Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan shared a meme on their Instagram stories Friday from cartoonist Carlos Latuff, who’s work has been accused of being anti-Semitic and has trivialized the holocaust.
The meme featured Latuff’s cartoon of President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu covering the congresswomen’s mouths, accompanied by a Star of David. (RELATED: Netanyahu Takes Shot At Obama In Campaign Ad)
“The more they try to silence us, our voices rise,” Tlaib wrote in her caption. “The more they try to weaken us, the stronger we become. The more they try to discredit us, the truth prevails.”
So @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib just shared this cartoon by Carlos Latuff who is well known for his work mocking Jewish victims of the holocaust.
WILL A SINGLE DEMOCRAT SPEAK UP? pic.twitter.com/PlhOBGCN2U
— The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) August 18, 2019
The post comes days after Omar and Tlaib were denied entrance into Israel due to their support for an international boycott of the Jewish state. Tlaib was granted a humanitarian visa to visit her 90-year-old grandmother, but turned it down, claiming that Israel was trying to silence her. (RELATED: Ilhan Omar To Introduce Resolution Supporting BDS)
Latuff is a staunch critic of Israel and has frequently made cartoons mocking survivors of the Holocaust. Latuff has compared the state of Israel to Nazi Germany, something for which he has drawn praise from anti-Israel countries in the Middle East.
A 2006 cartoon of Latuff’s was awarded second place in the Iran Holocaust Cartoon Contest for which he was awarded $8,000.
Since being sworn into Congress earlier this year, Tlaib and Omar have both come under fire for comments and actions widely perceived as anti-Semitic. Omar received criticism from Republicans and Democrats in February after she claimed that U.S. support for Israel is “all about the Benjamins,” a comment her detractors claimed played on anti-Jewish stereotypes.
Following her comments, the House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning all forms of bigotry, although the resolution did not single out Omar specifically.