Latest news with #intifada
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Barbara Kay: Toronto-area man who threatened Jews acted detestably, but his sentence was just
Prefaced by the statement, 'Antisemitism has reached a point of no return,' popular Israeli commentator Hillel Fuld recently predicted that in less than a month, 'A very VERY large scale attack on Jews is about to happen.' Since Fuld also predicted — on Oct 5, 2023! — that, as he paraphrased it, 'something big was about to happen and Israel would be at the centre of it,' I take his intuition seriously. But I balk at his belief that to achieve what he envisages, 'all it takes is one' brainwashed antisemite. Large-scale intifadas take hundreds of enablers to organize, finance and execute. Still, many would-be lone-wolf terrorists wish they could perpetrate 'something big.' The brighter bulbs in this legion keep such wishes to themselves. The dimmer ones …well, read on. On March 4, 2024, Waisuddin Akbari, an antisemitic conspiracy theorist (he believed Israel was plotting to exterminate all non-Jews), confided to car salesman Cameron Ahmad, a fellow Muslim, that he had a plan 'to plant a bomb in every synagogue in Toronto and blow them up to kill as many Jews as possible.' He urged Ahmad to remember his face because 'the next time you see it, I'll be on the news.' Akbari did end up in the news, but only because Ahmad took his threat to the police. Akbari denied making his incriminating statements, which led to a trial in which he was found guilty both of uttering threats against Jews and threats to property. The Crown sought a four-to-six month jail sentence followed by three years probation. Instead, on July 28, Judge Edward Prutschi sentenced Akbari to a 60 days house arrest and a probationary term of three years, during which he must participate in antisemitism education, not be in possession of weapons or incendiary devices and stay 200 metres from any synagogue or other Jewish institution. The sentence was handed down despite community impact statements from representatives of several Jewish organizations. A spokesperson for B'nai Brith Canada said Akbari's threats were a 'shot through the metaphorical heart of the Jewish community.' A Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs rep noted that such threats 'may lead to real violence by normalizing hate speech.' And a person speaking on behalf of the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation sombrely commented that, 'Canada is on a very dark trajectory that will not end well.' These statements resonated emotionally with me, and anyone who reads Prutschi's decision will find that they resonated with him, as well. The judge was exquisitely mindful of the 'profound and pervasive sense of fear and despair amongst Canadian Jewry, tragically but eloquently described in the five community impact statements filed in this case.' But they weren't legally relevant to this particular case. After extensive searches of Akbari's home, no weapons, maps, planning or evidence of affiliation with any known Islamist groups were found. Judge Prutschi noted that, 'Akbari's guilt is based on empty threats he communicated to a stranger, mistakenly assuming Mr. Ahmad would be sympathetic to Akbari's own warped and hateful worldview.' The key legal fact is that the odious comments were made in a private conversation, not in a public forum, nor to individual Jews or Jewish institutions, and therefore cannot be considered incitement to violence under the law. If Ahmad had not reported Akbari's threat, we'd never have heard of him. What purpose would jail time serve? Common sense, and the law, tell us that Akbari poses no discernible risk to public safety. Akbari, 41, who's married with teenage children, is now unemployed, his shawarma shop franchise licence having been rescinded upon his conviction. Akbari fears leaving home, as he and his family have suffered harassment. He is dependent on support from his Ismaili Muslim community, which in no way condoned Akbari's behaviour — in fact, his entire circle of family and friends expressed shock over it — but is committed to help rehabilitate him. In Akbari's prepared statement to the court, he 'displayed important insight into the harm those threats have caused,' and pledged to educate himself on Judaism — 'something he had almost no knowledge of at the time of the offences.' From the fleshed-out description in the judge's decision, Akbari emerges as something of a Muslim Walter Mitty, a humdrum everyman daydreaming in heroic Technicolor. That his fantasies of heroism do not map