A Trenton City councilman is calling on one of his colleagues to resign for “embracing vile anti-Semitic rhetoric and tropes.”
Councilman Jerrell Blakeley says he will seek to censure George Muschal for his statements, but said the longtime South Ward councilman should step down on his own.
Muschal defended a statement by Council President Kathy McBride, who referenced “Jew her down” in a closed-door discussion on a lawsuit filed by the city.
On Sunday, Muschal told the New Jersey Globe that he’s heard the term “Jew them down” and called in “just a statement on speech.”
“Councilman Muschal’s unrepentant and unapologetically vile Anti-Semitic rhetoric has no place in American political discourse. His comments rely on dangerous Anti-Semitic tropes of Jews as parsimonious and swindlers,” said Blakeley. “With Anti-Semitic attacks and hate crimes on the rise, I cannot stand silent on this issue.
Blakeley said Muschal’s comments have “brought embarrassment and shame to the Trenton City Council and his constituents.”
He called the Muschal’s explanation – he said, “You know, it’s like a car dealer, they want $5,000, you Jew ‘em down to $4,000” – an “an affront to Trentonians of all backgrounds and an example of the coarsening of modern political discourse.”
“His vicious Anti-Semitism has no place on Trenton City Council,” Blakeley said. “God knows what other ‘statements of speech’ he finds appropriate for the public square.”
On Saturday, Councilwoman Robin Vaughn suggested that “Jew them down” is just a verb dismissed the idea that McBride’s comments were inappropriate.
Reference Link:
https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/trenton-councilman-wants-muschal-to-resign/