Muslims, Democrats and social media users expressed displeasure Wednesday with statements by Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, who responded to an activist's question about the death of Palestinian children in Gaza by stating that “we should kill them all.”
In a statement released Wednesday, the American Muslim Advisory Council (AMAC) “unequivocally” denounced Ogles and wrote that his comments amounted to advocating “the extermination of the Palestinian people.”
Noting an increase in anti-Muslim attacks in Tennessee since Israel began its indiscriminate bombing and blockade of Gaza in October, AMAC wrote:
“Such rhetoric is not only abhorrent but also contrary to our values as a State. It is that rhetoric that has continued to foster a political climate in which extremist ideologies flourish, empowering neo-Nazis to parade openly through our streets and allowing genocidal sentiments to go unanswered. This can no longer be tolerated. “As citizens of Tennessee, we deserve better representation of those elected to public office.”
On the social media platform known as X, the opprobrium directed at Ogles was even worse, with one user writing Wednesday:
“Name them and shame them! Say hello to Andrew 'I think we should kill them all' Ogles. “This extraordinary piece of feces is an American congressman.”
Another user, who posted herself as Saira Rao, wrote:
“Andrew Ogles, a sitting member of Congress, says the quiet part out loud. “I think we should kill them all.” He says WE [America] They are responsible for killing all Palestinians [genocide]. Congress + Biden + Entire Cabinet are ALL WAR CRIMINALS Palestine will be free.”
Noting that Palestinians are also a Semitic people, Susan Jones posted on X:
“'I think we should kill them all.' @AndrewOgles #TennesseeSenator is NOT ashamed to admit #USIsraeli INTENTION to commit #Israeli Genocide of #IndigenousSEMITE Palestinians and the IRONY is completely lost on those ignorant that #KillingPalestinians IS ANTI-SEMITISM!!!”
Ogles' comments were in response to a pro-Palestinian activist who peppered him with questions as the two walked down a hallway in the US Capitol.
“I've seen images of children's bodies being torn apart,” the activist told Ogles. “It's my taxpayers' money that's going to bomb those kids.”
Ogles responded bluntly: “You know what? So I think we should kill them all if it makes you feel better. Hamas and the Palestinians have been attacking Israel for 20 years. It’s time to pay the piper.”
Finally, Ogles turned to the camera and delivered a final comment before walking away: “Death to Hamas!”
In an email to the congressman's local newspaper, The Tennessean, Ogles spokeswoman Emma Settle wrote: “The congressman was not referring to the Palestinians, he was clearly referring to the terrorist group Hamas.”
They can't even pretend anymore. #AndrewOgles you are a war criminal #SaveRafah
— Lea (@LeaOrtizRivera) February 20, 2024
The exchange between Ogles and the activist occurred on February 15, but a video of Ogles' comments was posted on social media hours after President Joe Biden's administration vetoed a ceasefire resolution in the U.S. Security Council. the United Nations on Tuesday, marking the third time since Israel's decision. The assault began that the United States voted against a suspension of hostilities in Gaza.
Ogles, a first-term congressman, represents Tennessee's gerrymandered 5th District, which was created in 2022 to favor Republican candidates and includes a swath of the state capital, Nashville. Hours before the United States exercised its veto, a spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that Gaza is “set to see an explosion of preventable child deaths” as malnutrition and disease spread rapidly. for the enclave.
Israeli forces have killed more than 12,400 children in Gaza since October 7, according to Palestinian health authorities. More than 600,000 children are currently trapped in the city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt, as Israeli forces prepare to invade. Additionally, officials with the charity Save the Children say nearly 10 Palestinian children in Gaza each day have lost one or both legs since October.
“After four months of relentless violence, we are running out of words to describe what children and families in Gaza are going through, as well as the tools to respond appropriately,” said Jason Lee, Save the Children's national director for the occupied territories. Palestinian territory, he said in a statement on Tuesday. “The scale of death and destruction is astronomical.”
“Adults who should protect them are failing children,” Lee added. “It is time for the adults in the room to increase their responsibilities and legal obligations towards children caught in a conflict in which they had no part and who just want to be able to live.”
Zulfat Suara, a member of the Metropolitan Nashville Council, told The Tennessean that he learned of Ogles' comments during a council meeting Tuesday night. Coincidentally, on the agenda that night was a resolution condemning the public display of Nazi symbols, chants and hate speech in downtown Nashville during a demonstration last weekend.
Born in Nigeria, Suara, a Democrat, is the first Muslim person elected to the metropolitan government of Nashville and Davidson County. She said rhetoric like Ogles's encourages people to “march and preach hate.”
She told The Tennessean: “In the conflict abroad, I have been very conscious of what I say and how I say it because I want to make sure that my Jewish friends are not hurt by what I say and make sure that my Palestinian families are taken care of. . But when legislators at the federal and state level continue to demonize people, continue to look only one way and not the other, that is the result we see on the streets. And I hope we continue to do better.
“This othering, this demonization, this 'kill them all' is only driving us apart.”
