De Blasio Defends Chelsea Clinton: Showed Dignity and Compassion in the Face of ‘Irresponsible Accusations’
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio came to Chelsea Clinton‘s defense with a statement criticizing how she was confronted at a vigil for the New Zealand mosque terror attack.
A student activist at the vigil told Clinton––who criticized Congresswoman Ilhan Omar last month––that “this right here is the result of a massacre stoked by people like you and the words that you put out” and “49 people died because of the rhetoric you put out there.”
In a statement this afternoon, de Blasio said, “Chelsea Clinton has dedicated her life to standing up against hate and division — and she proved it with the dignity and compassion she showed in the face of irresponsible accusations that she somehow ‘stoked’ the tragedy in New Zealand.”
.@ChelseaClinton has dedicated her life to standing up against hate and division — and she proved it with the dignity and compassion she showed in the face of irresponsible accusations that she somehow “stoked” the tragedy in New Zealand.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 16, 2019
The attack in New Zealand was a premeditated act of terror inspired by white supremacy. We must be focused on fighting that vile ideology, not each other. https://t.co/us8GCN2TJK
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 16, 2019
De Blasio was not the only one who defended Clinton after the video of the confrontation went viral:
It’s sickening to see people blame @ChelseaClinton for the NZ attacks because she spoke out against anti-Semitism. We should all be condemning anti-Semitism & all forms of hate. Chelsea should be praised for speaking up. Anyone who doesn’t understand this is part of the problem.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 16, 2019
Hey, so, gonna go out on a limb here and say that Chelsea Clinton isn't one bit responsible for the terrorist attack in New Zealand, and it's incredibly disturbing to see even one person harass her in public and make such a ridiculous claim.
Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
— Charlotte Clymer?️? (@cmclymer) March 16, 2019
No, Chelsea Clinton is not responsible for the terrorist attacks and she was there yesterday at the vigil in solidarity. You can disagree with her opinions but what transpired was just so dumb and unnecessary. She could have been engaged in conversation in a more productive way.
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 16, 2019
The woman who did this is not helping stop hate in the world. She is making it worse. @ChelseaClinton has been a voice of compassion and justice for years. She has called at hate at all levels. https://t.co/Y3Up1o5rmt
— Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) March 16, 2019
Whoa. Sad to see this display and the lack of understanding that we are all in this together. United we stand, divided we fall. Disappointed to know that no one says this is Donald Trump when he literally defended “white nationalism” yesterday. https://t.co/7XGbOw4G2X
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) March 16, 2019
[image via screengrab]
