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  26.                <title><![CDATA[After Raids, NYPD Denied Student Protesters Water and Food in Jail]]></title>
  27.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/06/columbia-student-protests-nypd-jail/</link>
  28.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/06/columbia-student-protests-nypd-jail/#respond</comments>
  29.                <pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 20:36:52 +0000</pubDate>
  30.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Akela Lacy]]></dc:creator>
  31.                                 <category><![CDATA[Justice]]></category>
  32. <category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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  34.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467970</guid>
  35.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>Two college protesters were placed in solitary confinement, according to Columbia professors who worked in real time to support jailed students.</p>
  36. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/06/columbia-student-protests-nypd-jail/">After Raids, NYPD Denied Student Protesters Water and Food in Jail</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  37. ]]></description>
  38.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  39. <p><u>Students arrested during</u> the police crackdown on protests at universities in New York City last week were denied water and food for 16 hours, according to two faculty members&nbsp;at Columbia University’s Barnard College&nbsp;who collected reports from students who were inside.</p>
  40.  
  41.  
  42.  
  43. <p>Other students reported that they were beaten by New York City Police Department officers after their arrests and taken to the hospital for injuries before being returned to central booking. Photos of the injuries were provided to The Intercept.</p>
  44.  
  45.  
  46.  
  47. <p>Police arrested 282 protesters at Columbia University and the City College of New York. According to the professors, they ended up at one of two jails downtown: NYPD headquarters or the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.</p>
  48.  
  49.  
  50.  
  51. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22right%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-right" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="right"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[0] -->“The conditions we’re hearing about are inhumane. They take away the dignity of every person in there.”<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[0] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[0] -->
  52.  
  53.  
  54.  
  55. <p>Students arrested during the crackdown said at least two of them were put in solitary confinement for three hours and others reported much longer stays, according to Barnard College professor Shayoni Mitra and a tenured faculty member who asked for anonymity to protect their livelihood. The faculty members were working to support jailed students. (The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)</p>
  56.  
  57.  
  58.  
  59. <p>Other students reported that they were held in mouse-infested cells, along with the general population of the jail. The students told the professors that they weren’t given water or food for 16 hours and that at least one student was left without shoes for the same period of time.</p>
  60.  
  61.  
  62.  
  63. <p>“The conditions we’re hearing about are inhumane,” Mitra told The Intercept. &#8220;They take away the dignity of every person in there.&#8221;</p>
  64.  
  65.  
  66.  
  67.  
  68.  
  69.  
  70.  
  71. <p>Police forces and state troopers raided university protests at dozens of campuses across the country last week. Nationwide, police have arrested more than 2,500 people, according to an<a href="https://theappeal.org/prosecutors-charges-protesters-arrested-gaza-colleges-april/?may3update"> </a><a href="https://theappeal.org/prosecutors-charges-protesters-arrested-gaza-colleges-april/?may3update">arrest tracker</a> from The Appeal.</p>
  72.  
  73.  
  74.  
  75.  
  76.  
  77. <p>On Monday, Columbia University canceled its main graduation ceremony citing security concerns and discussions with students. The university said it would only hold smaller celebrations for individual schools.</p>
  78.  
  79.  
  80.  
  81. <p>The Legal Aid Society, a public defense organization in New York City,<a href="https://legalaidnyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/5-6-24-Legal-Aid-Letter-to-the-OIG-NYPD-Requesting-Investigations-into-the-NYPDs-Response-to-College-Protests.pdf"> called</a> on the city’s Department of Investigation to probe at least 46 cases in which protesters were “unlawfully jailed” for low-level charges, the New York Daily News<a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/06/legal-aid-demands-probe-of-nypds-unlawful-detention-of-pro-palestine-protesters/"> reported</a>.</p>
  82.  
  83.  
  84.  
  85.  
  86.  
  87.  
  88. <p>Mitra, the Barnard professor who was doing support for jailed students, said the arrests arose because of the false portrayal — pushed by the NYPD, top officials, and news media — that the protests are being organized by outside forces. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he approved the police raids after he saw a days-old photo on social media of an “outside agitator” who turned out to be a <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/nyc-eric-adams-columbia-outside-agitator-al-arian/">retired school teacher and grandmother</a>.</p>
  89.  
  90.  
  91.  
  92. <p>“We have to push back really hard on this narrative that there are outside agitators and they’re treated differently than students,” Mitra told The Intercept.</p>
  93.  
  94.  
  95.  
  96.  
  97.  
  98. <p>After students occupied Hamilton Hall, Columbia University closed the building at midnight on April 30 and didn’t reopen it. “So anyone who is in that building is a trespasser,” Mitra said. “According to the university, everybody in that building was an outside agitator.”</p>
  99.  
  100.  
  101.  
  102. <p>During its raid, the NYPD restricted access to campus for medics, legal observers, and journalists, in what Mitra described as a “clinical” effort to stop people from documenting the raids.</p>
  103.  
  104.  
  105.  
  106. <p>“Nobody deserves to be arrested without legal observers, medical staff and other media present. And that’s what happened,” she said.</p>
  107.  
  108.  
  109.  
  110. <p>Mitra added that students at Columbia received lighter charges than student arrested at City College, which is part of the public City University of New York system (where I am enrolled at the Graduate Center). City and State<a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2024/05/how-will-student-protesters-be-charged-manhattan/396285/"> confirmed</a> the disparities in charges in a report over the weekend. At least 46 protesters arrested at Columbia were charged with trespassing. Twenty-two protesters at City College were charged with burglary.</p>
  111.  
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  113.  
  114. <p>The jailed students said getting information about their arrests was slow going.</p>
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  123.            Read our complete coverage          </p>
  124.        
  125.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Israel’s War on Gaza</h2>
  126.      </div>
  127.    </a>
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  130.  
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  132.  
  133. <p>“They said that was the most difficult part, just being alone,” said the tenured faculty member Barnard who supported the students. “Not knowing how much time had passed, not knowing what was happening and not getting any information. That was probably the most shocking thing.”</p>
  134.  
  135.  
  136.  
  137. <p>In the letter sent Monday to the city Department of Investigation, Legal Aid said it supported a request from City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams that the agency investigate the NYPD’s use of <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPDChiefPatrol/status/1786938774544400506">official</a> social media <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPDDaughtry/status/1786449287359992179">accounts</a> to claim that protests were linked to terrorism.</p>
  138.  
  139.  
  140.  
  141. <p>“We write to support [Adams’s] request that your office investigate the NYPD’s improper use of their social media accounts,” Legal Aid wrote, “particularly their use of social media to discredit protesters and chill future protests by making speculative claims linking them to terrorism — a clear abuse of the NYPD’s authority.”</p>
  142. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/06/columbia-student-protests-nypd-jail/">After Raids, NYPD Denied Student Protesters Water and Food in Jail</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  143. ]]></content:encoded>
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  153. <media:title type="html">DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)</media:title>
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  158.                <title><![CDATA[They Exposed an Israeli Spyware Firm. Now the Company Is Badgering Them in Court.]]></title>
  159.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/06/pegasus-nso-group-israeli-spyware-citizen-lab/</link>
  160.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/06/pegasus-nso-group-israeli-spyware-citizen-lab/#respond</comments>
  161.                <pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 19:03:09 +0000</pubDate>
  162.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn Musgrave]]></dc:creator>
  163.                                 <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
  164. <category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
  165.  
