{"id":1424492,"date":"2022-04-07T18:29:39","date_gmt":"2022-04-07T22:29:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1424492"},"modified":"2022-04-07T18:29:43","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T22:29:43","slug":"geico-drops-corporate-diversity-event-with-speaker-notorious-for-anti-semitic-rhetoric-after-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/geico-drops-corporate-diversity-event-with-speaker-notorious-for-anti-semitic-rhetoric-after-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"GEICO Drops Corporate Diversity Event With Speaker Notorious For Anti-Semitic Rhetoric After Backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgeico-drops-corporate-diversity-event-with-speaker-notorious-for-anti-semitic-rhetoric-after-backlash%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1424492&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2022\/04\/C1FB3F4C-9718-43D3-AEC5-EA40A4F065FB-scaled.jpeg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;ixlib=react-9.3.0\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Insurance company GEICO has dropped former Women\u2019s March co-chair Linda Sarsour from an internal event sponsored by its Diversity &#038; Inclusion division over concerns about Sarsour\u2019s long track record of anti-Semitic rhetoric.<\/p>\n<p>GEICO\u2019s D&#038;I divison had originally planned an event celebrating Middle Eastern and North African Heritage Month with an event featuring Sarsour. Screenshots of an email sent by the company to employees were shared on Twitter by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StopAntisemites\/status\/1511796634027495438?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1511796634027495438%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&#038;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FStopAntisemites2Fstatus2F1511796634027495438widget%3DTweet\">StopAntisemitism.org<\/a> Wednesday. \u201c<span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">We are horrified a respectable company like <\/span><span class=\"r-18u37iz\">@GEICO <\/span>would choose to feature antisemitic bigot <span class=\"r-18u37iz\">@lsarsour <\/span>to represent the MENA region. Sarsour had to step down from the Women\u2019s March due to her open Jew hatred! What was [VP and Chief Diversity Officer] Carl Tims thinking here?!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both StopAntisemitism.org and the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AJCGlobal\/status\/1512045111399620610\">American Jewish Committee<\/a> (AJC) called on GEICO to remove Sarsour from the event. \u201c@LSarsour\u2019s extensive record of trafficking in incendiary, antisemitic comments about the Jewish people and Israel makes her utterly unfit to be the face of @GEICO\u2019s \u2018diversity &#038; inclusion\u2019 campaign,\u201d the AJC wrote. \u201cWe call on the company to reconsider her participation.\u201d Jewish community advocacy group <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StandWithUs\/status\/1512003996579422214?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1512003996579422214%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&#038;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FStandWithUs2Fstatus2F1512003996579422214widget%3DTweet\">StandWithUs<\/a> and Anti-Defamation League CEO\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JGreenblattADL\/status\/1511889120955535363\">Jonathan Greenblatt<\/a> also posted Twitter threads showcasing Sarsour\u2019s history of anti-Semitic remarks.<\/p>\n<p>GEICO responded to the backlash Thursday, announcing on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GEICO\/status\/1512073098987597834\">Twitter<\/a> that it was removing Sarsour from its event. \u201cWe apologize to our employees, customers, and others for our initial plan to invite Linda Sarsour to speak at our internal event celebrating Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Heritage Month,\u201d the company wrote, adding that it had already canceled the event Tuesday. \u201cGEICO does not condone hatred of any kind, and we do not stand for or with anyone who does. We are not aligned with any form of exclusion. We will continue to celebrate MENA Heritage Month in a way that aligns with our values.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jewish leaders praised GEICO\u2019s course-correct:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JGreenblattADL\/status\/1512113606464352264\">Jonathan Greenblatt<\/a>: \u201cGlad @Geico heard our concerns and quickly reversed course. Major companies should not partner with individuals who repeatedly espouse #antisemitic tropes. @ADL welcomes this development.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AviMayer\/status\/1512099130495098880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1512099130495098880%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&#038;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FAviMayer2Fstatus2F1512099130495098880widget%3DTweet\">Avi Mayer<\/a>, AJC Managing Director of Public Affairs: \u201c<span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">We spoke up and now @GEICO <\/span><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">gets it: @LSarsour <\/span><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">represents hate and has no place in an event celebrating diversity and inclusion. Bravo!\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BnaiBrith\/status\/1512146494362640389\">B\u2019nai B\u2019rith International<\/a>: \u201cWhile we remain shocked that @GEICO invited vile anti-Semite Linda Sarsour to represent the MENA region, we are glad the co. listened to the Jewish community and canceled its event. Orgs. must take steps to prevent similar missteps, e.g., adopting @TheIHRA def. of #antisemitism.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Former New York State Assemblyman <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HikindDov\/status\/1512094896282292231\">Dov Hikind<\/a>: \u201c@GEICO did the right thing and wasted no time in getting rid of Sarsour\u2019s toxicity. Let this be a lasting lesson: Linda Sarsour is a shameless racist, antisemite who cannot be cleansed of her hatred without fully repenting. Until then, good riddance!\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sarsour was previously forced to step down from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/09\/16\/us\/womens-march-anti-semitism.html\">Women\u2019s March<\/a> in 2019, along with fellow co-chairs Tamika Mallory, and Bob Bland over concerns about their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/intersectionality-fight-founder-womens-march-calls-hank-berrien\">anti-Semitic<\/a> and anti-LGBT rhetoric. Sarsour herself has repeatedly used anti-Semitic rhetoric in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/sarsour-venomously-attacks-jews-again-hank-berrien\">public<\/a>, including multiple occasions at the March <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/watch-womens-march-leaders-promote-anti-semitism-ryan-saavedra\">itself<\/a>. She has also made anti-Semitic and other offensive remarks repeatedly on social media. As StandWithUs pointed out in its 2020 thread, Sarsour in 2011 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StandWithUs\/status\/1296406028813307904?s=20&#038;t=sDjrum-t2h5RvU8wKJ6Tcg\">said<\/a> she wished she could take away the vaginas of Islam critics Brigitte Gabriel and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, which StandWithUs noted was especially offensive because Hirsi Ali is a survivor of female genital mutilation. She attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/linda-sarsour-attacks-white-feminist-nancy-pelosi-emily-zanotti\">typical white feminist<\/a>\u201d in 2019 for criticizing Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/social-media-erupts-after-linda-sarsour-pushes-antisemitic-conspiracy-in-surfside-collapse\">promoted<\/a> an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about the apartment building collapse in Surfside, Florida, in June 2021.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest growing conservative media companies for breaking news, investigative reporting, sports, podcasts, in-depth analysis, books, and entertainment for a reason: because we believe in what we do. We believe in our country, in the value of truth and the freedom to speak it, and in the right to challenge tyranny wherever we see it. Believe the same?\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\">Become a member now and join our mission<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Insurance company GEICO has dropped former Women\u2019s March co-chair Linda Sarsour from an internal event sponsored by its Diversity &#038; Inclusion division over concerns about Sarsour\u2019s long track record of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":189,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1424492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1424492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/189"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1424492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1424492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1424492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1424492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1424492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}