Forbidden to advocate for Palestinian human rights?
Pro-Palestine protests despite bans and restrictions
Even though France, Germany and the UK either banned or restricted Pro-Palestine protests, thousands of people took to the streets this past weekend calling for a free Palestine in cities such as London, Paris and Berlin, among many others, AJ Plus reported.
Photo: pro-Palestinian demonstrator gets taken by police in Paris.
Europe restricting the right to protest?
According to Article 12 of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, everyone has the right to hold a peaceful protest. But then, why did authorities banned or restrict them?
Photo: Pro-palestinian demonstrator held to the ground in Berlin, Germany.
Fears of antisemitic incidents
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, said that the ban was in place to avoid antisemitic incidents, which he said were on the rise after Hamas’ attack on Israel, according to Politico.
Waving a Palestinian flag could be considered illegal in the UK
In a similar sentiment, German authorities said they feared the use of anti-Semitic slogans, and the UK Home Secretary said waving a Palestine flag could be considered “illegal”, The Guardian reported.
Photo: Pro-Palestine protest in London.
No concern for Islamophobia by European authorities
However, there was no concern for Islamophobia by these authorities, a palpable problem in all of these regions. The European Islamophobia Report 2022 co-editor Enes Bayrakli named France as one of the most Islamophobic countries last year.
Islamophobia in Britain reached a record high in 2023
Islamophobia in Britain has reached a record high in 2023 with 90% of mosques experiencing hate crimes, according to UK monitoring of anti-Muslim attacks by NGO, TellMAMA.
One third of Muslims in Germany have experienced hostility
In Germany, at least one third of Muslims have experienced hostility because of their religion, according to the Independent Group of Experts on Muslim Hostility (UEM).
German education senator warns about the use of Palestine symbols in schools
Now, German education senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch has asked teachers to be aware of children wearing a ‘kefiyeh’ (traditional Palestinian scarf, pictured), a Palestine flag or for saying the words “Free Palestine”.
“They will be understood as support for terrorism”
“Any declarative behaviour or expression of opinion could be understood as support or approval of attacks against Israel or support for the terrorist organizations that carry them out, such as the Palestinian Hamas movement,” said her letter addressed to the schools, German news outlet RBB.
The weaponization of antisemitism
But several Pro-Palestinian human rights activists, many of them Jewish and Israeli, are pointing out that authorities worldwide are weaponizing antisemitism and deliberately confusing the terms antisemitism and anti-Zionism to justify their actions and avoid criticism.
Antisemitism, Zionism and anti-Zionism
While antisemitism is the discrimination of Jewish people, Zionism is a Jewish nationalist movement that emerged in the 19th century, whose goal is the creation and support of a Jewish national state in Palestine: Israel. Anti-Zionism opposes that nationalist view.
Is anti-Zionism a form of discrimination?
However, there are people who say anti-Zionism is a form of discrimination. David Harris, head of the American Jewish Committee has said: “To deny the Jewish people, of all the peoples on earth, the right to self-determination surely is discriminatory.”
A lot of ethnic groups in the world don’t have their own state
But a lot of ethnic groups in the world don’t have their own state, argues Peter Beinart, editor of ‘Jewish Currents’ in The Guardian.
Is opposing a nationalist movement discriminatory?
“The Kurds don’t have their own state. Neither do the Basques, Catalans, Scots, Kashmiris, Tibetans, Uyghurs, Tamils and Québécois, nor dozens of other peoples who have created nationalist movements to seek self-determination but failed to achieve it”, Beinart writes.
Erasure of the Palestinian experience
“Anti-Zionism is not inherently antisemitic, and claiming it is uses Jewish suffering to erase the Palestinian experience”, Beinart wrote in 2019. And it’s precisely for that reason that many people oppose it.
Why the ultra-orthodox Jewish are anti-Zionist
In fact, ultra-orthodox Jewish groups are anti-Zionist. The Neturei Karta and Satmar Hasidism perceives Zionism and the establishment of the State of Israel as an anti-messianic act, conceived and born from sin, according to myjewishlearning.com.
A self proclaimed state
Israel self proclaimed a nation-state in 1948, after they won the Israeli-Arab war against the Palestinians, leading to mass displacement of the Palestinian people (Muslims, Jews and Christians), and further military occupation.