  166.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467949</guid>
  167.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>NSO Group, which makes Pegasus spyware, keeps trying to extract information from Citizen Lab researchers — and a judge keeps swatting it down.</p>
  168. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/06/pegasus-nso-group-israeli-spyware-citizen-lab/">They Exposed an Israeli Spyware Firm. Now the Company Is Badgering Them in Court.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  169. ]]></description>
  170.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  171. <p><u>For years, cybersecurity</u> researchers at Citizen Lab have monitored Israeli spyware firm NSO Group and its banner product, Pegasus. In 2019, Citizen Lab <a href="https://citizenlab.ca/2019/10/nso-q-cyber-technologies-100-new-abuse-cases/">reported</a> finding dozens of cases in which Pegasus was used to target the phones of journalists and human rights defenders via a WhatsApp security vulnerability.</p>
  172.  
  173.  
  174.  
  175. <p>Now NSO, which is <a href="https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2021/11/commerce-adds-nso-group-and-other-foreign-companies-entity-list">blacklisted</a> by the U.S. government for selling spyware to repressive regimes, is trying to use a lawsuit over the WhatsApp exploit to learn “how Citizen Lab conducted its analysis.”</p>
  176.  
  177.  
  178.  
  179. <p>The lawsuit, filed in U.S. federal court in 2019 by WhatsApp and Meta (then Facebook), <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.350613/gov.uscourts.cand.350613.1.0_8.pdf">alleges</a> that NSO sent Pegasus and other malware to approximately 1,400 devices across the globe. For more than four years, NSO has failed repeatedly to get the case thrown out.</p>
  180.  
  181.  
  182.  
  183. <p>With the lawsuit now moving forward, NSO is trying a different tactic: demanding repeatedly that Citizen Lab, which is based in Canada, hand over every single document about its Pegasus investigation. A judge denied NSO’s latest attempt to get access to Citizen Lab’s materials last week.</p>
  184.  
  185.  
  186.  
  187.  
  188.  
  189.  
  190. <p>Providing its raw work to NSO, Citizen Lab’s lawyers <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.350613/gov.uscourts.cand.350613.302.0.pdf">argued</a>, would “expose individuals already victimized by NSO’s activities to the risk of further harassment, including from their own governments” and chill their future work.&nbsp;(NSO declined to comment about the lawsuit.)</p>
  191.  
  192.  
  193.  
  194. <p>NSO has mounted an <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/nso-group-lobbying-israel-hamas-war/">aggressive campaign</a> to rehabilitate its image in recent years, particularly since being blacklisted in 2021. Last November, following the October 7 Hamas attacks, the firm <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/11/10/nso-group-israel-gaza-blacklist/">requested a meeting</a> with the State Department to discuss Pegasus as a “critical tool that is used to aid the ongoing fight against terrorists.”</p>
  195.  
  196.  
  197.  
  198.  
  199.  
  200.  
  201.  
  202. <p>The company has faced other lawsuits in U.S. courts over Pegasus, including ongoing suits brought by <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66575274/dada-v-nso-group-technologies-limited/">Salvadoran journalists</a>, <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/61570971/apple-inc-v-nso-group-technologies-limited/">Apple</a>, and <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67506537/khashoggi-v-nso-group-technologies-limited/">Hanan Elatr Khashoggi</a>, the widow of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi. These lawsuits also rely on Citizen Lab’s research, to varying degrees.</p>
  203.  
  204.  
  205.  
  206. <p>So far, the WhatsApp lawsuit — which NSO recently called “a one-sided ‘show’ trial” in the making — has not gone particularly well for the spyware firm. At first, NSO argued it was entirely immune from being sued in American courts, which a federal appeals court <a href="https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2021/11/08/20-16408.pdf">roundly rejected</a> in 2021 and the U.S. Supreme Court <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/21-1338.html">declined</a> to consider in early 2023.</p>
  207.  
  208.  
  209.  
  210. <p>Next, NSO argued the lawsuit should have been filed in Israel instead of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, where both WhatsApp and Meta (which also owns WhatsApp) have their headquarters. Judge Phyllis Hamilton <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.350613/gov.uscourts.cand.350613.233.0_6.pdf">rejected</a> that argument too.</p>
  211.  
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  214.  
  215.  
  216.  
  217.  
  218. <p>In perhaps the biggest blow to NSO, earlier this year Hamilton <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.350613/gov.uscourts.cand.350613.292.0.pdf">ordered</a> the company to disclose its software code, not just for Pegasus but also for “any NSO spyware targeting or directed at WhatsApp servers, or using WhatsApp in any way to access target devices.”</p>
  219.  
  220.  
  221.  
  222. <p>During discovery, NSO has already obtained thousands of documents from Meta and WhatsApp regarding Citizen Lab’s investigation into Pegasus. Regardless, NSO has tried and failed twice to use the lawsuit to get more information directly from Citizen Lab, which is based at the University of Toronto. In March, Hamilton <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.350613/gov.uscourts.cand.350613.299.0.pdf">denied</a> NSO’s first request to send a cross-border demand — a “letter rogatory” — to her counterparts at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.</p>
  223.  
  224.  
  225.  
  226. <p>NSO tried again last month. “The evidence Plaintiffs themselves have produced about Citizen Lab’s investigation is incomplete and inadequate,” its lawyers <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.350613/gov.uscourts.cand.350613.304.0.pdf">argued</a>, because it did not show “how Citizen Lab conducted its analysis or came to its conclusions” that Pegasus was used to target individuals in civil society, as opposed to criminals or terrorists.</p>
  227.  
  228.  
  229.  
  230. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[3](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22left%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-left" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="left"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[3] -->“We are pleased the court has recognized that NSO Group’s request for information was overbroad and not necessary.”<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[3] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[3] -->
  231.  
  232.  
  233.  
  234. <p>Citizen Lab opposed NSO’s demands on numerous grounds, particularly given “NSO’s animosity” toward its research.</p>
  235.  
  236.  
  237.  
  238. <p>In the latest order, Hamilton concluded that NSO’s demand was “plainly overbroad.” She left open the possibility for NSO to try again, but only if it can point to evidence that specific individuals that Citizen Lab categorized as “civil society” targets were actually involved in “criminal/terrorist activity.”</p>
  239.  
  240.  
  241.  
  242. <p>“We are pleased the court has recognized that NSO Group’s request for information was overbroad and not necessary at this time to resolve the disputed issues,” Citizen Lab’s director, Ronald Deibert, told The Intercept.</p>
  243. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/06/pegasus-nso-group-israeli-spyware-citizen-lab/">They Exposed an Israeli Spyware Firm. Now the Company Is Badgering Them in Court.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
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  254.        
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  256.                <title><![CDATA[In No Labels Call, Josh Gottheimer, Mike Lawler, and University Trustees Agree: FBI Should Investigate Campus Protests]]></title>
  257.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/04/josh-gottheimer-mike-lawler-campus-protests/</link>
  258.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/04/josh-gottheimer-mike-lawler-campus-protests/#respond</comments>
  259.                <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 20:11:18 +0000</pubDate>
  260.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Prem Thakker]]></dc:creator>
  261.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Akela Lacy]]></dc:creator>
  262.                                 <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  263.  
  264.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467855</guid>
  265.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>The bipartisan duo also praised schools that brought in police to violently quell protests and connected the demonstrations to the TikTok ban.</p>
  266. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/04/josh-gottheimer-mike-lawler-campus-protests/">In No Labels Call, Josh Gottheimer, Mike Lawler, and University Trustees Agree: FBI Should Investigate Campus Protests</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  267. ]]></description>
  268.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  269. <p><span class="has-underline">During a call</span> hosted by the centrist political group No Labels, Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., spoke with close to 300 attendees, including trustees from several universities, about how Congress could help crack down further on student protesters — and how the FBI could get more involved.&nbsp;</p>
  270.  
