Al Sharpton Invokes George Floyd’s Name After Pro-Palestinian Attacker Allegedly Killed 2 Israeli Embassy Employees

MSNBC host Al Sharpton brought up George Floyd Thursday during a discussion about the murder of two Israeli embassy employees killed on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Elias Rodriguez was accused of fatally shooting Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim after an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, reportedly chanting, “Free, free Palestine.” Sharpton told “Morning Joe” co-host Willie Geist that he was going to be spending the weekend with Floyd’s family. (RELATED: Joe Scarborough Admits Democrats ‘Painted Themselves’ As ‘Elitist’ Over Three-Plus Decades)

“You know, the rise of hate crimes is disturbing, but first and foremost, all of us that fight in various communities for rights and equality must denounce specific acts that happen against people based on who they are that may not be your people,” Sharpton said. “What happened last night must be denounced. I hope all the civil rights leaders join me in saying this is wrong. This is inexcusable. I support a two-state solution. This hurts it, not helps it. And I think that it is important that we stand up and denounce this. This morning, I was texting back and forth with Jonathan Greenblatt and other Jewish leaders saying, we have to stand with you as we ask you to stand with us.”

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“We’ve got to stop segregating how we deal with hate crimes. We all need to stand together. Otherwise, we are really just self-serving when we’re the victims,” Sharpton continued. “This weekend is the fifth anniversary of the killing of George Floyd. I’ll be with his family. I can’t stand for justice for George Floyd and ignore a man that goes and kills two innocent civilians coming out of a Jewish museum. This wasn’t even political. And to act like it’s all right just to profile them because they’re Jewish and then try to act like this is going to help free anybody. It is — it’s despicable and inexcusable.”

Sharpton rose to prominence in 1987 when he supported Tawana Brawley’s claims that she had been raped by a group of white men. The accusations later turned out to be false.

Sharpton, who hosts a weekend show on MSNBC, also allegedly incited violence during the 1991 Crown Heights riots, leading to the death of Yankel Rosenbaum, a Talmudic student. A 1992 video shows him calling for “offing the pigs.”

The MSNBC host also led protests outside Freddie’s Fashion Mart in 1995, labeling the owner of the establishment a “white interloper.” In December 1995, a reported participant in the protests entered the store, allegedly killed seven people and set it on fire, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

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