onto Superman-style avatars dedicated to making the planet safe from evildoers, but rather on Yahya Sinwar-style terror masterminds dedicated to making the planet Judenrein, is first a Jewish, then a Canadian, and indeed a western concern, but that distressing fact speaks to a more holistic issue — the same issue guiding the predictor of a 'very VERY large-scale attack on Jews' — that cannot be addressed in a courtroom. Judge Prutschi states — and this may stick in our collective Jewish craw, but he is right — that even though Akbari's actions contributed to Jews' further traumatization, he 'is not to be punished for the totality of the landslide of hatred directed towards the Jewish community.' The Jewish community, which knows a thing or two about being scapegoated for its imaginary evils, should not urge judges to scapegoat defendants with evil imaginations. Judge Prutschi's sentence was reasonable and just. National Postkaybarb@ Letters: Mark Carney 'on wrong side of history' with Palestine declaration Barbara Kay: How Islamists hijacked leftist oppression narratives
Fox News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Global intifada movement rocked by #MeToo allegations against Jewish anti-Israel actor and accused grifter
The global intifada movement, dedicated to destroying the state of Israel, is splintering publicly for the first time, as a fiery Palestinian-American activist who made her name leading New York City protests is accusing a Jewish American actor and self-professed ally of the movement of being a sexual predator and "grifting off of a genocide." In a nine-point allegation published on the X social media platform Friday, Nerdeen Kiswani calls Jacob Berger a "failed OnlyFans creator" who rebranded as a "Palestine supporter." "Since then, he's taken sponsorship deals, asked for donations nonstop and monetized every angle of his supposed activism," Kiswani alleged. Kiswani, whose protests shut down Manhattan's Grand Central Station and have polarized neighborhoods, accused Berger of harassing female fellow activists. "He sexually harasses and fetishizes Arab women, according to multiple reports,": she said. "Several women have described feeling unsafe around him, especially in activist spaces." Neither Kiswani nor Berger responded to requests for comment, but Berger published a video response to Kiswani in which he denied her claims. He said "some heavy allegations have been leveled against me" and called the charges as a "personal vendetta" that arose after he did an interview with a podcast host critical of Kiswani. In a reverse Uno move straight out of a Muslim soap opera, Berger, he accused Kiswani of causing "baseless fitna." Fitna is an Arabic word that means civil war and carries with it serious negative subtext among ideologues bound to a collective identity of one "ummah," or Muslim community. The allegations are particularly awkward because, since the brutal Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of Israel by Hamas, Berger has become a virtual rock star in the anti-Israel scene, publishing selfies with activist luminaries, including socialist politician Cornel West, political scientist Norman Finkelstein, previously-detained protest leader Mamoud Khalil, Hollywood actor Rami Malek and rapper Macklemore. In June, former Democratic New York U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman interrupted his own reelection rally, railing against Israel and Republicans, to give Berger a shoutout and handslap. "Jacob Berger's the man…He's a brilliant artist, brilliant human! Jacob, thank you for being here. Appreciate you," Bowman said as Berger beamed for the camera. Last month, popular Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef, now living in the U.S., recorded a video, "Hey, Jacob BURGER! … I'm a big fan. I love you, man." Days later, in an Instagram Live video, Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib gushed over Berger, as he stood on the "Freedom Flotilla," sailing toward Gaza. "Thank you, Jacob!" Tlaib said, leaning into the camera to throw him kisses. None of these activist luminaries have issued a public statement on Kiswani's claims. Apologizing for his "white privilege" and "Jewish privilege" as an Ashkenazi Jew with ancestral roots in the former Soviet Union, Berger has crisscrossed the globe from the Bronx to Cairo, and he now draws two million followers on TikTok and one million followers on Instagram, publishing dozens of viral selfie sizzle reels, wearing a trademark look of a kefiyyeh and baseball cap at protests and, other times, bare-chested in