  271.  
  272.  
  273. <p>No Labels promoted the Wednesday event as a “special Zoom call” with “the leading voices in their parties” opposing student protests against the war in Gaza, which spread to <a href="https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1786108972266578314">more than 150 campuses</a> in the last two weeks.</p>
  274.  
  275.  
  276.  
  277. <p>The bipartisan pair praised the responses of universities that have called on police to violently quell protests and promised that Congress would be doing more to investigate the student movements, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by The Intercept. The lawmakers and university board of trustee members repeatedly claimed that nefarious outside actors are funding and organizing the encampments on university campuses.&nbsp;</p>
  278.  
  279.  
  280.  
  281. <p>Gottheimer said that he had been in touch with officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation about campus protests. “Based on my conversations with the FBI — there&#8217;s activity I can&#8217;t get into, you know, given my committee responsibilities, I can&#8217;t get into more specifics — but I can just say that I think people are well aware this is an issue,“ said Gottheimer, who is on the House Intelligence Committee. </p>
  282.  
  283.  
  284.  
  285. <p>“I can&#8217;t speak for the local FBI field offices, but it&#8217;s got to be all hands on deck,” he added. “I believe following the money is the key. Gotta follow the money. A lot of these universities are not transparent at all, remotely, about where the money comes from, you know, they just, they want it — and that has to be a big part of this.”<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
  286.  
  287.  
  288.  
  289.  
  290.  
  291.  
  292.  
  293. <p>This week, House Republicans said they would <a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-protests-israel-hamas-war-bffc50377785364ffaa71b4efb770a1e">investigate federal funding</a> for universities that held campus protests. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced the plans on Tuesday alongside the chairs of six congressional committees. </p>
  294.  
  295.  
  296.  
  297. <p>Gottheimer and Lawler have been at the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/10/11/israel-tlaib-bush-aipac-gottheimer/">forefront</a> of congressional efforts to defend Israel amid its brutal war on Gaza. They led bipartisan efforts to silence criticism of Israel and to protect Israel from being held accountable for using the billions of dollars it receives from the United States in violation of international law.&nbsp;</p>
  298.  
  299.  
  300.  
  301. <p>Gottheimer, Lawler, and No Labels did not respond to requests for comment. </p>
  302.  
  303.  
  304.  
  305. <p><span class="has-underline">Among the most</span> prominent themes of the discussion were getting the FBI more involved in investigating American college campuses, and fears of outside agitators stoking the anti-war protests. New York University Chair Emeritus and Executive Vice Chair Bill Berkley, whose campus <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/03/us/nyu-new-school-protest-arrests.html">this week</a> welcomed police to arrest over a dozen students, claimed that a New York City-based Palestine solidarity group had been very involved in leading protest efforts in the city and suggested that the feds should investigate.</p>
  306.  
  307.  
  308.  
  309. <p>Berkley claimed that “we have deciphered messages” that showed the group directing people to the encampment at Columbia. He also suggested that, because many of the tents at campus protests were the same, the demonstrations had been orchestrated externally. (Many prominent critics of the protest, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams, have repeated that claim. As the New York City outlet <a href="https://hellgatenyc.com/mayor-adams-outside-agitators-columbia-nyu">Hell Gate</a> and <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/conspiracy-tents-student-protests-gaza/">others</a> have pointed out, the tents are sold for $15 at Five Below and around $30 at Amazon and Walmart. “My God…looks like what we&#8217;ve got on our hands is a classic case of college students buying something cheap and disposable,” wrote Hell Gate.)</p>
  310.  
  311.  
  312.  
  313. <p>Berkley then asked why the FBI hadn’t yet taken action against the demonstrations. “And, by the way, the FBI and the terrorist monitoring groups know this — why haven&#8217;t we seen any action by the federal government?” He did not respond to requests for comment. </p>
  314.  
  315.  
  316.  
  317. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right"><blockquote><p>“You’re seeing how these kids are being manipulated by certain groups or entities or countries to foment hate on their behalf and really create a hostile environment here in the U.S.”&nbsp;</p></blockquote></figure>
  318.  
  319.  
  320.  
  321. <p>Lawler, who co-sponsored a recent bill to <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/03/21/china-tiktok-jacob-helberg-palantir/">ban TikTok</a>, repeated Berkley’s claims about external organizers and said that was the type of thing that inspired Congress’s efforts to ban the app. “I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s any question that there has been a coordinated effort off these college campuses, and that you have outside paid agitators and activists,&#8221; Lawler said. “It also highlights exactly why we included the TikTok bill in the foreign supplemental aid package because you&#8217;re seeing how these kids are being manipulated by certain groups or entities or countries to foment hate on their behalf and really create a hostile environment here in the U.S.”&nbsp;</p>
  322.  
  323.  
  324.  
  325. <p>Lawler added that he would look into domestic groups funding protests. Gottheimer, for his part,&nbsp;said demonstrations at Columbia were “potentially” led by outsiders and repeated his frequent claim that the protesters support Hamas.&nbsp;</p>
  326.  
  327.  
  328.  
  329. <p>Andrew Bursky, the board chair of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, said America’s tradition of campus protests was “a positive thing,” but that there’s a “clear dark line” between allowing free speech and condoning antisemitism. “And I think you guys in Congress have darkened that line today with this piece of legislation,” he added. Bursky did not specify what legislation he was referring to, but earlier that day, the House of Representatives&nbsp;passed a Republican-led <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6090">bill</a> that expanded the definition of antisemitism.&nbsp;</p>
  330.  
  331.  
  332.  
  333. <p>Students had forfeited their right to protest, Bursky went on, due to “physical violence, or threats of physical violence or harassment,” among other things. He said that universities that have failed to make that line clear and as a result “have chaos and anarchy,” stating that “the only way to fix it is to bring in law enforcement.”</p>
  334.  
  335.  
  336.  
  337. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[1](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22left%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-left" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="left"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[1] -->“The only way to fix it is to bring in law enforcement.”<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[1] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[1] -->
  338.  
  339.  
  340.  
  341. <p>Bursky did not mention the most prominent examples of physical violence on his own campus or elsewhere. When police came onto Washington University in St. Louis this week, officers <a href="https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1785397144515469402">beat a professor</a> from another university, slammed him, and dragged his limp body — leaving him with several broken ribs and a broken hand. At the University of California, Los Angeles, meanwhile, a pro-Israel mob shot fireworks, sprayed mace, and hurled fists and slurs at pro-Palestine students and student journalists. </p>
  342.  
  343.  
  344.  
  345. <p>In a statement to The Intercept, Bursky said that “any injury of any individual, protestor or a member of law enforcement, is very unfortunate and regrettable.” He also reiterated students’ right to peacefully protest, noting that those rights are constrained by &#8220;well-documented&#8221; time and place restrictions meant to ensure that university business can go on as usual. “So long as those restrictions … are respected, the freedom of members of the university community to engage in protest must and will be protected,” he wrote. “Also, to be clear, protests that decay into violence or speech that is hate speech threatening to individuals or specific groups will never be acceptable.”</p>
  346.  
  347.  
  348.  
