A group called The Coalition to Get Ilhan Omar off the Foreign Affairs Committee is holding a rally on May 19 titled “Operation: Schumer’s Doorstep.”
The group states: “The Coalition seeks to mobilize Americans of all political, ethnic and religious backgrounds who are concerned about Rep. Ilhan Omar’s continuing presence on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The Coalition’s first goal is to enlist (through all reasonable means of persuasion granted by the Constitution) Senator Schumer in the cause. The event will be part peaceful protest, prayer vigil, and press conference.”
The rally will be held outside Schumer’s building by Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
The group counsels, “We’d like people of faith to lead a prayer calling for Schumer to gain the courage of his convictions so that from this moment on, the senator will fight with every fiber of his being to drive Omar off the committee. We pray for him to become the Shomer he has always said he is.”
Schumer has boasted in the past that he is a “Shomer,” which is the Hebrew word for guardian. In 2010, he told a Jewish radio show, “My name, as you know, comes from a Hebrew word. It comes from the word shomer, which means guardian. My ancestors were guardians of the ghetto wall in Chortkov and I believe Hashem (God), actually, gave me [that] name as one of my roles that is very important in the United States Senate to be a shomer for Israel and I will continue to be that with every bone in my body.”
The coalition instructed attendees:
Be Kind and Courteous: We’re all in this together to create a welcoming environment. Let’s treat everyone with respect. Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required. No Hate Speech or Bullying: Make sure everyone feels safe. Bullying of any kind isn’t allowed, and degrading comments about things like race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender or identity will not be tolerated. Respect Everyone’s Privacy: Being part of this group requires mutual trust. Authentic, expressive discussions make groups great, but may also be sensitive and private. What’s shared in the group should stay in the group.
Omar has had numerous instances of late where her remarks have had incendiary results; the most recent was on Friday, when she defended her March remark in which she referenced the 9/11 attacks by saying “some people did something.” On Friday, she likened that remark to the statement by former President George W. Bush after the attacks when he stated, “The people — and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!” Omar claimed Bush was minimizing the attack, when in reality he was warning that the U.S. would retaliate for the attacks.
Prior to that, Omar called presidential adviser Stephen Miller, who is Jewish, a “white nationalist,” said President Trump is not human, refused to answer whether she was anti-Semitic, accused a Jewish Democratic congresswoman of wanting Omar to have dual loyalties to the United States and Israel, claimed that her “Jewish colleagues” had devised a plan to silence her and that pro-Israel groups were making politicians loyal to Israel, issued tweets that were so redolent with anti-Semitism that afterward, her Democratic colleagues put out a statement decrying anti-Semitism, and promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.