INDIANAPOLIS—Today, State Senator J.D. Ford (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement in response to Moms for Liberty-Hamilton County releasing their first newsletter with a quote from Adolf Hitler:

“The fact that Moms for Liberty felt comfortable quoting Adolf Hitler in their first newsletter is telling. This group is spearheading the effort to ban books in the name of ‘protecting children’ yet they’re quoting one of the most reprehensive and evil fascists in history. It’s disgusting and indefensible, and I condemn what they are saying to justify this unacceptable act. A member said the quote was used to elicit ‘shock value.’ Yes—quoting a man responsible for one of the worst genocides in history—is as shocking as it is heinous. 6 million Jewish people lost their lives because of the rhetoric and ideals that were pushed by Hitler. We fought a global war—thousands of American service members lost their lives—to extinguish the type of hateful, anti-semitic language and views promoted by Hitler, and now we’re seeing prominent groups and local leaders working to infuse those sentiments back into our society.

“I have to be honest—I’m growing incredibly concerned by the increasing normalization of fascism, anti-semitism and hateful rhetoric, which we know from history will only ever lead to ugly outcomes. With the simultaneous efforts to ban books and the growing rise of Nazi sympathy, I fear we are on a slippery slope. That’s why it’s so important that leaders don’t ignore these acts but stand up and condemn them. If Americans can lose their lives fighting a war against Nazism, elected leaders can at least have the courage to call out behavior from groups that have been recognized as extremists, like Moms for Liberty. I call on every member of the Hamilton County Statehouse Delegation to condemn this group’s promotion of Hitler as well as everything he stood for.

“We must also be conscious of the impact of banning books about Nazism, the Holocaust, genocide and other hateful acts in history. We cannot allow important lessons and truths to be lost in an effort to cover the stains of our past. Doing that only robs future generations of knowledge that could help them avoid mistakes from history. Already, a shocking number of Americans don’t know key facts relating to the Holocaust or have very disturbing ideas about how the Holocaust was started. If we do not know and learn our history, we are doomed to repeat it.”