(JTA) — Crowds at separate rallies headlined by former President Donald Trump and his Pennsylvania governor nominee Doug Mastriano raise their right hands in unison, criticizing the two politicians. created an image that was compared to the Nazi salute.
Jewish Democratic New York Senator Anna Kaplan said in a statement on Sunday that both rallies evoked Nazi imagery.
“Last night at a rally held by the former president, and today at a political rally held by the Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate, supporters were urged to raise their right hands and give a unified salute. “It should shock the conscience of every American. It bears a striking resemblance to the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute used by the Nazis,” Kaplan wrote. “I call on these campaigns to immediately stop using this shocking salute at gatherings.”
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A speaker at Mastriano’s rally in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday likened Mastriano’s gubernatorial bid to the bloody Civil War battle in nearby Gettysburg, asking the crowd to raise their hands. rice field.
“Can you tell me what they said when they saw us lining up at Gettysburg? Sweep the hills and grab the win,” said the speaker. The crowd raised their arms and the speakers counted down from three. On counting “one,” the crowd simultaneously put their hands down and shouted, “AS ONE!”
The Lincoln Project, an organization of former Republicans opposing Trump, posted a video clipping footage of the Chambersburg rally and a Nazi rally featuring a “Sieg Heil” salute on Monday.
Mastriano has drawn criticism, including from some Republicans, for his ties to the far-right social media platform Gab, known as a haven for white supremacist, anti-Semitic and other extremist content.
Trump held a rally in Youngstown, Ohio on Saturday as the former president campaigned for Senate candidate JD Vance. When Trump referred to the catastrophe stricken America, rally attendees raised his right arm and index finger to salute and played nearly the same song played during the QAnon conspiracy theory movement, The New York Times reported. reported. Your index finger may be pointing to the number 1 in the song title. “Wwg1wga” is an abbreviation for QAnon’s phrase “Where we go one, we go all.”
The QAnon movement, among other things, accuses Democrats and other liberal figures of pedophilia and power grabbing, and incorporates several anti-Semitic conspiracy theories into its worldview. Denied.
New York Magazine has compiled an analysis that suggests the salute may have other origins, including other far-right groups and evangelical Christians.
Prominent commentators compared the salute at both rallies to the infamous Nazi gesture.
The display had a striking resemblance to the infamous Nazi salute. The agitation and zombie-like reaction should calm the idea that Biden should “reach out” to these people. They are unreachable and pretending otherwise misleads voters. https://t.co/jf5pnPpn20
— Jennifer “Pro-Privacy” Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) September 19, 2022
Yes, this is the Nazi salute at Doug Mastriano’s campaign event in Pennsylvania. 2022.
Democracy is literally voted in November.
— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) September 18, 2022