Audio recording refutes Hannah-Jones’ claim that she was falsely quoted by the World Socialist Web Site

By Eric London

27 November 2019

On Tuesday, the World Socialist Web Site published an article addressing ignorant and reactionary comments made by New York Times' 1619 Project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones regarding the Holocaust and anti-Semitism at a public event at New York University.

The WSWS reproduced Hannah-Jones’ remarks verbatim. They read:

I’ve thought a lot about this. I’m reading this book now comparing what Nazi Germany did after the Holocaust to the American South or America. And one thing you realize is Germany, though they didn’t initially want to, dealt with a cleansing of everything that had to do with Nazism and in some ways had a reckoning of what the country did. But that’s also because there’s really no Jewish people left in Germany, so it’s easy to feel that way when you don’t have to daily look at the people who you committed these atrocities to, versus in the United States where we are a constant reminder.

Tweet by Nikole Hannah-Jones claiming that the WSWS lied about what she said

But in a series of Twitter posts yesterday, Hannah-Jones tweeted at this author, “I never said that and you know I did not. You did what y’all keep doing—making things up to make a nonexistent argument.” She said the WSWS “childishly insult[s] my intellect and then simply make[s] shit up that you know isn’t true. It’s always a sign of weakness and you are clearly weak.”

The accusations by Hannah-Jones are totally false. The words quoted by the WSWS are those of Hannah-Jones. The WSWS recorded the meeting and the audio of Hannah-Jones’ comments on the Holocaust can be heard here:

Nikole Hannah-Jones speaks at New York University, November 18, 2019

The WSWS detailed analysis of the political content of Hannah-Jones’ remarks can be found in the article: “Nikole Hannah-Jones, race theory and the Holocaust.”

Tweet by Nikole Hannah-Jones claiming that the WSWS lied about what she said

Hannah-Jones refused to respond to the serious historical and political issues that the WSWS raised in its article on her comments at NYU. Instead, she resorted to the crudest anti-communism in an effort to portray herself as the victim of a racist smear. Attacking the WSWS, Hannah-Jones tweeted: “Trump supporters have never harassed me and insulted my intelligence as much as white men claiming to be socialists. You all have truly revealed yourself for the anti-black folks you really are.”

There is nothing progressive about the New York Times’ racialist 1619 Project. Its defenders, including project creator Hannah-Jones, are unable to respond honestly and seriously to any criticism based on historical fact.

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