Two candidates for the Democratic Presidential nomination, former Vice President Walter Mondale and Colorado Sen. Gary Hart, both strongly condemned the remarks of Black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan while campaigning in Pittsburgh last Thursday and criticized the Rev. Jesse Jackson, also a candidate, for not repudiating Farrakhan’s support.
Farrakhan was denounced by Mondale and Hart in reply to questions by a Washington Post reporter who referred to Farrakhan’s threats on the life of a Black journalist, Milton Coleman, who first reported in the Post that Jackson had referred to Jews as “Hymies” and to New York City as “Hymietown.”
“I believe that the threats on Milton Coleman and his family are reprehensible. If I were Rev. Jackson, I would repudiate the support of Mr. Farrakhan,” Hart told the Post.
“It’s an outrage,” Mondale said. “I condemn it, and we all should. I think Jesse should use his influence to seek an apology or a retraction from Rev. Farrakhan to see that this is cleared up.”
As for Jackson, one of his aides, Frank Watkins, issued a statement last week saying that Jackson “in no way supports either the threat or use of violence either by individuals or groups.” The Black Presidential candidate himself said that he is not responsible for the threat against Coleman.
Vice President George Bush accused Hart, Mondale and Jackson today of not speaking out against the anti-Semitism expressed by Farrakhan. Addressing the 25th annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) here, Bush said “As shocking as I find Rev. Jackson’s behavior, I also cannot understand why the other two candidates are not willing to speak out.” (See story, on Page 1.)
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
