Rider U Hosting Genociders Only US Senate “Debate”, Sunday February 18, 8pm – Demand Debate Be Opened Up to Genocide Opponents!

Rider University to sponsor debate between Tammy Murphy and Andy Kim

Rider is conducting a Genociders Only debate this Sunday at 8pm featuring only Tammy Murphy, a particularly Nepotist choice and Andy Kim, whose office in Willingboro, NJ has been protested by his constituents demanding a cease fire. Both candidates are seeking to replace US Senator Bob Menendez whose hat is still in the ring even though he along with his wife are facing multiple indictments. Menendez has been a top recipient of AIPAC funding and is among Israel’s most loyal US Senators and he is also reputable as a hawk when it comes to interventions in Latin America and the Middle East. Regarding the current genocide in Gaza, Andy Kim and Tammy Murphy are mere replicas of Menendez.

Both Andy Kim and Tammy Murphy are known in circles of opponents of genocide, for their lack of any concern for the slaughter of close to 30,000 Gazans in the last 4 months. Kim’s office has been protested by South Jersey for Palestine and an If Not Now chapter.

Tammy Murphy was recently held to account when she was caught trying to use NJ’s Asian community as a cover for support for genocide at a Lunar Year celebration at the Drumthwacket Princeton Governor’s mansion.   According to one of the attendees who was removed in a follow up statement, “We demand an apology from the Murphys for our brutal treatment at a celebration of our own cultural heritage, and for the blatant dismissal of Palestinian lives. The only true apology worth accepting is an immediate dissolution of the New Jersey-Israel Commission, an immediate call for ceasefire, and support for the Palestinian right to self-determination, resistance, and return to their homeland.” 

Also quoting from that same press statement “Tammy Murphy has faced criticism for her evasive and ambiguous responses to questions about whether she supports a ceasefire in Gaza. In a November 27 commentary in New Jersey Monitor,  Terrence T. McDonald wrote, “Now, I’m not saying that the circumstances surrounding a cease-fire are not complicated, but this is a major — potentially the major — issue facing the world right now. Someone who wants to be a U.S. senator should be able to tell us their opinion on it.”

So two Democratic Party candidates – both of them having been completely silent as genocide unfolded over 4 months – almost 30k Palestinians slaughtered in the most brutal ways – are being served to us by the Democratic Party as the proper candidates and Rider University is endorsing the set up.

There are at least 3 other US Senate candidates that are in the race for 2024 who actually are opposed to the US-Israeli genocide:  Lawrence Hamm and Patricia Campos-Medina are both seeking the Democratic Party nomination for US Senate and Christina Khalil is running as the Green Party candidate – all have been outspoken calling for a cease fire.  In the cases of Lawrence Hamm and Christina Khalil, they have attended and spoken at protests calling for a cease fire and support for the Palestinian nation and people.

A priority issue for NJ right now, especially regarding the US Senate race, is the genocide the US and Israel is committing in Gaza.  FightBackBetter.com has a daily parade of reports about the 1000s of NJ folks who are attending protests, pushing for cease fire resolutions, writing letters, disrupting business as usual and most famously – calling for accountability at a Lunar Year staged photo op at the Governor’s mansion.

Shame on Rider University!  Did the organizers of this event somehow decide that only supporters of genocide can participate?  Are they disingenuous to think that they can keep us from thinking about the piles of bodies – likely a dozen or more will be murdered in Gaza during this very event!

As for the Democratic Party – it is to be expected.  It looks like the two invited candidates are just ditto of Bob Menendez regarding the plight of the Palestinian people.

Reaching out to the excluded candidates for comment, Christina Khalil, who is the NJ Green Party candidate stated: “The critical issue for the world right now and for USA, especially running for US Senate is: Are you opposed to the slaughter in Gaza and what are you going to do to stop it?  Neither Andy nor Tammy can get their mouths around the words “cease fire” so they will apparently just continue the failed pro-Israel policies of Bob Menendez.  I call upon the Rider hosts as well as Tammy and Andy, to let the cease fire voices into the debate!  Rest assured that regardless of who takes the Democratic primary – I will be on the streets campaigning and demanding that they join my call for a cease fire through and until the November election.”

Lawrence Hamm had this to say about being excluded: “I demand an open debate in which all of the declared candidates in the Democratic senate primary are allowed to participate. Voters should have an opportunity to see and hear all the candidates debate the issues they are concerned about.”

We have reached out to Patricia Campos-Medina for comment as well as participants in protests at Andy Kim’s office given his refusal to call for a cease fire.

It so turns out that both Lawrence Hamm and Patricia Campos-Medina will indeed be on the Rider campus around the time of this debate.  They are participating in this event about voter suppression.  It would be very easy at this point for Rider University to open up the debate to all 3 pro-cease fire candidates.  A university has no business determining the political spectrum by omitting voices that challenge policies of genocide.  

If there is potential for Pro-Palestine NJ to mobilize by Sunday out at Rider to call for the inclusion of the issue of Palestine and the genocide the current US Senate is perpetrating – that would be an apt response to debates that make believe that a genocide is not even taking place!

SHAME ON RIDER!  SHAME ON ANDY!  SHAME ON TAMMY!

” “

The FightBackBetter.com editorial staff calls upon Rider University to invite all three of the pro-cease fire candidates to attend and participate in this debate. We call upon Tammy and Andy to also extend an invitation. We urge the Pro-Palestine NJ voices if possible to make there way to Rider University to demand a cease fire inside and outside at this event . . . again . . . if possible.

FightBackBetter.com