ADL Urges Congressman Coble To Apologize For Remarks Supporting Internment of Japanese Americans During World War II
Palm Beach, FL, February 7, 2003 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today
denounced recent statements attributed to Congressman Howard Coble, R-NC, expressing support for President Roosevelt's decision to establish internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II, and called on him to apologize.
Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement from the League's National Executive Committee Meeting/90th Anniversary Celebration in Palm Beach, Florida:
Congressman Coble's justification of World War II internment camps demonstrates a serious lack of understanding of the misguided policies which led to the wartime internment of 120,000 people. President Roosevelt's 1942 Executive Order authorizing the relocation and confinement of Japanese Americans during the World War II years is a deep stain on our nation's most cherished democratic traditions and constitutional respect for due process of law.
As our nation now faces unprecedented terrorist threats and challenges, we must learn from mistakes in our nation's past as we seek to properly balance individual rights and national security. We urge Rep. Coble to apologize for his ill-conceived and inappropriate remarks.
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
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