Arutz Sheva spoke to the mayors who led the establishment of an international coalition for the struggle against hatred, anti-Semitism and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Uwe Becker, the Mayor of Frankfurt, Germany, said, “BDS is a threat to all of society. It’s poisoning society and for that reason the city of Frankfurt was one of the first cities in Germany to declare an official ban on BDS.”
BDS, continued Becker, “created a new strategy of war against Israel, so it’s not a question of a humanitarian organization. They’re fighting against the State of Israel.”
Gabriel Groisman, the Mayor of Bal Harbour, Florida, pointed out that when there is an anti-Semitic attack, “the people who are affected need an immediate response not just from law enforcement but also from their leadership. They need moral clarity, they need a strong statement of rejecting hate, and then they need action, and the city can take action much quicker than the federal government can or the state’s government can.”
“In this day and age, with the rise of hatred and anti-Semitism, people are hungry for leadership and at the municipal level, the mayors can really provide it,” he added.