May 5, 2015

The Woman Behind Texas’ Muhammad Cartoon Contest Compares Herself to Rosa Parks


After two gunmen opened fire at a Muhammad drawing contest in Texas over the weekend, the head of the group that organized the controversial event has appeared on several television programs explaining the legitimacy of the contest.  Today, Pamela Geller’s defense reached a new height of tone-deafness when she compared herself to civil rights activist Rosa Parks.

Fox News host Martha MacCallum asked Geller how she felt about criticism from conservatives including Donald Trump, who condemned Sunday’s contest as a “taunting” tactic solely used to incite Muslims. Geller dismissed Trump’s comments, saying, “He sure flaps his tongue and uses free speech and wishes to silence others. What would he have said about Rosa Parks? Rosa Parks should never have gone to the front of the bus. She’s taunting people.”

Shocked, MacCallum responded, “No, no, no. How do you make the Rosa Parks comparison?”

Geller refused to back down, and in fact seemed to be gaining steam, pledging she would not “abridge” her freedom for the sake of “savages”—a description she has used in past anti-Islam campaigns.

Insulting Donald Trump, Muslims, and the memory of Rosa Parks in one brief segment does demonstrate the unusual range of Geller’s ability to be downright offensive. Who needs the Southern Poverty Law Center when there’s material like this?

 

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