cross-posted from: https://lemmus.org/post/1165004
Edit2: added link to direct article, removed duplicate link
WaybBackMachine article:
Fighting in the Middle East in the past has led to tensions in France, which is estimated to have the world’s third-largest Jewish population after Israel and the U.S., and the largest Muslim population in Western Europe.
The French government has reported 24 arrests for more than 100 antisemitic acts in France since Hamas attacked Israel on Saturday, including verbal abuse, people caught with knives near Jewish schools and synagogues and a drone equipped with a camera spotted over a Jewish cultural center. More than 2,000 cases of antisemitic speech have been reported to an online watchdog force.
It said pro-Palestinian demonstrations should be banned and those who defy bans should be arrested, ‘’because they are susceptible to disrupt public order.’’
Pro-Palestinian associations decried the move. The National Collective for a Fair and Lasting Peace between Palestinians and Israelis said it ‘’denounces this threat to freedom of expression,’’ and pledged to continue holding actions to support the Palestinian people.
Denouncing Hamas as a terrorist group, Macron called for peace efforts that would ensure both Israel’s security and a Palestinian state.
The Hill, Rising video mentions article
Journalist Glenn Greenwald weighs in on a meeting to discuss peace in Middle East was barred from happening by Germany amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Glenn Greenwald on Rising: HYPOCRITES Exploiting Israel Conflict To Justify CENSORSHIP
I feel like I’m being gaslit into thinking there’s this huge outbreak of antisemitism when all I’m ever reading about is Muslims being murdered?? why are we constantly talking about antisemitism and only antisemitism
1st world stuff.
We just say what can make the most money.
Oh yeah we take lives for money too.
We murder anyone lesser and make those who are mentally disadvantaged suffer …unless a pictures being taken.
We are Devils in disguise. Elite false gods in denial. A collective fascism born to genocide all those that live as natural human beings. So we can feel safe and have a false perception of reason to quell existentialism that we pretend we don’t have.
Apart from that, aren’t Palestinians also semitic?
I’m pro-Palestine all day but I don’t like this line of questioning. The only reason I see to make this argument is to try to erase the very real horrors the Jewish people survived.
However debate lords are still gonna want an answer (not trying to imply you are one). If I had to respond I would say:
English is a living language. The definition of words is determined by how we use them. Think of “literally”. It meant one thing but it was so misused that the definition had to change because the common use was completely disconnected from the textbook definition.
The words “Semitic” and “anti-semitic” did not come into existence at the same time, similar to matter and Antimatter. “Anti-Semitic” is specifically “anti-Jewish” because that how the phrase was used.
It’s not a word whose definition comes from the literal sum of its parts, it refers to a specific phenomenon.
That’s not an answer to the question.
Interesting that you use the idea that English is a living language to push back against people using a term in a way you’ve decided is incorrect. Seems like you don’t think English is that alive after all if you refuse to incorporate all Semitic people into the concept of antisemitism.
You can’t cite descriptivist arguments to defend your prescriptivist attitude towards the term antisemitism. It betrays your own bias and deflates your argument.
Language evolves, just like you said. Which is why people are realizing the double speak nature of this idea that antisemitism is only when you’re prejudiced against a specific Semitic people group and the others don’t get a term to describe prejudice against them. Your position is an Orwellian attempt to deny a group of people the ability to specifically identify their oppression and it’s sad.
You can argue about it all you like, but if you say the word “antisemitism” then people will assume you mean anti-Jewish sentiment. Because that’s the agreed-upon meaning. Pineapples aren’t really apples, but that doesn’t cause confusion because people know what the word “pineapple” means.
Like you said, language evolves. People are deciding that the definition you follow is very limited and constrains dialogue by being needlessly exclusionary. So they’re seeking to expand the definition to its logical conclusion.
You can throw a fit about other Semitic people being recognized or you can accept that language changes to fit our current understanding of the world.
Antisemitism still refers to prejudice against Jewish people. It’s also being extended to all Semitic people as to disallow them the ability to categorize prejudice against them is to obfuscate and to an extent even deny their own reality.
Shhh don’t say anything too loud or they will see your awake and come for you.
In January 2020, House Representative Jonathan Carroll introduced the bill HB 4049 which adopts a contested definition of antisemitism equating criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish discrimination. The language of the bill draws heavily on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Working Definition of Antisemitism in which “Delegitimizing the State of Israel by denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination and denying the State of Israel the right to exist” is labelled a form of antisemitism. The bill would make public schools and universities culpable for failing to treat discrimination as defined by the bill in the same manner that they treat discrimination motivated by race.
I wonder how that stands up with Israel now bombing hospitals. Are we still going to be expected to defend them now that they are committing the same atrocities that was once done against them?
The easiest way to deflect criticism is to claim it’s racism or antisemitism. China does the exact same thing. It’s obvious and lazy. I can’t believe people still fall for it. Israel is not the representative of Judaism. They have a far right militant dictator running their country right now who is killing many innocent people. The fact that they are still recognized as a country is beyond reason at this point.
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PARIS (AP) — France’s interior minister on Thursday ordered local authorities to ban all pro-Palestinian demonstrations amid a rise in antisemitic acts since Hamas attacked Israel over the weekend.
Soon before Macron spoke in a televised address to the nation about the Mideast conflict, Paris police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters who had defied a ban and demonstrated Thursday against the Israeli government.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin sent a directive to local prefects on Thursday, seen by The Associated Press, calling for a further tightening of security around Jewish schools, synagogues and other sites.
Earlier this week, thousands of people marched in Paris in support of Israel, and the Eiffel Tower was lit up with a Star of David and the blue and white of the Israeli flag.
Denouncing Hamas as a terrorist group, Macron called for peace efforts that would ensure both Israel’s security and a Palestinian state.
Struggling to speak as they sobbed or choked back tears, family members of missing French citizens pleaded Thursday at a news conference in Tel Aviv for help from Macron.
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Good bot!
This news must be read in the French political context, where far-right ideas are corrupting the minds and islamophobia is the legal face of racism.
It’s also a way for the government to divide the left, accusing it to promote islamist terrorism (which is obviously a fake).
I’m reminded of the 2015 Paris Attacks, in the aftermath of which their Prime Minister said “France without Jews is not France;" I really feel like he should have also said, especially at that moment, “France without Muslims is not France.” The national ban on wearing the hijab, which I believe is still in place, is an outrageous violation of human rights.
Governments should definitely have done a better job to ease tensions and avoid faith-based hate and backlash for muslims.
A good thing officials could do is explicitly oppose to the rhetoric of religioius war that Daech/Isis is trying to spread, and defend France’s universalist model that aims and succeed in large part to have citizens of all faith peacefully cohabit.
See also: Islamic State’s Goal: “Eliminating the Grayzone” of Coexistence Between Muslims and the West, by Murtaza Hussain
Note Hijab is banned in a few places like schools. I don’t think it’s a good law but wanted to point out the ban isn’t countrywide.