressed about her connection with Farrakhan during an appearance on “The View,” Mallory stopped short of condemning him. Mallory has previously touted her relationship with Farrakhan on social media, calling him “the GOAT,” or greatest of all time.
“As I said, I don’t agree with many of Minister Farrakhan’s statements,” Mallory told conservative co-host Meghan McCain.
“You won’t condemn it,” McCain added.
“To be very clear, it’s not the way that I speak, it is not how I organize,” Mallory said, arguing her work as an activist shouldn’t be judged “through the lens of a man.”
A day after Mallory’s comments, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) no longer appeared on a list of sponsors for the 2019 Women’s March. A spokeswoman for the DNC later declined to comment on whether it had dropped its sponsorship of the event on Saturday.
This isn’t the first time the group has been accused of anti-Semitism.
Teresa Shook, a co-founder of the national movement, in November called four of the group’s leaders, including Mallory, to step down for allowing “anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric” to become a part of its platform.
Updated at 12:15 p.m.
— Tess Bonn
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