From video taken at Chicago rally Saturday
CHICAGO – Monday, Governor JB Pritzker told reporters he feared for his and his family's safety because of signs that were displayed at protests in Springfield and Chicago last Saturday.
In response to the press conference question from NPR-Illinois, "Governor, are you worried about you, or your family’s safety after anti-Semitic hate speech was used during protests over the weekend?" Pritzker said he was – because of protest signs.
"Yes, I have to admit that I am worried about my family’s safety. You saw some of the signs, some of the vehemence – those people were carrying signs with swastikas and pictures of Adolph Hitler – uh, references to me and my family. Um, yeah, I’m concerned," he said.
Photos of the Springfield rally showed one handmade sign with two swastikas and Pritzker wearing a Hitler-like mustache. A video of the Chicago rally shows protesters loudly rejecting a person flaunting a flag with a swastika. "He's not with us," the protesters said. "Soros plant!" others shouted at the flag bearer.
However, those protesting Pritzker's executive orders and COVID regional plans are not going to change his plans, he said.
"But I also want you to know that I am undeterred from the path that we’re on. I think we’re doing the right thing, and again, the vast majority of the people in Illinois are doing the right thing – and indeed, you’re seeing it in the numbers. Just look at what is happening, and its happening everybody is following the rules to do what is necessary to keep each other safe," he said.
He then veered off the question to complain about state lawmakers that were rumored to be resisting the social distancing protocol being required in Illinois when outside of a person's home.
"I hear there are people that are planning to show up in Springfield in the legislature not wearing a mask? Think about what that says," the governor said with disgust.
Pritzker said those lawmakers resisting wearing masks had callous disregard for others – and were also not ashamed to be identified with the rallies "swastikas and pictures of Hitler."
"A mask isn’t designed to protect you – it’s designed to protect the people you’re with. So the callous disregard for the people’s health that those legislators demonstrate – and they’re the same legislators that showed up at those rallies with those swastikas and those pictures of Hitler, and they were perfectly willing to stand up and speak in front of that crowd. It was okay with them," he told the NPR-Illinois reporter.
"It’s not okay with me. And they are in fact, putting people in danger."
Then Pritzker went on to attack GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mark Curran, who spoke at the Springfield rally.
"One of those speakers – a GOP US Senate candidate – actually called out Senator Dick Durbin’s home address and told people they should go to his house and surround it. That’s dangerous," Pritzker said.
A review of Curran's comments show he did not mention Durbin's home address – although it is public information – in his speech. Curran said "Durbin lives over there …" pointing away from the rally location.