  349. <p>On the call, Gottheimer applauded Bursky and other university leaders for bringing police to campus. “Listen, it took a while for the board of trustees of Columbia to get to the right place. They eventually got to the right place,” he said. (The night before the call, Columbia had welcomed militarized police to invade one of its campus buildings to arrest students en masse — leaving some <a href="https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1786174832452771964">bruised</a> and injured. One police officer even accidentally <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/05/02/nypd-officer-fired-gun-columbia-hamilton-hall-raid/">fired</a> a gun on campus.)</p>
  350.  
  351.  
  352.  
  353. <!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[2](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22israel-palestine%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class="promote-banner">
  354.    <a class="promote-banner__link" href="https://theintercept.com/collections/israel-palestine/">
  355.              <span class="promote-banner__image">
  356.          <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="150" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=5760 5760w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=3600 3600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />        </span>
  357.            <div class="promote-banner__text">
  358.                  <p class="promote-banner__eyebrow">
  359.            Read our complete coverage          </p>
  360.        
  361.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Israel’s War on Gaza</h2>
  362.      </div>
  363.    </a>
  364.  </aside>
  365. <!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[2] -->
  366.  
  367.  
  368.  
  369. <p>A speaker who was identified on the call as Howard Berk and said he is involved in Texas urged the members of Congress to back schools doing “a great job.” While those leaders “may have support from the top,” Berk said, “they&#8217;re getting tremendous heat, obviously, from a minority of students, and from the faculty.” The University of Texas at Austin was widely scrutinized after <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/02/professors-students-gaza-university-protests-columbia/">hordes of riot police</a> met peaceful protesters with tear gas and flash grenades. (There is a Howard Berk on the board of the University of Texas/Texas A&amp;M Investment Management Company; he did not respond to requests for comment.)</p>
  370.  
  371.  
  372.  
  373. <p>Berk also complained that universities were not getting support from federal agencies to investigate protests. “The FBI question is an interesting one,” Berk said. He added that he’d heard from people in Texas that the “FBI have not really been helpful.” Universities were doing their own investigations “with really no help from the feds as my understanding at this point,” he said. “So it&#8217;s important.”</p>
  374.  
  375.  
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  387.      <h3 class="promote-related-post__title">NYC Mayor Smeared a Grandmother as an “Outside Agitator” to Justify NYPD Assault on Columbia</h3>
  388.    </span>
  389.    </a>
  390.  </div>
  391.  
  392.  
  393.  
  394. <p>Lawler applauded the response from the New York Police Department, whose counterterror unit he said was doing a good job of “finding some leads,” but said that the FBI could aid its response. “I definitely think the FBI could certainly be a little more helpful here. But again, I think Congress is going to take action,” he said.</p>
  395.  
  396.  
  397.  
  398. <p>Gottheimer agreed with Berk’s call to praise “all the right universities,” including schools in Texas and Florida “that have stepped up.”&nbsp;Among elite schools, he praised Princeton and Dartmouth, where the former chair of Jewish Studies was pushed down, arrested, and banned from campus for photographing protests. (The college later <a href="https://thedartmouth.com/article/2024/05/annelise-orleck-no-longer-banned-from-campus">revoked</a> the ban.)</p>
  399.  
  400.  
  401.  
  402.  
  403.  
  404.  
  405.  
  406. <p><span class="has-underline">Lawler and Gottheimer</span> both visited Columbia’s campus in recent weeks to express concern for Jewish students. Neither appeared to spend time with Jewish students participating in the anti-war protests, let alone the Palestinian students who may be mourning family members killed by American bombs.</p>
  407.  
  408.  
  409.  
  410. <p>Last week, Lawler co-sponsored the “<a href="https://lawler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1632">COLUMBIA Act</a>” alongside Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., which would impose an antisemitism monitor on any college or university receiving federal funding.&nbsp;</p>
  411.  
  412.  
  413.  
  414. <p>Gottheimer, meanwhile, has been among the most outspoken members of his party. He has called Democrats who don’t support Israel a “<a href="https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1774875863659487596">cancer</a>” and joined efforts to pressure university presidents at Harvard and the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/01/13/penn-palestine-writes-liz-magill/">University of Pennsylvania</a> to resign. In the days after Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, Gottheimer reportedly suggested Muslim clerics are “<a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/10/11/josh-gottheimer-muslims-jewish-imams/">guilty</a>” of the attack. Gottheimer denied that he had made the comment and said his remarks were taken out of context.</p>
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  429.    </span>
  430.    </a>
  431.  </div>
  432.  
  433.  
  434.  
  435. <p>In November, he voted with Republicans to <a href="https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1722100438525215137">censure</a> Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian member of Congress.&nbsp;In January, Gottheimer was one of 62 Democrats to join 148 Republicans in expressing &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1749929697457127591">disgust</a>&#8221; at <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/01/11/israel-genocide-hague-south-africa/">South Africa’s suit</a> accusing Israel of genocide, an accusation that the&nbsp;International Court of Justice later found to be plausible. The New Jersey Democrat also co-led a resolution to condemn the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/02/05/axel-springer-israel-settlement-profit/">phrase</a> “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which the House <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/883/text?">passed</a> in April.</p>
  436.  
  437.  
  438.  
  439. <p>One day after the call, No Labels, which spent much of the last year recruiting a spoiler candidate for the 2024 presidential election, sent out a fundraising email asking donors to max out contributions to both members of Congress. “As college campuses are gripped by anti-Israel, antisemitic protests, Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mike Lawler are showing what bipartisan leadership looks like. They are standing up against these extremist bullies — on campuses and in Congress — and deserve our support. Would you show your support by making a donation of the maximum of $6,600 to Reps. Gottheimer and Lawler today?”</p>
  440. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/04/josh-gottheimer-mike-lawler-campus-protests/">In No Labels Call, Josh Gottheimer, Mike Lawler, and University Trustees Agree: FBI Should Investigate Campus Protests</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  441. ]]></content:encoded>
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  447. <media:title type="html">DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)</media:title>
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  457.                <title><![CDATA[Let’s Check In on AIPAC’s Assault on the Squad]]></title>
  458.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/04/deconstructed-aipac-israel-squad-primary/</link>
  459.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/04/deconstructed-aipac-israel-squad-primary/#respond</comments>
  460.                <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  461.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Deconstructed]]></dc:creator>
  462.                                 <category><![CDATA[Deconstructed Podcast]]></category>
  463.  
  464.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467727</guid>
  465.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>The Israel lobby failed to take down Rep. Summer Lee. They’ve now set their sights on Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush.</p>
  466. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/04/deconstructed-aipac-israel-squad-primary/">Let’s Check In on AIPAC’s Assault on the Squad</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  467. ]]></description>
  468.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
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  470. <div class="acast-player">
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  472. </div>
  473. <!-- END-BLOCK(acast)[0] -->
  474.  
  475.  
  476.  
  477. <p><span class="has-underline">In the weeks</span> after October 7, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee took aim at members of Congress who expressed vocal opposition to Israel’s attacks on Gaza. Focusing on the so-called Squad, the Israel lobby is spending millions to push out members of Congress they view as a threat to the U.S.–Israel relationship. But Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., among the Squad members who called for an early ceasefire and whom AIPAC had been hoping to take out, cruised to <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/23/summer-lee-primary-win-aipac/">victory</a> in April. Now the lobby group’s sights are set on <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/aipac-jamaal-bowman-primary-israel/">Rep. Jamaal Bowman </a>in New York’s 16th Congressional District and Rep. Cori Bush in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.&nbsp;</p>
  478.  
