Ben Wikler, a top candidate for DNC chairman, told the Jewish Insider a pro-Hamas activist should have been allowed to speak at the Democratic National Convention in August.
Wikler said that “featuring a voice like” Palestinian Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman, who was championed by the anti-Israel “Uncommitted” movement and has a record of pro-Hamas comments, “would have conveyed the strength and unity of purpose of the Democratic Party.”
The “Uncommitted” movement, which began in Michigan as a protest of President Joe Biden’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas terrorists, staged a sit-in outside the Chicago convention after the party denied Romman a speaking slot. The group advocated for an Israeli arms embargo and a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Wikler, who serves as Wisconsin’s Democratic Party chairman, told the Insider he is in favor of a “big-tent” approach that ensures “the voices of all different parts of our coalition unite around our nominee.”
“There’s always going to be disagreement within a big-tent party. At the same time, knowing that we are deeply committed to ensuring that there’s a future of safety and security and peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike is a core value that unites Democrats,” said Wikler, who is Jewish and helped start his state party’s Jewish caucus.
“There’s a difference between policy disagreements and anti-Semitism,” he said. “But it takes building some familiarity with the way anti-Semitic tropes can play out to be able to help our party navigate those waters.”
Another frontrunner to lead the DNC, Minnesota state party chair Ken Martin, also believes Romman “should have been allowed to speak at the convention, period.”
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