Dr. Bernice King is no stranger to watching people on social media use her father’s legacy to score a point. But this time, she’d clearly had enough of it.
On Wednesday, the daughter of the late-civil rights icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called out comedian Amy Schumer for implying that he would have supported Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.
“Amy: Certainly, my father was against antisemitism, as am I. He also believed militarism (along with racism and poverty) to be among the interconnected Triple Evils. I am certain he would call for Israel’s bombing of Palestinians to cease, for hostages to be released,” wrote Dr. King. “and for us to work for true peace, which includes justice. He said, “Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.””
Dr. King went on to share a clip of her father discussing the need to withdraw from Vietnam. “We don’t need to prove to anybody our military power,” said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “We need to prove our moral power.”
Her tweet was in response to a post from Schumer, where Schumer shared a video of Martin Luther King Jr. defending Israel’s right to exist. Schumer has repeatedly called people on social media who’ve spoken out in favor of a ceasefire, antisemitic. However, countless humanitarian groups including the United Nations Refugee Council have urgently called for a ceasefire. The Gaza Health Ministry estimated that the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 8,000 and that most of the victims have been women and children.
Amy Schumer does not appear to have issued a response to Dr. King’s statement. However, she did post a statement to her Twitter about the larger backlash against her for her comments.