  479.  
  480.  
  481. <p>This week on Deconstructed, Justice Democrats Usamah Andrabi and Alexandra Rojas join Ryan Grim to discuss their organizing efforts to counter campaigns taking aim at progressive members of Congress.&nbsp;</p>
  482.  
  483.  
  484.  
  485. <p><em>Transcript coming soon. </em></p>
  486. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/04/deconstructed-aipac-israel-squad-primary/">Let’s Check In on AIPAC’s Assault on the Squad</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  487. ]]></content:encoded>
  488.                                <wfw:commentRss>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/04/deconstructed-aipac-israel-squad-primary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  489.                <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  490.                <media:content url='https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Decon_JusticeDems.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000' width='2000' height='1000' /><post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">467727</post-id>
  491.            </item>
  492.        
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  494.                <title><![CDATA[AIPAC Is Secretly Intervening in Portland’s Congressional Race to Take Down Susheela Jayapal, Sources Say]]></title>
  495.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/portland-aipac-susheela-jayapal-maxine-dexter/</link>
  496.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/portland-aipac-susheela-jayapal-maxine-dexter/#respond</comments>
  497.                <pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 21:11:34 +0000</pubDate>
  498.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ryan Grim]]></dc:creator>
  499.                                 <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  500.  
  501.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467750</guid>
  502.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>The pro-Israel group is funneling money through a “pro-science” PAC, according to two members of Congress.</p>
  503. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/portland-aipac-susheela-jayapal-maxine-dexter/">AIPAC Is Secretly Intervening in Portland’s Congressional Race to Take Down Susheela Jayapal, Sources Say</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  504. ]]></description>
  505.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  506. <p><span class="has-underline">In April, a</span> super PAC ostensibly committed to supporting “pro-science” candidates began dropping eye-popping sums of money on a Portland, Oregon, congressional race. 314 Action Fund, which is not known for spending big in congressional primaries, has spent $1.7 million in support of a single candidate in the 3rd Congressional District’s open Democratic primary, <a href="https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00633248/1780556/se">according to federal filings.</a> That sum is equal to what the political action committee spent on independent expenditures supporting or opposing candidates during the entire 2022 election cycle.&nbsp;</p>
  507.  
  508.  
  509.  
  510. <p>314 Action Fund, which <a href="https://314action.org/about-us/">describes itself</a> as helping to elect “Democrats with a background in science to public office,” is throwing its weight behind Maxine Dexter, a state representative and local doctor. The news outlet Jewish Insider floated Dexter as a potentially pro-Israel candidate before she entered the race.&nbsp;</p>
  511.  
  512.  
  513.  
  514. <p>By waiting until April to launch its spending blitz, 314 Action is able to delay disclosure of its donors until May 20. The election is scheduled for May 21, but ballots have already begun arriving to voters by mail. In other words, the identity of the donor or donors won’t be documented in campaign finance reports until it’s too late.</p>
  515.  
  516.  
  517.  
  518. <p>What is publicly known, however, is that former Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal, the sister of Rep. Pramila Jayapal, was considered the candidate to beat before the sudden influx of money last month.&nbsp;</p>
  519.  
  520.  
  521.  
  522. <p>And what The Intercept can reveal is that Susheela Jayapal is being targeted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, which is secretly funneling money into the race by washing it through 314 Action, according to two Democratic members of Congress familiar with the arrangement.&nbsp;</p>
  523.  
  524.  
  525.  
  526. <p>The pro-Israel community telegraphed its intent to target Jayapal early on, primarily for suspicion that her politics on Israel–Palestine may align with her younger sister’s, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/10/20/gaza-ceasefire-house-democrats-aipac/">called for a ceasefire early</a> in the current war on Gaza.</p>
  527.  
  528.  
  529.  
  530. <p>On December 5, a story <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2023/12/susheela-jayapal-portland-democratic-primary-jewish-leaders/">landed in Jewish Insider,</a> which closely tracks congressional primaries, headlined “Jayapal sister’s congressional candidacy alarming Portland Jewish leaders.” The article noted that “local pro-Israel advocates … have yet to coalesce behind a viable candidate,” and it named Dexter as a possibility. Given the politics of Portland and the surrounding area, the pro-Israel community had little chance of nominating a candidate unapologetically and unconditionally supportive of Israel’s war effort, but Dexter had potential. Dexter launched her campaign later that same day.</p>
  531.  
  532.  
  533.  
  534. <p>The last-minute spending in the race is enormous: on track to climb north of $3 million in a short period of time in an inexpensive media market. On Friday, a brand-new super PAC got involved with nearly $1 million worth of negative ads against Jayapal.</p>
  535.  
  536.  
  537.  
  538. <p>Some of the money directed to 314 Action — close to a million dollars by early April — had come from a single Los Angeles-based AIPAC donor, according to the members of Congress, who asked for anonymity to preserve professional and political relationships. The plan was openly discussed at a recent AIPAC fundraiser in Los Angeles, as well as a fundraiser in the Pacific Northwest, said the members of Congress, who learned about it from colleagues in attendance or were themselves in attendance.&nbsp;</p>
  539.  
  540.  
  541.  
  542. <p>AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, has not spent any money on the race. AIPAC did not respond to requests for comment.</p>
  543.  
  544.  
  545.  
  546.  
  547.  
  548.  
  549.  
  550. <p>Jayapal and Eddy Morales, another candidate in the race, held a joint press conference Thursday to decry the lack of transparency and call on Dexter and 314 Action to open up about the identity of the donors. News cameras that were expected to attend, however, were instead covering a police crackdown at Portland State University, where students have been protesting against the war in Gaza and<a href="https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/protests/portland-state-university-student-protesters-library/283-889dbde7-a7e0-4f22-aea0-3c506b95aade"> occupying the library</a>.</p>
  551.  
  552.  
  553.  
  554. <p>Morales and Jayapal issued a joint statement following the press event, saying, “Maxine Dexter claims to be for transparency in politics, but she and 314 Action are engaged in a dishonest and cynical ploy to obscure the donors propping up her campaign until just one day before the primary. At a time when MAGA Republican mega-donors are interfering in Democratic primaries across the country, particularly against qualified candidates of color, voters deserve to know who is trying to buy this seat for a centrist candidate who doesn’t even live in the district.”</p>
  555.  
  556.  
  557.  
  558. <p>Dexter’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement posted online, Dexter <a href="https://twitter.com/doctormaxine/status/1786447496258142406">said</a> she was “deeply disappointed to see a new dark money group enter this race to disparage one of my opponents.” </p>
  559.  
  560.  
  561.  
  562. <p>314 Action&#8217;s website states that it is “committed to transparency: although not required by law, we voluntarily disclose all our donors over $250 in a two year election cycle.” 314 Action did not respond to multiple requests to disclose its recent donors.</p>
  563.  
  564.  
  565.  
  566. <figure class="wp-block-ft-photo is-style-default">
  567.  <img decoding="async"
  568.    src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/04072024_DEXTER_-602.jpg?fit=3600%2C2401&#038;w=1200"
  569.    srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/04072024_DEXTER_-602.jpg?w=3600 3600w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/04072024_DEXTER_-602.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/04072024_DEXTER_-602.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/04072024_DEXTER_-602.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/04072024_DEXTER_-602.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/04072024_DEXTER_-602.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/04072024_DEXTER_-602.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/04072024_DEXTER_-602.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/04072024_DEXTER_-602.jpg?w=2400 2400w"
  570.    sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)"
  571.    alt="Maxine Dexter is running for Congress in Oregon&#039;s Third Congressional District."
