Mom Who Restricted Inauguration Poem in Fla. School Sorry About Antisemitic Attack

A mother who succeeded in a solo battle to restrict access in a Florida school to a poem read at President Joe Biden's Inauguration has apologized to a Jewish publication for promoting notorious antisemitic writings.

Daily Salinas, a Cuban whose first language is Spanish, managed in April to block elementary student access to three books and the poem at the Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, the Miami Herald first reported this week.

She claimed the works promoted critical race theory and “indirect hate messages," according to the Herald.

The poem, "The Hill We Climb," was written by Black author and National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman. The youngest inaugural poet ever (she was 22) recited the poem at Biden's Inauguration to wide-ranging praise.

Gorman said in a statement on Twitter that she was "gutted" by the attack, and called the action a violation of its students’ “free thought and free speech.” She said she wrote the poem to inspire young people.

Just weeks before blocking access to the poem, Salinas reportedly posted a summary in March of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a vicious, century-old antisemitic conspiracy theory, on Facebook. The Daily Beast reported she has attended several rallies with the militant, right-wing Proud Boys.

Following an uproar over the post, she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Wednesday that she shared the summary because she spotted the word "communism" in the writings, and didn't bother to read anything else.

“I want to apologize to the Jewish community,” Salinas told the JTA. “I love the Jewish community.”

She also said she has Jewish friends, and watches an Israeli TV series on Netflix.

She could not immediately be reached for comment by The Messenger.

The virulently antisemitic Russian "Elders" propaganda falsely claims “Jewish Zionists” could take over the world by promoting socialism, communism and despotism.