Robert Kesten Condemns Racist Signage in Croton on Hudson
Praises Croton community members for their response
CROTON ON HUDSON, NY: Robert Kesten, Democratic candidate for NYS Senate District 40, issued a statement in response to signs posted in Croton on Hudson promoting Identity Evropa, a white supremacist group. Several signs were hung up outside of the middle and high schools. The posters appear to be recruiting for the group, which labels itself as an “American Identitarian organization.”
“I am deeply troubled by the hateful flyers that were posted outside of several schools right here in our community. This is racism plain and simple. As friends, neighbors, community members and allies, we cannot stand by while this kind of behavior goes unchecked,” said Kesten in a post on social media. “These signs must be removed immediately. This is not the message we should be sending to our children. We stand in full support of the good and decent people of Croton on Hudson and the human rights values they stand for.”
Kesten visited Croton on Hudson when he learned about the incident and released a video statement condemning the racist action. In the video, Kesten says, “I never thought I would see signs in my own community calling for white supremacy. … We have to stand with the people of Croton, stand with the community, stand with the people of the United States of America, stand with the people in the 40th Senate district, who believe that America stands for freedom and justice for all.”
The full video and statement can be viewed here.
About Robert Kesten
For the past decade, Robert has been a consultant for PDHRE, the organization behind the United Nations Decade on Human Rights Education. Previously, he ran the Center for Screen Time Awareness in Washington, DC, where he advocated for a FCC Task Force on the impact of screened media on children’s health. He has been actively engaged in government at the local, national, and international levels. A Democratic District Leader in the Town of Lewisboro, he has worked with U.S. Senators Tom Daschle, Harry Reid, and Paul Simon as well as for NYS Senate Minority Leader Manfred Ohrenstein, where he was also active in the NYS Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. His international efforts include advising the U.S. government during the break-up of the Soviet Union. He was also engaged in encouraging democratic institutions during the Arab Spring in both Egypt and Tunisia and last year worked to assist Mountain View, California (home to Google) on becoming a Human Rights City..
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Contact: Mark A. Lieberman, markalieberman@aol.com 914 414 7936
