GOP convention shuts down YouTube comments in wake of anti-Semitic abuse
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GOP convention shuts down YouTube comments in wake of anti-Semitic abuse

By JTA July 19, 2016, 12:00 am Edit
Former Gov. Linda Lingle (R-HI) speaking during the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, July 18, 2016. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Former Gov. Linda Lingle (R-HI) speaking during the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, July 18, 2016. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND (JTA) — The Republican National Convention shut down comments on its YouTube livestream after anti-Semitic abuse appeared during a speech by Linda Lingle, the Jewish former governor of Hawaii.

Comments including “Make America Jewish Again” punctuated by yellow stars of David and “Ban Jews” appeared on the feed, the liberal news website Raw Story reported. The reference was to presumptive nominee Donald Trump’s campaign theme to “Make America Great Again.”

Lingle, Hawaii’s governor from 2002 to 2010, and now the chief operating officer of Illinois, dedicated much of her speech on Monday to claiming that Republicans have become more reliable friends to Israel than Democrats.

The convention’s communication office did not reply to a request for comment. Paul Manafort, the campaign chairman, told JTA during the morning press conference that he did not “know anything about that.”

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