Video: Barnaby Raine and Mona Dohle comment on the Gaza solidarity movement
rs21 •Two rs21 activists have appeared on TV in the past 24 hours discussing the situation in Gaza and how best to deliver solidarity to Palestinians under attack from Israel. Barnaby Raine was interviewed by Stephen Dixon of Sky News about his role helping organise the Jewish blocs on recent Gaza solidarity demos, while Mona Dohle spoke to Al Jazeera about social media and other factors shifting public perceptions of Palestine.
“Israel likes to claim that all criticism of its policies can only be fuelled by antisemitism, which is both a cynical attempt to shut down debate and a genuine inability to understand that people can be shocked by its massacres without having an ulterior motive,” said Barnaby. “This is about an occupied people and an occupier – the religion of each side is pretty irrelevant.”
Mona spoke about public perceptions of the conflict as played out on social media through hashtags like #GazaUnderAttack. “Public opinion globally is turning against Israel and the popularity of the hashtags shows that,” she said. “But we should be careful not to overstate the importance of social media. There are other factors such as the growing protest movement in solidarity with Palestine, and revolutions in the Middle East that have allowed us to imagine a different political solution across the region.”
5 comments
A very impressive performance in both interviews. It is refreshing to see young activists putting a hard case on mainstream media.
The articulation of Israel’s role in fuelling anti-semitism, in contrast to its historic roots and role the far right, was well put in a hostile environment. Similarly the reference to the Arab Spring in reshaping what is possible in the twitter interview.
Congratulations to you both.
Brilliant contributions. Well done comrades .
Yes, Barnaby IS very clear and articulate, and he correctly states the virulent anti-semitism of Jobbik in Hungary and other similar parties has got nothing to do with Israel/Palestine and everything to do with good, old-fashioned European Jew-hatred. However, he won’t or can’t explain the virulent anti-semitism we’ve witnessed on the streets of Paris and also, though much less so, in London and Manchester, enacted by mainly Moslem youth, which is directly connected to what is happening in Palestine, and which is – whether we like it or not – turning a momentous political conflict in the Middle East into a vicious religious conflict on the streets of Europe.
Firstly the situation is more complex in France than a simple reading of the violence. Palestinian demonstrations have been attacked by pro-Israel thugs: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2693423/Jewish-vigilantes-rampage-Paris-attack-pro-Palestinian-demonstrators.html
Similarly this report on the violence in Roquette gives a more complex picture and points out that violence between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and the Jewish Defence League was not anti-semitic: http://mondoweiss.net/2014/07/synagogue-attributed-semitism.html.
Thirdly this is all in a context where France has banned demonstrations against the Gaza massacre. http://jfjfp.com/?p=62537
Of course there are anti-Semitic incidents but this is hardly surprising given Israel’s emphasis that it speaks ‘for all Jews’. Yet what has been heart-warming is the amount of Jewish-Muslim solidarity in the protests. Even on Facebook I have noticed that whenever there is an anti-semitic rather than an anti-zionist comment you find replies from Muslims condemning anti-semitism and distinguishing it from anti-Zionism.
Also worth reading on the situation in France including reflections on anti-semitism:http://www.leninology.co.uk/2014/07/eyewitness-report-on-banned-barbes.html