The group Somerville for Palestine is calling for the resignation or removal of the chair of Somerville’s Human Rights Commission, Jason Mackey, for two posts on social media, saying it “is outraged by Islamophobic comments.”
The demand was made in an Instagram post on Monday.
Mackey has served on the commission since 2024. He’s also running for Ward 5 councilor against Naima Sait, who was elected in 2023.
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Somerville for Palestine cited two social media posts by Mackey. One, made on Facebook on June 26, referred to Democratic Socialist of America-endorsed New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim, facing opponents such as former New York governor Andrew Cuomo: “Sources on Twitter have confirmed that Zohran Mamdani will turn the Times Square Olive Garden into a Muslamic conversion center,” Mackey wrote.
Mackey called the post a “good joke” in a comment left on the post one week ago. “I’ve praised Mamdani – publicly, clearly,” Mackey says in the comment. “This meme poked fun at fearmongering Cuomo supporters overreacting to progress.”
“Somerville for Palestine is purposely misreading a joke to push an agenda. That’s not activism, that’s opportunism,” Mackey told Cambridge Day in response to Somerville for Palestine’s statement.
Somerville for Palestine said that the post “normalizes anti-Muslim sentiment and speech.” Calling it a joke “serves to double down on his position, without acknowledging or taking responsibility for the harm it caused,” the group said.
It also cited a Sept. 2, 2024, post by Mackey in a Facebook group for Somerville community members. In it, Mackey encouraged readers to vote for Kathleen Hornby over Erika Uyterhoeven for state representative – but here the conflict becomes circular, as one argument he makes against Uyterhoeven is that she accepted endorsement by Somerville for Palestine.
That endorsement was a “disqualifying factor,” he wrote, saying the group is “known for its antisemitic, uncivil acts and disruptive, misplaced aggression.”
Uyterhoeven was elected in 2020 to represent the 27th Middlesex district. Mackey ran against her in 2022, but Uyterhoeven won with 86 percent of the vote. She was ultimately also reelected over Hornby with 69 percent of the vote.
“That was me calling out antisemitic undertones in S4P rhetoric,” Mackey told Cambridge Day of his September post. “I oppose bigotry in all forms – Islamophobia and antisemitism alike.”
Mackey said that he won’t step down from his position in the commission. “I’m open to real dialogue with S4P to build unity, not division – Somerville and America face far greater threats than a meme. We’re staring down a fascist takeover of our government, illegal abduction of our residents and an erosion of democratic norms. That’s where our energy belongs, not on bad-faith smears,” he continued.
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If you run a political organization please make a real website with your own domain.
Instagram/Facebook have a lot of downsides as the only way to share information:
– Requires account not everyone has.
– Text represented as images is not accessible.
– Puts you at the mercy of megacorporations willingness to accommodate your content.
Social media is a great way to spread info, but you should really have a website you control as your canonical source of information.
Sounds a little Karen-like to be honest.
I agree that Mackey’s post about Mamdani was problematic. Someone on the HRC should know that attempts at humor are easily misunderstood, often punch down, and can be used as a shield for crappy racial and social dynamics to continue to play out. I wouldn’t have known he was “joking” from reading his post, and I don’t think it’s “funny.”