Why Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she voted against the Antisemitism Awareness Act

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), most recently in the news for her move to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), has come under fire for citing a classic form of antisemitism in her vote against the "Antisemitism Awareness Act," which passed the House on Wednesday in a 320 to 91 vote. The bill pushes for the adoption of a definition of antisemitism in line with that of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

"Antisemitism is wrong, but I will not be voting for the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090) today that could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews," Greene wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Greene's post cited one of the IHRA's examples of antisemitism, "Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis." According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the myth that Jews are responsible for the death of Jesus has been used to justify antisemitism for centuries.

Other examples provided by the IHRA included "accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust" and "holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the state of Israel."

Cy Neff is a politics reporting fellow based in Wyoming for USA Today. You can reach him at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CyNeffNews

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MTG votes against Antisemitism Awareness Act, cites antisemitic trope