A Florida Republican state representative, Michelle Salzman, is facing backlash for her genocidal comment made during a Florida legislative debate on a proposed ceasefire in the ongoing Israeli invasion of Gaza. The debate was centered around a resolution for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict, which has resulted in the death of more than 10,000 Palestinians.
Democratic representative Angie Nixon, who was advocating for the ceasefire, asked, “We are at 10,000 dead Palestinians. How many will be enough?” Salzman responded, “All of them.” Nixon’s resolution was later rejected by the Florida state legislature on a 104-2 vote.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Florida chapter has condemned Salzman’s remarks, describing them as a “chilling call for genocide” and a result of the long-standing dehumanization of Palestinians. The organization is now calling for Salzman’s censure.
Salzman initially called the controversy “fake,”but later issued this statement: “I am so incredibly sorry for even the slightest of suggestions that I would want an entire community erased. My comments were unapologetically towards the Hamas regime. I never said Palestine.”
This incident follows the recent censure of Michigan congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in the U.S. Congress, for her comments that some have labeled as antisemitic.
Read more at The Guardian.