  572.    width=""
  573.    height=""
  574.    loading="lazy"
  575.  data-recalc-dims="1" />
  576.      <figcaption class="photo__figcaption">
  577.              <span class="photo__caption">Maxine Dexter, a candidate for Congress in Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District. </span>
  578.                    <span class="photo__credit">Photo: Courtesy of Maxine for Congress</span>
  579.          </figcaption>
  580.  </figure>
  581.  
  582.  
  583.  
  584. <p><span class="has-underline">Jayapal launched her</span> campaign in early November after Rep. Earl Blumenauer announced his retirement. As of December, pro-Israel groups had yet to coalesce behind a single candidate to oppose her, giving Jayapal a significant advantage, Jewish Insider warned at the time. “While the elder Jayapal, 61, had no discernible history of public engagement on Middle East policy until recently, her approach to the war between Israel and Hamas suggests there is little distance between the two siblings on such matters,” reported JI. “A pro-Israel leader in Portland, who asked to remain anonymous to protect his privacy, said there is growing concern among other like-minded local activists that Jayapal’s Middle East policy positions ‘will not differ that much from her sister.’”</p>
  585.  
  586.  
  587.  
  588. <p>The same article elevated Dexter as an alternative for pro-Israel voters to coalesce around, though she had yet to formally announce a bid. JI reported that Dexter “has been characterized as a pragmatic progressive but does not appear to have issued any statements on Middle East policy” and that she had told JI that “she has received ‘strong encouragement’ to run.”&nbsp;</p>
  589.  
  590.  
  591.  
  592. <p>Sharon Meieran, described by JI as the lone Jewish member of the Multnomah County Commission, told the outlet she was&nbsp;“excited about her potential candidacy.”&nbsp;</p>
  593.  
  594.  
  595.  
  596. <p>“I can’t speak to her views on Israel, but I was impressed that she attended an event hosted by Congregation Beth Israel in Portland last night to learn about the Zioness movement,” Meieran told JI. “The focus was on intersectional identities and how standing up for social justice and Zionism are not mutually exclusive, but rather are inextricably linked. Showing up and being willing to listen and learn matters, now more than ever, and Maxine walks that walk.”</p>
  597.  
  598.  
  599.  
  600. <!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[1](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22israel-palestine%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class="promote-banner">
  601.    <a class="promote-banner__link" href="https://theintercept.com/collections/israel-palestine/">
  602.              <span class="promote-banner__image">
  603.          <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="150" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=5760 5760w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=3600 3600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />        </span>
  604.            <div class="promote-banner__text">
  605.                  <p class="promote-banner__eyebrow">
  606.            Read our complete coverage          </p>
  607.        
  608.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Israel’s War on Gaza</h2>
  609.      </div>
  610.    </a>
  611.  </aside>
  612. <!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[1] -->
  613.  
  614.  
  615.  
  616. <p>Organizations supportive of Palestinians rights have since unsuccessfully tried to extract more from Dexter on her position. Last month, a coalition of local groups — Jewish Voice for Peace Portland, Healthcare Workers for Palestine Portland, Jewish-Palestinian Alliance of Oregon, American Council for Palestine, and Portland Democratic Socialists of America — organized a forum on the conflict and invited all the candidates. Dexter’s campaign manager responded that Dexter was busy that evening and couldn’t attend. The group offered to move the date, asking him to offer any available date. He declined. “Between her commitments at the hospital and the number of existing scheduled events, she is not able to add an additional forum at this time,” her campaign manager responded in an email provided to The Intercept.&nbsp;</p>
  617.  
  618.  
  619.  
  620. <p>The coalition asked if she would instead fill out a questionnaire laying out her positions. Her campaign manager stopped responding. Jayapal did respond to the<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vcKiQbbGn2fUE1ZWjKRtWuk-teaLHyNb/view"> questionnaire</a>, saying she supports putting conditions on military aid to Israel, supports an immediate ceasefire, and would reject money from AIPAC or its affiliates.</p>
  621.  
  622.  
  623.  
  624. <p><span class="has-underline">On Thursday, campaigns</span> in the district were informed by consultants who buy television ads that a brand-new political action committee, this one with the practically satirical name “Voters for Responsive Government,” had purchased nearly $1 million worth of airtime. There is no prior record of the PAC existing. <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00874875/?tab=filings#reports">It was registered on April 1</a>. Had it been registered one day earlier, the PAC would be required to disclose its donors by now. Instead, it can withhold that information until May 20.&nbsp;</p>
  625.  
  626.  
  627.  
  628. <p>On Friday, the PAC<a href="https://www.voters4responsivegovt.org"> went live with a website</a>. The “About” page links to its<a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00874875/?tab=about-committee"> </a>Federal Election Commission<a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00874875/?tab=about-committee"> filing,</a> listing Los Angeles as the city where it was registered and attorney <a href="https://politicallaw.com/people/cary-davidson/">Cary Davidson</a> as its treasurer. The PAC and Davidson did not respond to a request for comment.&nbsp;</p>
  629.  
  630.  
  631.  
  632. <p>“Voters for Responsive Government” launched with <a href="https://host2.adimpact.com/admo/viewer/bcdaaa26-d907-4488-bbb8-a12f0bbb1134">two negative </a>ads targeting Jayapal on Friday. Neither ad mentions Israel or Gaza; one of them literally<a href="https://host2.adimpact.com/admo/viewer/066faaac-f123-423d-b487-6064f532d26a"> accuses</a> Jayapal of abusing and starving cats and dogs, with a heartrending image of a suffering puppy and kitty. The attack ads set the new PAC’s strategy apart from 314 Action, which has so far spent only on positive ads boosting Dexter, apparently unwilling to be the vehicle for attack ads against a popular Democrat.</p>
  633.  
  634.  
  635.  
  636. <p>314 Action Fund’s largest disclosed contribution this cycle came from Ray Rothrock, who donated $500,000 on February 15. Rothrock, a venture capitalist, has said that the investment he’s “most proud of” has been in Check Point Software, an Israeli cybersecurity company where he serves as a board director. He was also an early investor in Toka, a <a href="https://www.tokagroup.com/company">startup</a> geared toward fighting “terror and crime” that is backed by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. (Rothrock did not respond to a request for comment.)&nbsp;</p>
  637.  
  638.  
  639.  
  640. <p>At the end of March, 314 Action Fund reported having just $1.4 million in cash on hand, meaning new contributions were required to cover the spending underway now.</p>
  641.  
  642.  
  643.  
  644.  
  645.  
  646.  
  647.  
  648. <p>Relying on “pro-science” or vaguely named, brand-new PACs in order to obscure a donor’s true agenda blows a gaping hole in campaign finance law, which is based on the idea that donors should be able to give and speak freely, but voters have a right to know where the money is coming from, and on whose behalf they are speaking.&nbsp;</p>
  649.  
  650.  
  651.  
  652. <p>AIPAC previously <a href="https://mondoweiss.net/2022/08/aipac-says-it-helped-defeat-ny-10-candidate-over-her-bds-stance/">pulled such a maneuver in Manhattan</a> during the 2022 cycle, routing at least $400,000 through a super PAC called New York Progressive, attacking Yuh-Line Niou in a successful effort to elect Dan Goldman,<a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/02/01/dan-goldman-icj-israel-genocide/"> </a>now a <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/02/01/dan-goldman-icj-israel-genocide/">member of Congress</a>. Only after the race was over did AIPAC claim credit for the spending.&nbsp;</p>
  653.  
