Miami-Dade Teachers Union backed State Senator Dwight Bullard linked to Terrorists

MIAMI, Fl. (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The grassroots group Miami United Against BDS (MUAB) is demanding that Florida State Senator Dwight Bullard immediately resign his seat in the Florida State House and end his bid for re-election. Reports surfaced this week that Bullard took a trip in May to territories under Palestinian control where he met with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an organization listed by the State Department since 1997 as a foreign terrorist organization.

Bullard, according to his campaign website, is a teacher. He teaches at Coral Reef Senior High School and Coral Gables Adult in Miami-Dade public schools. Bullard is a member of the United Teachers of Dade (UTD) and at one time was a union representative. Senator Bullard is a UTD backer and beneficiary.

Florida State Sen. Dwight Bullard, wearing a Palestinian kaffiyeh, or headscarf, at the Democratic National Convention, July 2016. (Ben Sales)

Bullard was photographed with a member of the PFLP, and those images were shared on social media by the group which coordinated Bullard’s trip to the Middle East. During his visit, Bullard also met with a co-founder of the anti-Israel BDS movement Omar Barghouti, and images of them together also circulated on social media. BDS, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, is a campaign aimed at singling out Israel for economic warfare.

Earlier this year, Florida passed a bill to prevent the state from doing business with companies participating in boycotts of Israel. Similar anti-BDS bills have also passed in a dozen other states across the country.

MUAB called upon the Florida Democratic Party to condemn this meeting with terrorists and urge Dwight Bullard to resign and end his reelection campaign. They also asked Equity Florida Action PAC, Florida Planned Parenthood PAC, Florida AFL-CIO, SAVE Action PAC, AFSCME Florida, 1199 SEIU, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida and United Faculty of Florida to immediately withdraw their endorsements of Bullard based upon his interactions with a terrorist organization and others whose ideology and actions make them enemies of the United States and its ally Israel.

One of the leaders of Miami United Against BDS, Joseph Daniels (a registered Democrat) said: “By meeting with supporters of terrorist organizations Dwight Bullard has shown himself to be completely unfit for office. We will not sit back and be silent when an elected official from Florida meets with a terrorist group that has murdered innocent civilians in Israel.”

Nilsa Alvarez from Comunidad Cristiana Pembroke Pines (Christian Community of Pembroke Pines) said, “BDS is the best example of racism and discrimination applied to business and the global market. BDS is the modern yellow star, aimed at financially persecuting the Jewish community in a baseless effort to delegitimize the Jewish State of Israel and her rights to flourish as a democratic republic in a sea of politically unstable countries seeking to undermine her freedom to be.”

Said Rabbi Uri Pilichowski, Director of Israel Advocacy for Southern NCSY, “Elected officials have a responsibility to learn the truth and not take positions until they know the facts. Rep. Bullard did not do his due diligence about the reality in Israel and found himself on the side of hate. Now, the students of Florida are taking it upon themselves to teach Rep. Bullard the truth about Israel.  His statements are a pure example of the hypocrisy these BDS groups are all about.”

Joe Zevuloni, Founder of Miami United Against BDS stated: “State Senator Bullard is so concerned about Palestinian civil rights, but he should start condemning some of the same people he is trying to “defend.”  Why doesn’t he condemn groups such as the PFLP, Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organization that carry out attacks and openly persecute Christians and members of the LGBT community? Within the Palestinian areas women cannot run for political office let alone participate fully in civic life. On the other hand, Israel is a vibrant democracy and the only true U.S. ally in the Middle East. Israel is America’s best friend and friends stand up for each other. All Americans from every background should step up and join us to help defeat BDS.”

Zevuloni added: “MUAB is vehemently opposed to the anti-Semitic BDS movement and we condemn all who support it. It is unconscionable that Bullard would meet with Omar Barghouti and other Israel detractors who advocate targeting Israel with economic warfare.

“In recent days Mr. Bullard has also expressed his unwillingness to endorse the two-state solution for Israeli-Palestinian peace, which puts him squarely on the side of those who advocate a one-state solution, which in practical terms amounts to destroying the Jewish state of Israel,” added Zevuloni.

MUAB Founder Joe Zevuloni concluded: “As South Floridians who champion the values of democracy, human rights, open dialogue and respect for human life, it is unthinkable to accept that there is someone in the Florida legislature who is willing to meet openly with terrorist groups and other hateful organizations whose values are diametrically opposed to those of Floridians and all Americans. It is our duty to condemn this form of hate and defeat it.”

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