Latest news with #anti-Zionist
Los Angeles Times
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Criticism of Israel on college campuses isn't inherently antisemitic
To the editor: The U.S. government has pressured Columbia University to pay fines and introduce controversial policies because of what it labels antisemitism ('Columbia genocide scholar may leave over new definition of antisemitism. She's not alone,' July 28). But criticism of the Israeli government's policies, and of the country itself, is not a reflection of antisemitism, just as criticism of the United States and its Republican-majority government and its policies is not anti-Christian. Both countries allow dissent, and we have witnessed massive protests against both governments by citizens of all stripes. Two things can be true at once. Hamas militants committed heinous crimes in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, while Israel is arguably committing crimes against humanity in Gaza. There is more than enough criticism to go around of atrocities committed by both Hamas and Israel. Feelings are running high on both sides, but students should not be suspended or expelled from universities for peacefully demonstrating against the Israeli government. As distasteful and disgusting as some statements have been, the 1st Amendment to the Constitution protects freedom of speech. Yet, the Trump administration's policies and actions are repressive to basic freedoms. It has taken one side, Israel's, while scapegoating the other. Richard Z. Fond, Sherman Oaks .. To the editor: Marianne Hirsch, daughter of Holocaust survivors and Columbia scholar, correctly opposed President Trump's inclusion of criticism of Israel in defining antisemitism. Thousands of Jews worldwide are anti-Zionist (as in, disapproving of Israel's occupation of Palestinian-sought territories) and we can rest assured they're likely not antisemitic. With Columbia University's suspension or expulsion of nearly 80 students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, we may reasonably fear that President Trump is steadily marching toward making pro-Palestinian or anti-Zionist protest or commentary a detainable offense for any citizen. Phil Barnes, San Pedro .. To the editor: The federal shakedown of universities continues. Cornell, Harvard — and now the White House extortion ring has come for the West Coast ('UCLA violated Jewish students' civil rights with 'deliberate indifference,' feds say,' July 29). The government wants to suppress free speech and student protests. It wants to intimidate the faculty's teaching and writing. Instead of opening young minds to opposing views and critical thinking, it wants to impose a government group-think mentality and stifle free expression. Blackmailers are never satisfied. They return at the slightest perceived infraction. Don't let the Trump administration hit the mute button in higher education. Donna Sloan, Los Angeles .. To the editor: One would have thought the Democrats would have been the defenders of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that makes it illegal to discriminate against race, color or religion, whether in the workplace or on school campuses. Not so. It took the Republicans to take action against antisemitism on college campuses. While Democrats took the 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' stance against antisemitism, Republicans are actually doing something about it. Neil Snow, Manhattan Beach .. To the editor: How truly sad to see the Department of Justice leveling such charges against my alma mater. Former UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block's attempts to control the chaotic situation may have not worked as successfully as hoped, but to assert that the situation was due to antisemitic bias on the part of the campus administration seems like a ridiculous stretch. Noel Johnson, Glendale
Sinar Daily
a day ago
- Politics
- Sinar Daily
The Palestinian Diaries with Dr Peter Slezak: Why Being Jewish Doesn't Mean Being Zionist
31 Jul 2025 08:52am In this unflinching episode, we speak to Australian philosopher and academic Professor Dr Peter Slezak, a philosopher and outspoken anti-Zionist advocate that has spent decades defending Palestinian rights. As the child of Holocaust survivors, Dr Slezak offers a powerful moral lens on the crisis in Gaza, challenging the idea that support for Israel is synonymous with Jewish identity. From the dangers of religious framing to the weaponization of Holocaust memory, he breaks down why Gaza is not a religious war, but a humanitarian emergency. Watch the full episode on all Sinar Daily media social platforms. #PalestinianDiaries #PeterSlezak #JewishVoicesForPalestine #EndTheGenocide #GazaUnderAttack #AntiZionism #HumanRights #SinarDaily #JusticeForPalestine #HolocaustToGaza #SolidarityNotSilence #InterfaithJustice #MalaysiaForPalestine More Like This
Al Anbat News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Anbat News
No More Excuses for Gaza