  654.  
  655.  
  656. <p>Pramila Jayapal, meanwhile, has a week to learn whether AIPAC will be successful in recruiting a challenger to her. Multiple local elected officials already turned down such entreaties, relaying the recruitment effort to Jayapal’s campaign or its allies, according to a campaign spokesperson. A recent field poll in Seattle, where Jayapal is an incumbent, tested Jayapal’s popularity as well as potential messages that could be used against her, such as the claim that she is “too extreme” or “out of touch.” According to local Democrats in Washington’s 46th District, one tested message in the poll asked if it bothered voters that Jayapal opposed President Joe Biden sometimes on principle from a progressive direction.&nbsp;</p>
  657.  
  658.  
  659.  
  660. <p>After learning of the recruitment drive, the Jayapal campaign put its own poll in the field. The survey found her with a 69-19 percent favorability rating. When told Jayapal supported a ceasefire in Gaza, 40 percent of Democrats said they were much more likely to support her, and another 29 percent said they’d be more likely. Just 7 percent said that calling for a ceasefire made them less likely to support her.</p>
  661.  
  662.  
  663.  
  664. <p>In Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, Democratic Majority for Israel, an AIPAC-aligned group, has endorsed Janelle Bynum but has not spent on her behalf. Instead, 314 Action Fund has<a href="https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00633248/1780225/se"> spent $180,000 </a>supporting her. The link to science is even more tenuous with Bynum than it is with Dexter. Bynum previously studied to be an engineer, though is now a <a href="https://www.girlslikeyouandme.com/janelle-bynum">McDonald’s franchise owner</a>.</p>
  665. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/portland-aipac-susheela-jayapal-maxine-dexter/">AIPAC Is Secretly Intervening in Portland’s Congressional Race to Take Down Susheela Jayapal, Sources Say</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  666. ]]></content:encoded>
  667.                                <wfw:commentRss>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/portland-aipac-susheela-jayapal-maxine-dexter/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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  669.                <media:content url='https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/df78dec7-b519-413a-b646-e1ef2ddbe3f5-e1714757834188.jpeg?fit=8192%2C4096' width='8192' height='4096' /><post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">467750</post-id>
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  673. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150032227-e1714843444606.jpg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  674. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/04072024_DEXTER_-602.jpg?fit=3600%2C2401&#038;w=1200" medium="image">
  675. <media:title type="html">Maxine Dexter is running for Congress in Oregon&#039;s Third Congressional District.</media:title>
  676. </media:content>
  677. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" medium="image">
  678. <media:title type="html">DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)</media:title>
  679. </media:content>
  680.            </item>
  681.        
  682.            <item>
  683.                <title><![CDATA[NYC Mayor Smeared a Grandmother as an “Outside Agitator” to Justify NYPD Assault on Columbia]]></title>
  684.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/nyc-eric-adams-columbia-outside-agitator-al-arian/</link>
  685.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/nyc-eric-adams-columbia-outside-agitator-al-arian/#respond</comments>
  686.                <pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 20:34:07 +0000</pubDate>
  687.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jeremy Scahill]]></dc:creator>
  688.                                 <category><![CDATA[Justice]]></category>
  689. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  690. <category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
  691.  
  692.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467776</guid>
  693.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>Nahla Al-Arian lost more than 200 relatives in Israel's attacks on Gaza. Then Eric Adams said she was the reason police raided Columbia.</p>
  694. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/nyc-eric-adams-columbia-outside-agitator-al-arian/">NYC Mayor Smeared a Grandmother as an “Outside Agitator” to Justify NYPD Assault on Columbia</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  695. ]]></description>
  696.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  697. <p><u>Nahla Al-Arian has</u> been living a nightmare for the past seven months, watching from afar as Israel carries out its scorched-earth war against her ancestral homeland in the Gaza Strip. Like many Palestinian Americans, the 63-year-old retired fourth-grade teacher from Tampa Bay, Florida, has endured seven months of a steady trickle of WhatsApp messages about the deaths of her relatives.</p>
  698.  
  699.  
  700.  
  701. <p>“You see, my father&#8217;s family is originally from Gaza, so they are a big family. And they are not only in Gaza City, but also in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, other parts,” Al-Arian told me. Recently, the trickle of horrors became a flood: “It started with like 27, and then we lost count until I received this message from my relative who said at least 200 had died.”</p>
  702.  
  703.  
  704.  
  705. <p>The catastrophe was the backdrop for Al-Arian’s visit last week to Columbia University in New York City.</p>
  706.  
  707.  
  708.  
  709. <p>Al-Arian has five children, four of whom are journalists or filmmakers. On April 25, two of her daughters, Laila and Lama, both award-winning TV journalists, visited the encampment established by Columbia students to oppose the war in Gaza. Laila, an executive producer at Al Jazeera English with Emmys and a George Polk Award to her name, is a graduate of Columbia’s journalism school. Lama was the recipient of the prestigious 2021 Alfred I. duPont–Columbia Award for her reporting for Vice News on the 2020 explosion at the port of Beirut.</p>
  710.  
  711.  
  712.  
  713. <p>The two sisters traveled to Columbia as journalists to see the campus, and Nahla joined them.</p>
  714.  
  715.  
  716.  
  717. <p>“Of course, I tagged along. You know, why would I sit at the hotel by myself? And I wanted to really see those kids. I felt so down,” she said. “I was crying every day for Gaza, for the children being killed, for the women, the destruction of my father&#8217;s city, so I wanted to feel better, you know, to see those kids. I heard a lot about them, how smart they are, how organized, you know? So I said, let&#8217;s go along with you. So I went.”</p>
  718.  
  719.  
  720.  
  721. <p>Nahla Al-Arian was on the campus for less than an hour. She sat and listened to part of a teach-in, and shared some hummus with her daughters and some students. Then she left, feeling a glimmer of hope that people — at least these students — actually cared about the suffering and deaths being inflicted on her family in Gaza.</p>
  722.  
  723.  
  724.  
  725. <p>“I didn&#8217;t teach them anything. They are the ones who taught me. They are the ones who gave me hope,” she recalled. “I felt much better when I went there because I felt those kids are really very well informed, very well educated. They are the conscience of America. They care about the Palestinian people who they never saw or got to meet.”</p>
  726.  
  727.  
  728.  
  729. <p>Her husband posted a picture of Nahla, sitting on the lawn at the tent city erected by the student protesters, on his Twitter feed. “My wife Nahla in solidarity with the brave and very determined Columbia University students,” he<a href="https://twitter.com/SamiAlArian/status/1783885342690681172"> </a><a href="https://twitter.com/SamiAlArian/status/1783885342690681172">wrote</a>. Nahla left New York, inspired by her visit to Columbia, and returned to Virginia to spend time with her grandchildren.</p>
  730.  
  731.  
  732.  
  733. <p>A few days later, that one tweet by her husband would thrust Nahla Al-Arian into the center of a spurious narrative promoted by the mayor of New York City and major media outlets. She became the exemplar of the dangerous “outside agitator” who was training the students at Columbia. It was Nahla’s presence, according to Mayor Eric Adams, that was the “tipping point” in his decision to authorize the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/nyc-gaza-college-protests-police-outside-agitators/">military-style raids</a> on the campus.</p>
  734.  
  735.  
  736.  