bed. The clash offers a window into the murky dynamics of the anti-Israel movement, which has branded itself as moral and virtuous, calling for a "resistance" to "genocide." While it welcomed Berger, he had previously been known for creating a library of social media content that critics say "fetishizes" not only Arab women but also cleavage-popping Hispanic, Black and Asian women. In late February 2022, Berger had a very different business model. A former mental health and substance abuse counselor with a master's degree in social work from Columbia University, according to an official bio, Berger had switched careers to become an actor. That month, he launched a new business on the OnlyFans platform for sexually-charged video content, promoting himself as "The Instagram Cop." He dressed in a New York Police Department uniform while performing sexual capers around town with buxom women, usually earning less than 100,000 views on TikTok. "You have a right to remain silent!" OnlyFans wrote, announcing Berger's new offering. "Prepare for a barrel of laughs…" After Oct. 7, 2023, the Columbia University graduate made a sudden pivot. A week later, he posted an earnest video on Instagram, speaking to the camera in a NASA t-shirt, decrying the "genocide of the Palestinian people," calling Israel an "apartheid state" and ending with a chant, "Free Palestine!" By the end of the month, wearing a white New York Yankees baseball cap without a keffiyeh, he joined a slow-moving protest in Washington, D.C., led by a group, Jewish Voice for Peace, aligned with Kiswani, heading from Union Station to the back of the U.S. Capitol. The crowd chanted "Ceasefire now," as protest paparazzi took their images to post later on social media accounts in the emerging global intifada movement. The next month, Berger posted a selfie video from another protest Kiswani led on the Williamsburg Bridge, between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Wearing a "Bronx Native" baseball cap, protesting Israel's military response to the attacks, he chanted along with demonstrators: "Free, free Palestine." "He centers himself in everything," Kiswani alleges. "Even when talking to Palestinians and on livestreams, it's 'me me me,' how he suffers, how he is censored, how he gave up fame, while [he is] literally grifting off of a genocide." All along, Berger has been blatant about his sexual content, posting videos with scantily-clad women from his first days of anti-Israel protesting. As he joined the post-Oct. 7 protests and befriended Kiswani, he still had fresh on his social media feed a video he'd posted of a woman in a bra and thong underwear, with the caption, "When she likes it rough." In another video he had on his public feed, he squeezed a Black woman's buttocks, visible under lace hose and thong underwear, with the caption, "When cops stop you for being thick." After joining the protests, he stayed on script with his sexual content, showing two busty women spilling out of their bras, cavorting with each other behind the caption: "When wifey won't share her girlfriend with you." He earned 52,666 likes. By late November 2023, Berger wrapped a black-and-white checkered keffiyeh, the symbol of the global intifada, over his shoulders, under a Pittsburgh Pirates beanie and marched near Kiswani and a banner that read, "BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY." That post garnered 2.6 million views. "Ten toes down for 🍉," he wrote, using the watermelon emoji that's become a symbol for Palestine, its red, black and green colors matching the colors of the Palestinian flag. Days later, in a show of force against support for Israel, he marched to the Christmas tree lights at Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan with Kiswani, who gave her activist group the name "Within Our Lifetime," seeking to claim Israel as the nation of "Palestine" within a generation. She established the group as an offshoot of the New York City chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, known for its virulent anti-semitism. Over the years, Kiswani has chanted, "We want to see Israel fall within our lifetime," telling protestors: "We need allies who are gonna help us achieve a victory, not allies who are gonna tell us to be nonviolent." She has said, "No Zionists are welcome in our city," and she has declared, "We don't want two states. We want '48," meaning the land in 1948 before Israel was created. Her organization's website now hosts a "rally toolkit," with a "roadmap for how your organization or coalition can put on a successful rally and build the movement