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MSNBC was excoriated by critics Monday for including Al Sharpton on a panel of analysts discussing the weekend attack on a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, that resulted in an hours-long standoff and suspected hostage-taker Malik Faisal Akram dead.
Sharpton, a weekend host on the liberal network, has a checkered past when it comes to accusations of antisemitism, most notably in New York City during the late 1980s and early 1990s amid strained relations between Jewish and Black communities at the time.
Nicolle Wallace, known for gushing over her liberal guests, has a particular affinity for Sharpton, often inviting him on her daytime program, “Deadline: White House,” and Monday was no different.
The Rev. Al Sharpton speaks during the funeral for George Floyd on June 9, 2020, at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston, Texas.
(Godofredo A. Vásquez/Houston Chronicle via AP, Pool)
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Sharpton was blamed for fueling the violence that led to the stabbing of a Jewish rabbinical student during the Crown Heights riots of 1991, and he later led protests against a Jewish-owned store in Harlem that was eventually burned down, leading to the deaths of eight people.
Critics took to social media to blast MSNBC for allowing Sharpton to participate on the panel, with some suggesting he was “an expert at targeting Jewish communities,” and others accusing him of being unrepentant for his role in the New York City violence.
A nonprofit that fights antisemitism asked MSNBC, “Was Farrakhan busy … ?”
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“We beg the media to take [antisemitism] more seriously and to have a thoughtful discussion about the [Colleyville synagogue] terror attack, and MSNBC responds by booking the man who literally incited a riot against Jews in Brooklyn. It would be funny if it weren’t so tragic,” wrote one critic, while another joked that he represented “the hostage taker’s worldview.”
Noam Blum, who works at Tablet Magazine, said the reverend is “overqualified” on the segment’s topic of targeting Jews.
Others, such as EdChoice policy director Jason Bedrick, compared the reverend’s appearance to inviting on David Duke.
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Substack writer Bari Weiss described Sharpton’s appearance as “beyond parody,” while others joked that characters like Richard Spencer and Duke were busy and unable to make the appearance.
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