State Rep. calls on public officials to denounce social media site Gab
A local state representative says he’s received antisemitic threats on social media via the platform Gab, and is calling on public officials to denounce the site.
State Rep. Dan Frankel, who represents several Pittsburgh neighbors, reportedly contacted police regarding the alarming posts, according to his chief of staff.
Rep. Frankel was not available for an interview on Tuesday but sent us a statement reading in part, “Gab is profiting off of conspiracy theories, hate speech and outright threats, and then claiming it’s a coincidence every time one of its members crosses a line like the gunman did 4 years ago in the attack on Tree of Life.”
Channel 11 previously reported that police believe Robert Bowers, the accused gunman in the Tree of Life massacre, had posted “I’m going in” on Gab, before opening fire within the synagogue.
“I want people to know that this cesspool exists so that we can stand against it together,” Frankel’s statement reads.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh has also been in touch with law enforcement regarding the rhetoric directed toward Frankel and other members of the Jewish community, according to Laura Cherner, director of community relations.
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“It’s horrible and horrific and devastating that Rep. Frankel is receiving antisemitic threats on Gab,” she told us.
Cherner said the organization is taking the situation very seriously, and urges anyone who comes across antisemitic threats to contact law enforcement as well as report the situation via the group’s website: https://jewishpgh.org/incident-report/
Meantime, Gab’s CEO Andrew Torba has defended the site. In one recent post regarding Frankel he wrote in part “People are done caring about your eternal victimhood complex. Free speech means the right to offend. We’ve seen no ‘threats’ simply ‘offensive’ memes and words. Too bad. Stop conflating offensive memes with ‘threats.’ We have no tolerance for threats here, but you being offended by a meme isn’t an imminent threat of violence.”
But according to Cherner, “Gab’s approach to free speech is absolutist and negligent at best ... It’s free speech without consequence in their view, it’s free speech that is actually threats against individuals and a community. There is a vast difference between exercising your right to free speech and posting antisemitic threats online.”
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