الأنباط - Reading through the book: "Genocide Bad" written by Sim Kern and published by Interlink Publishing, Massachusetts – April 22, 2025, I found out that Sim Kern's "Genocide Bad" is not polite literature. It's a slap across the face. It tears away the comfortable distance that lets people talk about genocide as if it were a word from the past. Kern's book screams a truth that politicians, pundits, and polite society keep dodging: Gaza is not a "conflict.' It is a genocide in real time. Pretending otherwise is complicity. A Jewish anti-Zionist activist, Kern does not write like a detached scholar. These ten essays are part history, part testimony, part furious moral argument. They cut through propaganda like a blade. For Kern, Gaza is not a faraway crisis. It is a cage where bombs, blockades, and starvation grind an entire people into dust while the world stands by, wringing its hands and mumbling about "complexity.' What makes Genocide Bad devastating is its clarity. It dismantles the excuses: biblical entitlement, "self-defense' slogans, the Western addiction to Israel-as-project. Kern shows how the promise of safety for one people has been built on the systematic destruction of another. And there is no academic shield here no safe, neutral tone. This is confrontation: someone grabbing you by the collar and asking, how many dead children will it take before you call it what it is? There is humor in these pages, but it is bitter the humor of someone who has watched truth twisted into lies. There is history, but never the kind that hides behind footnotes. And there is empathy sharpened into a weapon against indifference. Kern's viral videos and grassroots work for Gaza run through this book's DNA: blunt, accessible, impossible to ignore. The timeliness of Genocide Bad is also its indictment. These essays make painfully clear that Gaza is a mirror showing the world's moral bankruptcy: neighborhoods turned to rubble, food and water weaponized, children starving on live streams and still the language of "disputes' and "operations' persists. Kern argues convincingly that genocide is sustained not only by those who pull the trigger but also by those who watch, explain, and shrug. Even the title Genocide Bad is a rebuke. It should not need to be said. And yet here we are, in 2025, still debating whether the word applies while Gaza buries another generation. This book will not allow that luxury. It demands that we drop the euphemisms, call this what it is, and decide which side of history we are on.
Local Germany
4 days ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
Police hurt and dozens arrested at Berlin pro-Palestinian demonstration
According to police, about 10,000 demonstrators participated in the rally on Saturday in support of Palestinians, but authorities moved in to disperse the crowd as organisers struggled to restore order. The arrests were related to public order disturbances, including resisting police and throwing bottles or physical altercation, but also the use of anti-Semitic slogans as well as "symbols of anti-constitutional and terrorist organisations", police said on social media. The "Internationalist Queer Pride for Liberation" movement, which on its website says there is "no queer liberation without anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and anti-Zionist struggle", called the rally. The pro-Palestinian demonstration took place as Berlin's annual Pride parade was being held in another city district, where 64 arrests were also made, for insults, assault and also the alleged use of symbols deemed linked to "terrorist organisations". Another demonstration, this one by far-right militants opposed to the Pride march, also took place, with police telling AFP that 20 people there were arrested. READ ALSO: IN PICTURES: Hundreds of thousands march at Berlin Pride demonstration Pro-Palestinian protests have proliferated in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. The demonstrations reflect heightened concerns as the Israel-Hamas conflict grinds on, with Israel pursuing a devastating military operation in Gaza following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack. Advertisement The Hamas attack in Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Germany, seeking to atone for the Holocaust, has long been one of Israel's most steadfast supporters. But as the civilian toll and plight in Gaza has risen, it has recently sharpened its criticism of its ally. Germany recently said it regards the recognition of a Palestinian state as "one of the final steps on the path to achieving a two-state solution".
The Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Berlin police arrest 57 at pro-Palestinian protest during Pride march
FRANKFURT: Berlin police confirmed the arrest of 57 individuals during a pro-Palestinian demonstration held alongside the city's annual Pride march. Authorities reported that 17 officers sustained injuries in the clashes. Approximately 10,000 demonstrators gathered on Saturday in support of Palestinians, but police intervened as organisers failed to maintain order. Arrests were made for public disturbances, resisting law enforcement, and the alleged use of anti-Semitic slogans. Police also cited the display of symbols linked to 'anti-constitutional and terrorist organisations.' The rally was organised by the 'Internationalist Queer Pride for Liberation' movement, which advocates for anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist causes. Meanwhile, Berlin's main Pride parade saw 64 arrests for offences including assault and the alleged use of banned symbols. A separate far-right counter-protest against the Pride march also resulted in 20 arrests. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have surged across Germany and Europe amid ongoing tensions in Gaza. Germany, historically a staunch ally of Israel, has recently voiced stronger criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The government has also signalled support for recognising a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution. – AFP