Israel says it represents Jewish people around the world
The official mission statement of the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations says it “represents the State of Israel, its citizens and the Jewish people on the global stage.”
A problematic tautology
This leads to a problematic tautology: “Israel’s leaders represent all Jewish people, and thus by definition any criticism of Israel must be criticism of all Jewish people, and hence antisemitic”, Rabbi Lionel Bengelsdorf told NBC in 2021.
Israel’s actions are beyond critique
According to Rabbi Lionel Bengelsdorf this is used as a weapon by the Israeli government and its allies. “The Israeli government created a paradox in which Israel’s actions are beyond critique”, he says.
Imitating Bush politics?
In the same way, other analysts have pointed out how Biden has echoed the language of Bush era politics since Hamas’s attack on Israel: “You either stand with terrorists, or you stand with Israel.” And in doing so, getting away with war crimes.
The use of white phosphorus
According to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, Israel used white phosphorus munitions during aerial assaults on Gaza on October 10 and 11, a chemical that causes a burning sensation that can lead to organ failure, and whose use in a populated area, is considered a war crime. However, it should be noted that Israel denies these accusations.
“Collective punishment”
Moreover, “collective punishment” on a civilian population, as it is the bombing of schools, hospitals, businesses and homes in the Gaza strip and the siege of water, food and electricity, are also war crimes under international law.
Islamophobia and hate speech propaganda in the US
In the United States, where Pro-Palestinian protests are not banned, there have also been several Pro-Palestine and Pro-Israel protests. But many independent journalists have warned about hate speech and Islamophobia propaganda.
A six year-old Palestinian-American boy killed
On the morning of October 16, a six year-old Palestinian-American boy was stabbed to death by his landlord who also hurt the mother, “targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the on-going Middle Eastern conflict”, investigators said according to ABC News.
Photo: ABC News
American politicians and mass media fueling Islamophobia
Although Biden said that “the horrific act of hate has no place in America”, many journalists have pointed fingers to American politicians and mass media for fueling Islamophobia.
Dehumanizing language to refer to Palestinians and Muslims
“Anchors and reporters ran with unsubstantiated claims of baby beheadings, and used dehumanizing language to refer to Muslims and Palestinians”, says journalist Dena Takruri in her instagram account.
Ron De Santis said “All Palestinians are antisemites”
Ron de Santis said that “all Palestinians are antisemitic”, and some news outlets have referred to Pro-Palestinian protests as “Pro-Hamas” protests. The BBC has since apologized for doing so.
An Israeli soldier admits to targeting civilians
Israeli soldier Betzalel Talja (pictured) told CNN’s Abby Phillip that “the war is not just with Hamas, the war is with all the civilians.” However, there was no pushback from the journalist or from public opinion.
UN expert has warned of “mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians”
UN human rights expert Francesca Albanese, has warned of “mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians” and the Palestinian Ministry of Health has said that 45 families have been wiped off of the civil records so far.
Over 1,000 Palestinian kids killed by Israeli forces
According to DCI Palestine, a childrens’ rights NGO, more than 1,030 kids have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7; about one child every 15 minutes, but now there are possibly much more, following a deadly hospital strike in Gaza on October 17.
Deadly hospital strike
While Gaza's health ministry spokesman said it was an Israeli air strike that killed at least 500 people at the hospital, Israel has said a Palestinian barrage caused the blast, according to Reuters.
Biden claims it was “the other team” but shows no evidence
Biden arrived in Israel one day later, and said that the hospital air strike appears to have been carried out by “the other team”, without providing any evidence that it was Palestinian barrage that caused the blast, Politico reported.
Unconditional support from the US to Israel
Biden said that he was “deeply saddened and outraged by the incident,” and added that “the U.S. will continue to support Israel” and that he “looks forward to having a discussion about what happens from here” with Netanyahu.
Death toll so far
Since Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent declaration of war from Netanyahu to Hamas, there have been at least 1,400 Israelis killed and 3,000 Palestinians killed, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and to Israel Defense Forces.
More for you
Science and health
A majority of young Americans won’t live in states that ban abortions
20 may, 2024
Top Stories
1
2
Science and health
A majority of young Americans won’t live in states that ban abortions
20 may, 2024
3
4
5
