To The Daily Sun,
White supremacy is on the rise throughout the country including in New Hampshire. The Southern Poverty Law Center tracked six hate groups in New Hampshire in 2020. Here in the Upper Valley, the shooting of the Chanukah menorah on the Dartmouth campus this past December intensified fear within the Jewish community.
Most distressing, members of the NH House of Representatives have acted with impunity to fuel such hatred. In December, Representative Dawn Johnson posted a virulently anti-Semitic meme on her Facebook page. House Speaker Sherman Packard says that no action is needed because Rep. Johnson has "apologized''. She has in fact not apologized either for the content of the posting or for the harm it caused; she has only apologized for the source of the message, a neo-Nazi website. A month later, Rep. James Spillane posted a picture on Parler of a mural infamous for its portrayal of the worst stereotypes of Jews. Under the picture, he added the word "truth". Perhaps he was emboldened by the lack of sanctions taken against Rep. Johnson. Or perhaps by the lack of sanctions against himself after his posting last fall ''jokingly" urging attacks on supporters of Black Lives Matter. Again Speaker Packard has condoned Rep. Spillane's posting, accepting the explanation that he didn't know the mural was anti-Semitic, in spite of the fact that the mural has received international condemnation.
The United Valley Interfaith Project (UVIP), composed of fourteen Christian, Buddhist and Jewish communities in the Upper Valley, calls on Speaker Packard to sanction Reps. Johnson and Spillane. History has shown time and again that the promotion of hatred by government officials greatly escalates societal violence. It is imperative that our elected representatives be held accountable for their actions.
Sharon Parker, President of UVIP
Carolyn Gordon, Secretary of UVIP
Sarah Jane Knoy, Director of GSOP and Acting Director of UVIP
Executive Council Members of UVIP
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