ADL SAYS CANDIDATE BARRANCO WRONG TO EQUATE DEMOCRATIC POLICIES TO THOSE OF THE NAZIS

New York, NY, March 9, 2021 … ADL (Anti-Defamation League) today condemned remarks made by Republican New Jersey state legislature candidate Christian Barranco equating recent policies of the Democratic Party to those of the Nazis during World War II.

“As we have said many times before, the use of Nazi symbolism or analogies used to attack political parties or one’s opponents is offensive and inappropriate,” said Scott Richman, ADL New York/New Jersey Regional Director. “Americans should be able to disagree on the issues without invoking the Nazis. This is not where the debate should be at all.”

According to reports, Barranco posted a swastika on his Facebook page and made a comparison to the National Socialist German Workers Party and the Democratic Party in America. Despite condemnation from ADL and others, this week he sent a letter to potential voters and constituents reasserting his stance by stating that “the modern Democratic party’s stance on issues and polices mirrors that of the Socialist Democratic Party of 1930s Germany (the Nazis).”

“Comparisons to the Nazis are deeply offensive and only serve to diminish and trivialize the Holocaust,” Richman said. “There is no place for this in New Jersey or National political discourse. This is not a left or right, Democrat or Republican issue. This is a right versus wrong issue.”

As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, ADL takes no position on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for office.

ADL is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education and fighting hate online, ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.