When It Comes to Palestine, Free Speech Rights Are Under Attack
JVL Introduction
There are stories of discrimination against supporters of Palestinian rights in countries around the world
In this article Jacobin writer Radhik Sainath of Palestine Legal reports on recent developments in the States.
The article starts with the recent story of Emily Wilder, fired by AP for her previous activity at college as a Palestinian activist – which she had disclosed to AP when she joined and had been assured it would be all right.
Make sure to follow the link to her story, in the very first sentence of this report.
There are many such stories. As the report affirms: “While each of these incidents in isolation may look like the censorious actions of a particular institution, when you put them together, you can’t help but notice there are few places where one may safely speak out for Palestinian freedom without threat of false accusations or career-damaging smears.”
But there is a fight back…
This article was originally published by Jocobin on Sun 23 May 2021. Read the original here.
When It Comes to Palestine, Free Speech Rights Are Under Attack
A frightening wave of firings, threats, and retaliation against pro-Palestinian writers and activists has chilled the political climate. Now, more than ever, the “Palestine exception” to free speech standards is being challenged.
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Language, as Orwell warned, has become a tool of oppression. The violent suppression of Palestinian protest is a ‘conflict’ or a ’war’ between equally armoured sides. Hamas rockets killing a total of 12 are unprovoked acts of ’aggression’, Israeli air-strikes killing hundreds, including 60 children, are ‘self-defence’, or the routine maintenance of an unruly population – ‘mowing the grass.’ Palestinian civilians are ‘terrorists’. Murdered Palestinians have ‘died’ or been ‘neutralised.’ Israeli victims are by contrast ‘killed’. The military assaults on the mosque and the forcible evictions in East Jerusalem are ‘clashes’. Black clad and masked Israeli youths who smash the windows of Palestinian shops and haul Palestinians out of their cars to beat them into insensibility are similarly engaging in ‘clashes’. .A teacher scolds a boy for displaying a Palestinian flag, saying it is a ‘racist symbol’, ‘Free Palestine’ a ‘racist slogan’. And over and over again, anyone who calls out Israeli apartheid and ethnic-cleansing, is an ‘antisemite.’ Thus 200,000 people marching for freedom, equality and return for Palestinians are today described on Twitter as “massed ranks of rioting anti-Semites”.
Luckily people are learning not be be fooled by this kind of biased rubbish. Particularly the young: our best hope of a just and peaceful resolution.