for Palestine from wherever you are." It offers a "rally checklist," with "chants, logistics, outreach, materials, assigned roles, security recommendations, follow up, playlist," with three "Palestinian resistance songs." The "donate" button currently doesn't work. Kiswani didn't publicly challenge Berber over the next two-and-a-half years, as he embedded himself deeper in the anti-Israel protest movement with often-cringey content about chasing "Habibti," or Arab women, and declaring, "Asian Women Are Thick Now♥️," "It's a handful of videos out of hundreds," Berger says, in his video response to the allegations against him. "I'm an entertainer, comedian and a streamer. I say funny things. Her trying to haram police my content and my live stream style is just insane and out of line." Kiswani now faces her own backlash. A self-described "Arab alphamale" supporter of Berger says, "Nerdeen is good at being a dictator," "acting retarded," running a "useless organization," storming Grand Central Station "like idiots" and making Palestinians "look stupid." By August 2024, Berger journeyed to Egypt to raise funds for "orphans and single moms from Gaza," displaced by the war. Kiswani alleges: "He reportedly made videos with Palestinian children on a 'field trip,' asking people to donate for these 'orphans' without consent from their families. When they found out and asked him to take it down, he blocked them." Berger denies the charges and says: "But this is, unfortunately, a very ugly side of the humanitarian world that we, as people that work in this field, try to keep to ourselves, because it's so messed up that if you know these kind of details, it could affect people's trust in donating to Palestinian causes, period." "Jacob Berger's the man…He's a brilliant artist, brilliant human! Jacob, thank you for being here. Appreciate you." - Former Democratic New York U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman introducing Berger at a rally Meanwhile, he kept posting his racy videos. In September 2024, in Dearborn, Mich., at ArabCon, he filmed a skit promoting a dating app, Olive, throwing a keffiyeh over his shoulders as he chased attractive Arab women, with the caption, "How to find that perfect Habibti😍," and asked the question, "Y'all wanna go free Palestine together?" By October 2024, Berger moved to live in Cairo. Kiswani accuses him of "getting a free apartment, not paying for anything, and living comfortably while volunteers around him were actually working." He denies the charges as "so laughable." The next month, Berger shared a supposed message from a follower: "As beautiful Muslim women, I feel we should give anti-zionist Jewish guys a shot. I feel like it isn't Haram," or Islamically illegal, "if he rides with Muslims" By the end of the year, Berger posted a skit of himself hitting on a dark-haired woman in torn jeans, her midriff bare under a jean jacket, tube top and caption that read, "How to get a womans [sic] attention in an Egyptian club." Months later, in the spring of 2025, Kiswani flashed a wide smile and "V" for victory with her fingers, in a video with Berger from an anti-Israel protest, both draped in kefiyyehs. Now, Kiswani says, "If you've felt uneasy about him, you're not alone…This isn't cancel culture. It's protecting the movement from exploiters. If your solidarity is self-promotion, it's actually extraction." A few months ago, in early May, wearing a Yankees cap, Berger stood somber-faced next to climate activist Greta Thunberg, promoting a "Freedom Flotilla" to "break this siege" in Gaza. In mid-June, he celebrated Iranian air strikes against Israel. By mid-July, now aboard a new sailing of the "Freedom Flotilla," he debated TV host Piers Morgan over the alleged "kidnapping" of Thurnberg by Israeli officials, who had detained and released her as she sailed off the shores of Israel. Last week, as he returned from his own aborted mission of the "Freedom Flotilla," with "GAZA" across his military green t-shirt and a kefiyyeh over his shoulders, activists lined a lobby in the arrivals lounge at JFK. International Airport, yelling, "Jacob! Jacob!" as he exchanged high-fives with them. "Protests in the street are not enough," he told a cameraman. "One day we will see Falasteen free, Inshallah," invoking the Arabic term used by Muslims for "God willing." "Inshallah," the cameraman responded. Within days, Kiswani leveled her accusations against Berger as a grifter and sexual predator, and a detractor accused him of helping the cause of Zionism, or belief in the state of Israel, labeling him "a Zio in Kefiyeah [sic]."
