An Indian-American candidate for U.S. Congress in New Jersey is speaking out against Donald Trump’s rhetoric after vandals defaced his home with swastikas twice in a matter of days.
Peter Jacob (D), who is running for office in the state’s 7th Congressional District, says the sidewalk outside his Union home was vandalized Friday night with swastikas, and that the back wall of his house was covered with the symbol two days later.
Such a hate crime, Jacob said Monday in an email to supporters, is exactly the kind of behavior that the GOP presidential nominee enables.
“Let there be no mistake, the people who committed this crime did so because they feel comfortable and confident to commit hateful acts due to an ever increasing atmosphere of accepted racism,” Jacob said. “We must work harder than ever to ensure that on November 8th, we do not let a man who has called for a ban on an entire religion, someone who has advocated for sexual assault, incest, and an attack on women’s rights, in to office.”
Jacob also called out his Republican opponent, four-term incumbent Rep. Leonard Lance, for supporting Trump’s White House run.
The rise of Islamophobia in the U.S. has made targets out of many brown-skinned people, regardless of their religion. The Council on American Islamic Relations has spoken out against these attacks, including the one against Jacob.
“This kind of hate crime cannot be tolerated,” the New Jersey CAIR chapter’s executive director said in a statement. “We ask for a full investigation. When any group is singled out for hate we all have to stand together for justice and tolerance.”
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