Arnold Schwarzenegger condemns antisemitism as 'loser ideology'

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks at Stockton University on March 6, 2023. Photo credit Bernie DeLury/Stockton University via Flickr

Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to terminate hate.

The “Terminator” star and former California governor condemned antisemitism during a visit to Stockton University in Galloway Township, New Jersey on Monday.

More than 600 students, staff and guests, including Holocaust survivors, attended the event, during which Schwarzenegger was presented with an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.

Schwarzenegger was born in Austria two years after World War II. He has openly talked about watching his father — a former Nazi — struggle with his past.

He said his father was a “broken man who had to drink to numb the pain.”

“Today, I don’t want to preach to the choir. I want to talk to the people out there who may have stumbled on their path,” he said. “I want to talk to you if you found yourself thinking anyone is inferior or out to get them because of their religion or the color of their skin.

"If you find yourself at a crossroads wondering if the path of hate may make sense to you for one reason or another, I want you to know where that path ends. You will not find success on that road. You will not find fulfillment or happiness.”

In an additional 12-minute video message shared online, Schwarzenegger called Nazis “losers” — losers of the war, and losers who fell for a “horrible loser ideology” that “ended in misery.”

“I don’t want you to be a loser,” he declared to present-day viewers. “I don’t want you to be weak.”

Schwarzenegger offered a final piece of advice: “Give up that war. The war that you have to really fight is the war against yourself.

“I don’t care how many hateful things you may have written online. I don’t care how often you have marched carrying that hateful flag, or what hateful things you may have said in anger. There’s still hope for you. There’s still time for you.”

Featured Image Photo Credit: Bernie DeLury/Stockton University via Flickr