Teachers are fighting back after Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said Sunday that their unions deserve a punch in the face.
The American Federation of Teachers -- the specific union apparently referenced by Christie during his interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper -- is promoting a petition asking Christie to apologize for threatening teachers. The petition, launched earlier this week, had over 28,000 signatures as of Wednesday morning.
The AFT petition says in part:
When you go on national television and say that teachers' unions deserve "a punch in the face," you're not threatening a faceless organization. You're creating a culture of violence and intimidation that directly affects hard-working educators across America.
Violence has no place in our national discourse.
Please apologize for your offensive comments, and commit to treating teachers and our unions with the respect and courtesy, as befits an elected leader.
Representatives for Christie did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the petition.
Christie's comments came after Tapper asked the New Jersey governor, "At a national level, who deserves a punch in the face?" Tapper introduced the question by noting that during his first term as governor, Christie had been fond of saying, "You can either sidle up to [bullies] or you can punch them in the face."
Christie answered, "The national teachers union who's already endorsed Hillary Clinton 16, 17 months before the election." The AFT, the country's second largest teachers union, endorsed Clinton in July.
"They're not for education for our children. They're for greater membership, greater benefits, greater pay for their members. And they are the single most destructive force in public education in America," said Christie.
Randi Weingarten, president of the AFT, and Wendell Steinhauer, president of the New Jersey Education Association -- the state's largest teachers union -- have both condemned Christie's comments.
"That [Christie] would threaten to punch teachers in the face -- mostly women seeking to help children meet their potential and achieve their dreams -- promotes a culture of violence and underscores why he lacks the temperament and emotional skills to be president, or serve in any leadership capacity," said Weingarten's statement.