One Republican votes against bill condemning antisemitism

A sole vote of a Republican representative to oppose a resolution condemning antisemitism by the US House of Representatives has left the community “outraged”.

Republican representative from Kentucky Thomas Massie cast his only vote against the resolution which was passed in the House with a landslide majority on Wednesday.

The bill received 420-1 bipartisan support while eight other Republicans abstained from voting.

Stop Antisemitism, an advocacy group and rights watchdog, said: “We are outraged to see Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) just vote no on a bi-partisan House resolution condemning antisemitism.”

Mr Massie did not issue a statement explaining his vote.

The representative from Kentucky, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, won Tuesday’s primary to run for his sixth term in the office.

The resolution called on leaders and elected officials in authority as well as faith leaders to use their positions “to condemn and combat any and all manifestations of antisemitism.”

It called on to recognise and condemn the “dangerous rise of antisemitism globally and in the United States” and how the community is affected by the grotesque spread of misinformation and lies, including blame for the spread of Covid.

It noted that 24 per cent of American Jews have been personally targeted by antisemitism in the last year.

Democratic representative from Florida Wasserman Schultz said that the bill would send a message that Americans denounce the rising hostility towards Jews.

"Our story is woven into America’s history through generations of leaders," she said on the House floor. "Yet as we honour the profound impact American Jews made on our nation and culture, I must sadly acknowledge that the recognition and understanding that [Jewish American Heritage Month] seeks to foster is critically needed now more than ever."

The resolution was passed amid the celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) — an annual observance recognised by former president George W Bush in 2006 towards contributions of Jewish people in America.

It also comes after a teenager gunman opened fire at a grocery store in Buffalo, killing 10 people in a racially motivated attack.

It has been revealed by investigators that suspected shooter Payton Gendron was influenced by the “great replacement” theory, which has motivated similar mass killings. The baseless theory holds that white people are being disenfranchised and pushed out of “white nations” by secret forces through immigration, interracial marriage, integration, and violence.

Majority leader Steny Hoyer, who addressed the House, referred to the Buffalo shooting and said “we must not rationalise or temporise” with antisemitism.