OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, today shared his reaction to comments made by Seattle school teacher Ian Golash during an interview posted Friday to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

When asked if the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas terrorists on Israeli citizens was justified, Golash responded, “Yes.” As the interview continues, the reporter asks him if the murder of innocent women by Hamas was justified. Golash again responded “yes.” When asked if the rape of women at a music festival was justified, Golash asked, “Where’s the evidence of rape?”

“Mr. Golash’s comments are blatantly antisemitic. They are hard enough for me to hear; I can’t imagine how terrible it is for Jewish parents and children to hear them. It’s disturbing that someone entrusted with influencing our youth can speak with appalling approval of the attack by Hamas. His endorsement of the murder and rape of innocent Israeli women and children should be an embarrassment to the Seattle Public School District. It’s even less acceptable if he is making similar statements in class, spreading his racist mindset to young people. The school district should investigate his classroom conduct, and if he has shared antisemitic comments in class, he should be dismissed.

“People wonder how an atrocity such as the Jewish Holocaust could have taken place – how so many people became complicit in the horrors suffered by Jews during World War II. Mr. Golash’s comments, and the apparent support for them by many of those around him, demonstrate exactly how minds can be twisted and radicalized to carry out terrible crimes against humanity.”