Brooklyn Borough President

MARKOWITZ PROTESTS NEO-NAZI TEENAGERS’ MESSAGE OF HATE

Photograph by Kathryn Kirk

In photo: Assembly Member Dov Hikind, State Senator Kevin Parker, District Manager of Community Board 12 Wolf Sender, State Senator John Sampson, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Community Activist Wellington Sharp.

On Monday, November 21, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz joined Assembly Member Dov Hikind; Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum, President of the Rabbinical Alliance of America; State Senator Diane Savino; State Senator John Sampson; State Senator Kevin Parker; Assembly Member Nick Perry; Council Member Letitia James and others to protest the message of hatred expressed by thirteen-year-old twin singers Lamb and Lynx Gaede.

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed sisters from Bakersfield, California have just released an album by their band, Prussian Blue, that endorses white nationalism, racism and anti-Semitism. The girls, who insist that “Adolf Hitler was a great man who was only trying to preserve his own race in his own country,” have been raised with racist beliefs by parents who identify with Nazi philosophy. They have appeared with KKK leader David Duke at Holocaust-denial events and have been seen wearing “Happy Hitler” t-shirts.

“In 2005, to see young girls who clearly don’t know any better taunting those who have suffered, and profiting from it, whether it’s survivors of the Holocaust, people of color, or anyone of any faith, ethnicity, or background – it is reprehensible,” said Borough President Markowitz. “I do not place the blame for this un-American attitude at the feet of these teenage girls. No one is born racist or anti-Semitic. It is their parents and their community that perpetuate this hate that corrupts young minds so maliciously and irresponsibly. I am calling on Time to exercise corporate responsibility and forgo this article in Teen People for the greater public good. I would be the last person to call for censorship. What is troubling here is the fact that Teen People caters to a young demographic at a most impressionable age. I am confident that as more young Americans become aware of their message of ignorance, the calls to reconsider their views will reach these girls’ ears. Let us hope and pray that they will grow up to be adults who understand that America’s greatness is founded on its diversity, and the fact that we are proud home to everyone from everywhere.”

Teen People is scheduled to publish an exclusive interview with the twins in an upcoming issue. Assembly Member Hikind called the conference to protest those plans.