January 12, 2020…The Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Region expressed concern about reports that on December 26, U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) compared the efforts of Governor Jared Polis to Nazis when speaking on air to Colorado Springs radio host Jeff Crank on station KVOR.

 

ADL Mountain States Regional Director Scott Levin said:

 

We condemn Congresswoman Boebert’s provocative and combative rhetoric that alleged, ‘Governor Polis has sent his Brown Shirts in to make sure everyone shuts down,’ when referring to actions the Governor has taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The congresswoman’s frustration and concern on behalf of business owners facing hardship due to the pandemic is no excuse for comparing public health officials with the Nazi Party’s original paramilitary wing  that attacked and often killed people during Adolf Hitler’s rise to power.

 

In recent days, we have seen the violence that can occur when people are incited to act by those using such awful analogies. We urge elected officials and all Coloradans to stop using Nazi analogies when expressing frustration and disagreement over public policy. The analogies are not only dangerous but they also demean the lives and memories of the millions who were murdered at the hands of the Nazi regime.