Anti-vaccine protesters held posters with Nazi symbols outside the office of a Jewish lawmaker in New York
David Dee Delgado/Getty Images
- At least two anti-vaxxers donned anti-Semitic symbols outside the office of a Jewish New York legislator.
- NY Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz called the display of the swastika and yellow Star of David "repugnant and offensive."
- Protestors gathered outside his office Sunday after he proposed a COVID vaccine mandate for students.
At least two protestors at an anti-vaccine protest over the weekend displayed symbols from the Holocaust outside of the office of a Jewish lawmaker in New York.
Jeffrey Dinowitz, a member of the New York State Assembly, posted photos of the protest in the Bronx on Sunday, showing at least one protestor holding a poster with a swastika on it and another donning a yellow star of David, which Jewish people in Nazi Germany were forced to wear.
Dinowitz called the display of the swastika and yellow Star of David "repugnant and offensive."
"People are perfectly free to express their opinion on vaccines or any issue, but to openly display Nazi symbols outside the office of a Jewish legislator is despicable," Dinowitz wrote in the tweet.
—Jeffrey Dinowitz (@JeffreyDinowitz) November 14, 2021
Nearly 100 people attended the demonstration to protest the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students introduced in the New York State Assembly by Dinowitz, PIX11 reported.
The rally was organized by Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino, according to the PIX11 report. Astorino also appeared in the photos Dinowitz posted on Twitter.
"Rob Astorino stood right next to these anti-Semitic symbols and said NOTHING," the assemblyman tweeted Sunday. "All Republican leaders should condemn this unacceptable use of anti-Semitic imagery."
Astorino responded saying he was unaware of the imagery until he saw the photos.
"I had no idea until I saw this photo. If I'd seen it I'd have told them to take sign down," the gubernatorial candidate replied. "No comparison to those atrocities & yes, I've always condemned anti-Semitism."
He added: "But my offer still stands, Jeff. Have the guts to meet w/ me & learn why so many parents oppose your mandate."
Representatives for Astorino and Dinowitz respectively did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.
New York political leaders joined Dinowitz in denouncing the display of the imagery on Monday.
"What an insult to our Jewish community, especially our Holocaust survivors who have endured real pain," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted.
"This is what anti-Semitism looks like. All this bigot accomplished was to offend our city and undermine his own cause," he added, appearing to reference Astorino, who was in the photos.
State Sen. James Skoufis called the incident "absolutely disgusting — and indicative of how violently extremist some elements of the anti-vax movement are."
"I stand with Jeffrey Dinowitz in completely denouncing this heinous behavior," Skoufis continued.
The New York branch of the Anti-Defamation League also slammed the incident.
"We are appalled by the use of swastikas and yellow stars at a protest against vaccine requirements in #NY, outside the offices of a #Jewish legislator," the organization tweeted. "We continue to condemn these inaccurate and abhorrent comparisons that trivialize the Holocaust."
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