Fox News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
NYC councilwoman warns Mamdani victory will drive away key voting bloc: 'Afraid to live here'
EXCLUSIVE: Inna Vernikov, a New York City Republican councilwoman, told Fox News Digital that voters in her heavily Jewish district are "petrified" about the prospect of socialist Zohran Mamdani becoming the city's next mayor. "This is a guy who wants to globalize the intifada," Vernikov told Fox News Digital. "We've never seen anything close to this in New York City. We have the largest Jewish population in America, and I'll tell you Jews are telling me they're going to run away from New York City, and Jews have contributed a lot to the city and to this country, and the idea that they are now afraid to live here it's unacceptable and unprecedented really, this has never happened here." Mamdani has been widely criticized for his anti-Israel positions dating back to his college days, when he founded his school's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. In recent weeks, Mamdani has been criticized over a perceived reticence to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada," which he now says he will not use and will discourage others from doing. Mamdani's father, Mahmood, has also faced scrutiny over his past writings and comments, which included a social media post celebrating a potential "third intifadah against settler colonialism" in Israel. "The intifada is a call for violence, we've seen what happened during two intifadas where people were murdered, innocent people lost their lives," Vernikov said, adding that "there's a lot of fear in the Jewish community if this guy becomes mayor." Vernikov, who is Jewish, told Fox News Digital people she has spoken to in her district are "petrified" of Mamdani becoming mayor. Numerous Jewish groups have come out in staunch opposition against Mamdani's candidacy. Brooke Goldstein, a human rights attorney, told Fox News Digital earlier this month that "Zohran Mamdani has built his political brand on the same radical, hate-filled and anti-American ideology his father, Mahmood Mamdani, has spent decades promoting—one that demonizes Jewish people and legitimizes anti-democratic violence." Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani's campaign for comment. Vernikov took issue with Democrats who have started to endorse Mamdani, which experts say could cause problems for the Democratic Party if he wins in November, and criticized their excuse that "he's the Democratic nominee." "I'm curious, I have a question," Vernikov told Fox News Digital. "If this Democratic nominee would be like a KKK member or would call for annihilation of the black community, would they still you know, come behind him as hard as they are now, and I would think that the answer would be no, but when it comes to the Jews, that's okay." "So it's really hypocritical, unacceptable, and disgusting, and they've been endorsing him one by one. While Republicans are fighting antisemitism on behalf of Jewish Americans every day, the Democrats are supporting an antisemite."
Fox News
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Elizabeth Warren pressed on Mamdani and 'intifada' rhetoric, applauds how he's ‘freaking out' investors
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., condemned the controversial "globalize the intifada" rhetoric plaguing NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's campaign, while also hailing that big businesses "are freaking out" about the democratic socialist. "What do you think of — you know, he was asked repeatedly to condemn or whether he would condemn this phrase, 'Globalize the intifada,'" "Squawk Box" co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin asked Warren Thursday on CNBC. "Obviously, there are a lot of Jews — I'm Jewish — live in New York City," Sorkin added. "A lot of folks concerned about his inability or unwillingness to condemn that phrase. How did you feel about that phrase?" "Look, it's not something I would say, and I think he has said that he will not say it. He will discourage others from saying," Warren said. Sorkin pressed her further, "Would you condemn it yourself?" "Look, I don't do that. I'm not in any part of that," Warren responded. Sorkin asked about the phrase a third time, saying, "You don't condemn the phrase?" "No, of course I do," Warren said. "Look, this is not the way we should talk. If this encourages violence in any way, then I am opposed to it. I am a no-violence person. I think it's a very, very bad idea." Mamdani came under fire for neglecting to fully condemn the phrase. Taking questions from reporters on Monday, the mayoral candidate deflected when asked about the controversy. He also declined to condemn the rhetoric during an appearance on The Bulwark podcast last month as well as during a "Meet the Press" interview, when host Kristen Welker asked Mamdani to condemn the rhetoric three times, but he refused. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Mamdani said he would not use the phrase and would "discourage" the use of it while meeting with over 100 business executives. Warren then pivoted to praising Mamdani's left-wing economic policy proposals. "But let's be clear, Mamdani ran this race because he said, 'I can make government work for better for families on the ground. I'm willing to try new ideas to bring down costs for people who live in New York City,'" she said. "And I understand that big-time investors are freaking out about that because they can't quite understand how somebody is going to maybe make it to be mayor without having come and bent a knee to them," Warren continued. "But that's not what he did. He went directly to the people, he told them what he wanted to do, and I think he's going to do it." Mamdani's proposals include government-run grocery stores, plans to "Trump-proof" New York City and a tax on the top 1% of New York City residents.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In a shift, Mamdani tells business leaders he will discourage use of the phrase ‘globalize the intifada,' sources tell CNN
