Unfortunately all across the West we see the resurgence of the oldest hatred - antisemitism.
I was writing about it more than once. You probably have heard (or maybe even witnessed) what the "apartheid week" at the university campuses are. If so, you will know what I am referring to but if you have not come across this shameful event so far read carefully please as this is something extremely blood-chilling for me.
For the last 10 years or so western universities in many cities organize what is called "Israel Apartheid Week". Here is what wikipedia says about the event.
It makes no mystery that it is sponsored and organized by BDS, it makes no claim to being any kind of portraying truth or inviting discussion. Although it claims it is just expression of the free speech at the same time its organizers not only intimidated and bullied counter-protesters to keep silent but also sought legal measures to prohibit supporters of Israel
from expressing their views.
What takes part during rallies at such event?
For example they portrait the wall between Israel and West Bank that I was writing about here as a signature of apartheid (in this instance Greece with its wall dividing it from Turkey, the USA with its wall on border with Mexico and Korea with its security wall are as apartheid as Israel from BDS's dreams.
They shutter the memory of real apartheid (system of legal segregation of different citizens according to their race or ethnicity) victims as was correctly stated by 16 African-American students who published in the campus press during IAW in 2011 that “The Students for Justice in
Palestine’s labeling of Israel, an extremely diverse and vibrant country, as an
apartheid state is not only false, but offensive”. Indeed when you compare the systems that historically and contemporary divided legal standpoint of their citizens on the base of ethnicity (like former South Africa), religion (contemporary majority of Islamic countries), social background (all former communist regimes in their birth phase, some of them for the whole time of existence) and alike calling Israel apartheid country is clearly shown for what it is - pure antisemitism.
But it gets worse. Some of the events, like bullying Jewish students are common, you may come across cans with labels "Palestinian children meat made by Israel" (happened on San Francisco campus few years ago) - here's the picture:
It has lead to threats of violence and violence itself.
Like this year at Galway, Ireland university campus. Apparently the freedom of speech according to those bullies is theirs and theirs only.
Who organizes it beside the BDS? Well, here's part of the answer.
What does it revel? Sadly, that the oldest hatred in the world is very much alive today.
It is not about those who misinformed try to do as they feel they should being at the worst useful idiots. It is easy enough to find facts and verify them after all. And anyway there's a huge gap between criticizing Israel policy (justified if you feel like that, just try not to conquer with Israeli media, they are pros at that :) and demonizing Israel. And even greater gap between turning against Israel (on whatever ground presumably linked to her policy) and bullying Jewish students around you. And as those gaps were crossed as if non-existing there is only ONE answer. It is pure antisemitic hatred. (After all, just for comparison, you may not like the policy of Chinese authorities but it does not - hopefully - cause you to throw your fellow Chinese student out of campus activity in - say - Birmingham, does it?)
It is not about freedom of speech. After all the same people - as you could watch in videos - try to ban, by any measure possible, those with other views from expressing their freedom of speech.
No, as correctly stated here, just calling a spade a spade, it is about destruction of Israel as the only Jewish state, it is about venting hatred on Jews, maybe it is about preparing ground for the next Holocaust (God forbid) as this type of hate speech as the introduction to Nurnberg laws and subsequent atrocities in the 30s. It hasn't started with camps, it started with hate. And hate (not debate, not expressing opinion, not showing one's views) is very much what one can see during Israeli Apartheid Week. No room here for counterarguments, it is not debate, it is calling for violence, craving to humiliate, drive to destroy.
So, in my opinion any decent man should not let it continue unchallenged (in whatever way we feel we may react, every little bit counts).
This is a blog about Israel, her history, culture, touristic as seen by outsider but fully in love with this amazing, beautiful country. It is also partly about the dialogue between Judaism and Christianity and - as this can't be avoided - a little bit about politics, but no more than is necessary
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“When Israel, the only country in the world whose very existence is under attack, is consistently and conspicuously singled out for condemnation, I believe we are morally obligated to take a stand.” by Canada's PM Harper
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