Devastating LA Wildfires Must Not Be Exploited to Spread Hate and Disinformation

Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council of Public Affairs, released the following statement:

“The most devastating wildfires in the history of Los Angeles have killed at least five people, displaced over 100,000, and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, including a historic synagogue. It’s appalling that some extreme voices have used the ongoing tragedy as an excuse to promote bigotry against vulnerable minorities, including against Jews. 

Figures very close to president-elect Trump, including Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk, have relentlessly blamed the wildfires and destruction on ‘DEI’ — transparent racism and misogyny. X, the social media platform owned by Musk, continues to be a source of disinformation and hate about the fires, elevating white nationalists and other extremists. Some on the extreme left insist on a connection between the fires and the war in Gaza – the latest example of a relentless scapegoating of Israel or Jews for virtually any global problem.

Hateful rhetoric and conspiracy theories like this can and do lead to acts of violence. They seek to sow distrust in government and institutions – all the more dangerous during an emergency involving evacuation and other life-or-death orders. They fuel division by pitting communities against one another, rather than bringing communities together to address the real disaster that millions of LA residents are now experiencing. And they are meant to distract from the policies needed to actually address climate change and the broader underlying causes of this disaster.

We all have an obligation to reject these cynical efforts to exploit the wildfires to spread extremism and bigotry, and instead come together in support of the Los Angeles community.”

###