1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

I write as an Arizona constituent who is deeply concerned about the growing trend of Democratic candidates and officeholders platforming Hasan Piker, and I urge you to publicly oppose it. Piker is not simply a provocateur. He has used anti-Jewish slurs on stream, dismissed documented accounts of sexual violence committed on October 7, defended Hamas and Hezbollah as "resistance movements," and declared that anyone with "positive feelings about the state of Israel" should be disqualified from any civic role — including, in his words, "the local dog catcher." Atlantic staff writer Yair Rosenberg has argued that Piker exhibits a pattern of excusing left-coded authoritarian regimes, a broader worldview that his antisemitic rhetoric fits squarely within. Organizations like the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix and Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona serve our community every day. The rhetoric Piker mainstreams makes their work harder and our neighbors less safe. I understand the appeal of his reach among young voters. But the Democratic Party cannot credibly condemn bigotry on the right while tolerating it on the left. As Rep. Brad Schneider put it, Democrats "risk losing our credibility to condemn those on the right who traffic in bigotry, antisemitism, and hate" when we platform those who do the same. Third Way co-founder Jonathan Cowan called Piker "anti-American, antiwomen, anti-Western and antisemitic" and said no Democrat should engage with him. Arizona recorded over 120 antisemitic incidents in 2024 alone — more than double the figure from two years prior. This is not the moment to lend credibility to voices that normalize Jew-hatred. Thank you for speaking out on this issue.