RI Coalition for Israel Charges Anti-Discrimination Banner Drew Anti-Jewish Comments on Facebook

RI Coalition for Israel Charges Anti-Discrimination Banner Drew Anti-Jewish Comments on Facebook

The Rhode Island Coalition for Israel said their recent public education campaign to combat anti-semitism drew numerous anti-Jewish and anti-Isreal comments on Facebook.

"For three weeks this summer, the iconic Blue Bug 'Nibbles Woodaway' on Rt. 95 in Providence hosted a banner reading ‘STOP ANTI-SEMITISM,’” said the Coalition in a press statement.

Blue Bug Solutions, owner of the Blue Bug, displays banners supplied by local non-profits as a public service.

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The “STOP ANTI-SEMITISM” banner was supplied by the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel (RICI), a local grassroots activist group, as part of its public education program.

Online Backlash

As part of the initiative, RICI posted images of the display on its Facebook page to a Rhode Island-targeted audience. Although the postings were generally well-received, according to RICI leaders they also exposed significant instances of deep-seated hatred of the Jewish people.

“Anti-Semitic comments we received showed that the 2000-year old virus is, unfortunately, alive and well in Rhode Island,” says Mary Greene, President of RICI.

According to Greene, negative comments included Holocaust denial, accusations of dual loyalty and treason, genocide, global domination, mass immigration, and responsibility for Marxism, among others. “Basically the Jews and Israel are being held responsible for every evil in the world. That has always been the case.”

GoLocal reached out to two of the individuals who posted the comments via Facebook messenger and did not receive responses.