(CNN) — Zohran Mamdani told a group of top business leaders in New York City on Tuesday that he would discourage the use of the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' according to two people who were in the room during the meeting, marking a notable shift in rhetoric for the Democratic nominee for mayor as the campaign enters the general election. Gathered alongside approximately 150 prominent business leaders at the offices of Tishman Speyer on Tuesday, Dr. Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer — who is the son of Holocaust survivors — asked Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor to explain his previous defense of the phrase 'globalize the intifada.' Mamdani, who has not used the phrase himself, has said he believes the phrase to be a rallying cry for Palestinian human rights, and refused to condemn its use when asked during his primary campaign. But during Tuesday's meeting, Mamdani also told the packed room he understood why the phrase is also seen as a call to violence against Jews, why it is painful and triggering for them, and that he would discourage its use in the future, the two attendees told CNN. Bourla, who has publicly spoken about his mother's Holocaust survival story, read off a set of facts and historical data points describing what Jews suffered during the Holocaust and defended Israel's military action in Gaza, the attendees added. The meeting was convened by Partnership for New York, a nonprofit organization that represents some of the city's largest corporations, law firms and banks. '(Bourla) challenged him on characterizing Israel activities in Gaza as a genocide,' Kathryn Wylde, CEO of Partnership for New York, told CNN in an interview. 'It was tense. I don't think everyone in the room was satisfied with his answer but he did show that he was empathetic to the concerns of Jewish people.' CNN has reached out to Bourla and Pfizer. The topic dominated headlines in the weeks leading up to the primary election last month. Now, as Mamdani campaigns toward the general election, where he will face both incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, his adjustment in tone reflects his campaign's effort to appeal to a broader swath of voters, including Jewish New Yorkers who might be hesitant to support Mamdani in part because of his criticism of Israel. 'Zohran appreciated the meeting yesterday, and felt it was a constructive, honest discussion,' Jeffrey Lerner, a spokesperson for Mamdani, told CNN in a statement. 'We look forward to the opportunity to build on this conversation, even in navigating disagreement on fiscal policy. Zohran continues to believe that working in partnership is the best way to deliver an affordable city for all New Yorkers.' The 90-minute meeting was cordial despite some pointed questions, the two people who were present said. In attendance were leaders from a range of different companies, including the Bank of New York, Macy's, and Tapestry, a luxury brand company; leaders of private equity firms; and several leaders in real estate, including Rob Speyer of Tishman Speyer and Jeff Blau of Related Companies. Mamdani is expected to hold a second meeting with the Partnership for New York on Wednesday, this time in front of tech leaders. The conversation will be moderated by AlleyCorp's founder and CEO Kevin Ryan. 'There are those who have an ideological or religious problem with his stance on capitalism and the larger Jewish question — they walked away more afraid than ever because of how smart he is,' Wylde said. 'But there were others that feel there is an air of inevitability, that he is a one-in-a-generation candidate and came across as someone who is open to listening and learning.' Mamdani's meeting with business leaders is a standard move for a Democratic nominee. His proposal to raise taxes on the city's wealthiest inhabitants and freeze the rent for residents living in approximately 1 million rent-stabilized apartments is concerning to many business leaders who believe the city's tax base will be harmed. Wylde said it's not just the threat of big corporations leaving the city, but rather the fear that if the city's services, quality of life and public safety begin to decline, combined with an increase in taxes, it will become much harder to attract and keep new talent in the city. 'He underestimates the vulnerability of the city,' Wylde said. For Mamdani, it was an opportunity to introduce himself to an audience unfamiliar with him and overly skeptical of many of his proposals. Wylde said that over all she thought Mamdani struck the right tone by listening and trying to assuage fears in the room. 'The way he responded is by saying that he is listening and will learn and that he is open. If that is true, that is very comforting,' Wylde said. Solve the daily Crossword
