Today, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY) issued the following statement on anti-Semitic remarks from Ukraine Presidential Candidate Sergei Ratushnyak:

“The United States and the government of the Ukraine have formed a strong relationship over the course of the last decade. For this reason I am particularly concerned by the comments made by the Mayor of Uzhgorod, Sergei Ratushnyak, a candidate for Ukraine’s presidency, toward fellow candidate Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

“Ratushnyak’s hateful comment, calling Yatsenyuk an “imprudent little Jew” harkens back to a dark chapter of Ukraine’s history. I am sure this remark does not adequately represent the sentiments of the people of the Ukraine. In the 11th Congressional District of Brooklyn and throughout New York, many individuals of Jewish descent have roots in the Ukraine and Eastern Europe. I join the conscience of the world in condemning Mayor Ratushnyak’s hateful remark. I will continue to stand with my counterparts in government and to use my voice as a Member of Congress to oppose prejudice and bigotry whenever, and wherever, it arises.”

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