Anti Defamation League Questions Judgment of Senator Hedlund

The Anti Defamation League  last week questioned the judgment of State Senator Robert Hedlund (R-Weymouth) who repeatedly allowed a guest caller to express anti-Semitic views, and other forms of hate speech on Oct. 31 on his weekly radio program he hosts on WATD 95.9 FM, “Monday Night Talk.”

Sen. Hedlund, who represents Hingham, allowed a call-in guest to blame the 9-11 attacks and economic turmoil on Jews. The caller verbally attacked Jewish people and other minorities during the prime time radio program Hedlund hosts in Marshfield.

“Scott from Cape Cod” was allowed to go on a several minute rant talking about how “the Jews” control the banks, rattling off the name of several large financial institutions with Jewish surnames in their titles. As usual with his radio callers, Hedlund did not stop this rant.  

The ADL was outraged that Hedlund instead stoked the flames by asking the caller his opinion of several Jewish financial leaders like Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Fed Chair Ben Bernanke and Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein.

“An elected official who hosts a talk show should not be complicit in the airing of Anti-Semitic views and other expressions of hate and bigotry,”  Robert Trestan, Eastern States Civil Rights Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement last week.  “We call on Senator Hedland and WATD to follow the lead of other Boston talk show hosts by not allowing the public airwaves to become a forum for hate and bigotry.

Senator Hedlund is giving anti-Semites and their views access to mainstream media. We expect elected officials to act with greater responsibility.”

Hedlund’s office would not comment on the incident and referred Patch to WATD Station Manager Ed Perry who said Hedlund did not act inappropriate during the radio show.

Perry said "Scott from Cape Cod" is a routine caller who he finds to have racist and homophobic views. Perry said after Scott gives his opinions, the WATD radio hosts and listeners commonly criticize his views. 

"[Hedlund] and his guests tear Scott apart and they do it well," Perry said.

Perry said Hedlund commonly educates listeners that Scott's views are not alright to think.

"[When Scott calls Hedlund], it's like taking a dishfull of bacteria and bringing it into a room full of Penicillin, " said Perry.

Perry said he does not want listeners to get hurt but at the same time callers are entitled to their opinions. He said WATD is in no way anti-semitic and pointed out that the Marshfield radio station commonly broadcasts the No Place For Hate celebration in Plymouth every year.

In response to the broadcast, Hedlund’s opposing Democratic State Senate candidate Steve May, issued the following statement:

"...This exchange was several minutes long, and was egged-on by Hedlund. It can only be assumed that he believed that doing so provided him some kind of strategic political benefit. In the year 2011, one might have hoped that we as a society had reached a point where manipulating differences for political advantage: whether they be race, class, gender or faith would have been the kind of thing we talked about in the past-tense. Unfortunately, we have a career politician who in a desperate attempt to deflect criticism and attention from his own ethical challenges is scrambling to change the subject...and in doing so has allowed my faith to be placed in the middle of the public discourse. Me, being Jewish does not preclude me from serving the people of the South Shore, but his lack of judgment maybe should preclude him from continuing in his current capacity.”

The above article used  excerpts from two different releases submitted to Patch.  One was from the Anti Defamation League, the other was from State Senator Candidate Steve May’s Office.