  737. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  738. <!-- BLOCK(oembed)[4](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22OEMBED%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22EMBED%22%7D)(%7B%22embedHtml%22%3A%22%3Cblockquote%20class%3D%5C%22twitter-tweet%5C%22%20data-width%3D%5C%22550%5C%22%20data-dnt%3D%5C%22true%5C%22%3E%3Cp%20lang%3D%5C%22en%5C%22%20dir%3D%5C%22ltr%5C%22%3EMy%20wife%20Nahla%20in%20solidarity%20with%20the%20brave%20and%20very%20determined%20Columbia%20University%20students.%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ft.co%5C%2FximkHFbZeo%5C%22%3Epic.twitter.com%5C%2FximkHFbZeo%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fp%3E%26mdash%3B%20Sami%20Al-Arian%20%28%40SamiAlArian%29%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FSamiAlArian%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1783885342690681172%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3EApril%2026%2C%202024%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fblockquote%3E%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fplatform.twitter.com%5C%2Fwidgets.js%5C%22%20charset%3D%5C%22utf-8%5C%22%3E%3C%5C%2Fscript%3E%22%2C%22endpoint%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fpublish.twitter.com%5C%2Foembed%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22unknown%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FSamiAlArian%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1783885342690681172%22%7D) --><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My wife Nahla in solidarity with the brave and very determined Columbia University students. <a href="https://t.co/ximkHFbZeo">pic.twitter.com/ximkHFbZeo</a></p>&mdash; Sami Al-Arian (@SamiAlArian) <a href="https://twitter.com/SamiAlArian/status/1783885342690681172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><!-- END-BLOCK(oembed)[4] -->
  739. </div></figure>
  740.  
  741.  
  742.  
  743. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-usa-vs-al-arian">USA vs. Al-Arian</h2>
  744.  
  745.  
  746.  
  747. <p>On February 20, 2003, Nahla’s husband, Sami Al-Arian, a professor at the University of South Florida, was arrested and indicted on 53 counts of supporting the armed resistance group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The PIJ had been designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization, and the charges against Al-Arian could have put him in prison for multiple life sentences, plus 225 years. It was a centerpiece case of the George W. Bush administration’s domestic “war on terror.” When John Ashcroft, Bush’s notorious attorney general, announced the indictment, he described the Florida-based scholar as &#8220;the North American leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Sami Al-Arian.&#8221;</p>
  748.  
  749.  
  750.  
  751. <p>Among the charges against him was conspiracy to kill or maim persons abroad, specifically in Israel, yet the prosecutors openly admitted Al-Arian had no connection to any violence. He was a well-known and deeply respected figure in the Tampa community, where he and Nahla raised their family. He was also, like many fellow Palestinians, a tenacious critic of U.S. support for Israel and of the burgeoning “global war on terror.” His arrest came just days before the U.S. invaded Iraq, a war Al-Arian was publicly opposed to.</p>
  752.  
  753.  
  754.  
  755. <p>The Al-Arian case was, at its core, a political attack waged by Bush’s Justice Department as part of a wider assault on the rights of Muslims in the U.S. The government launched a campaign, echoed in media outlets, to portray Al-Arian as a terror leader at a time when the Bush administration was ratcheting up its so-called global war on terror abroad, and when Muslims in the U.S. were being subjected to harassment, surveillance, and abuse. The legal case against Al-Arian was flimsy, and prosecutors largely sought to portray his protected First Amendment speech and charitable activities as terrorism.</p>
  756.  
  757.  
  758.  
  759.  
  760.  
  761.  
  762.  
  763. <p>The trial against Al-Arian, a legal permanent resident in the U.S., did not go well for federal prosecutors. In December 2005, following a six-month trial, a jury acquitted him on eight of the most serious counts and deadlocked 10-2 in favor of acquittal on the other nine. The judge made clear he was not pleased with this outcome, and the prosecutors were intent on relitigating the case. Al-Arian had spent two years in jail already without any conviction and was staring down the prospect of years more.</p>
  764.  
  765.  
  766.  
  767. <p>In the face of this reality and the toll the trial against him had taken on his family, Al-Arian agreed to take a plea deal. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to one count of providing nonviolent support to people the government alleged were affiliated with the PIJ. As part of the deal, Al-Arian would serve a short sentence and, with his residency revoked, get an expedited deportation. At no point during the government’s trial against Al-Arian did the prosecution provide evidence he was connected to any acts of violence.</p>
  768.  
  769.  
  770.  
  771. <p>For the next eight years following his release from prison in 2008, Al-Arian was kept under house arrest and effectively subjected to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna11497329">prosecutorial harassment</a> as the government sought to place him in what his lawyers characterized as a judicial trap by compelling him to testify in a separate case. His defense lawyers alleged the federal prosecutor in the case, who had a penchant for pursuing <a href="https://theintercept.com/2021/07/17/julian-assange-extradition-gordon-kromberg/">high-profile, political cases</a>, held an <a href="https://electronicintifada.net/content/critics-see-vendetta-al-arians-legal-limbo/7603">anti-Palestinian bias</a>. Amnesty International raised concerns that Al-Arian had been <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/amr510832007en.pdf">abused in prison</a> and he faced the prospect of yet another lengthy, costly court battle. The saga would stretch on for several more years before prosecutors ended the case and Al-Arian was deported from the United States.</p>
  772.  
  773.  
  774.  
  775. <p>“This case remains one of the most troubling chapters in this nation’s crackdown after 9-11,” Al-Arian’s lawyer, Jonathan Turley, <a href="https://jonathanturley.org/2014/06/27/federal-court-drops-all-charges-against-dr-sami-al-arian/">wrote in 2014</a> when the case was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ef18665287604dae94f21dd73089054e">officially dropped</a>. “Despite the jury verdict and the agreement reached to allow Dr. Al-Arian to leave the country, the Justice Department continued to fight for his incarceration and for a trial in this case. It will remain one of the most disturbing cases of my career in terms of the actions taken by our government.”</p>
  776.  
  777.  
  778.  
  779. <p>That federal prosecutors approved Al-Arian’s plea deal gave a clear indication that the U.S. government knew Al-Arian was not an actual terrorist, terrorist facilitator, or any kind of threat; the Bush administration, after all, was not in the habit of letting suspected terrorists walk. Al-Arian and his family have always <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/when-your-father-accused-terrorism/">maintained his innocence</a> and say that he was being targeted for his political beliefs and activism on behalf of Palestinians. He resisted the deal, Nahla Al-Arian said.</p>
  780.  
  781.  
  782.  
  783. <p>“He didn&#8217;t even want to accept it. He wanted to move on with another trial,” Nahla said. “But because of our pressure on him, let&#8217;s just get done with it [because] in the end, we&#8217;re going leave anyway. So that&#8217;s why.”</p>
  784.  
  785.  
  786.  
  787. <p>Sami and Nahla Al-Arian now live in Turkey. Sami is not allowed to visit his children and grandchildren stateside, but Nahla visits often.</p>
  788.  
  789.  
  790.  
  791. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nypd-smear-campaign">NYPD Smear Campaign</h2>
  792.  
  793.  
  794.  
  795. <figure class="wp-block-ft-photo is-style-default">
  796.  <img decoding="async"
  797.    src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23284229259138.jpg?fit=6000%2C4000&#038;w=1200"
  798.    srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23284229259138.jpg?w=6000 6000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23284229259138.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23284229259138.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23284229259138.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23284229259138.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23284229259138.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23284229259138.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23284229259138.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23284229259138.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23284229259138.jpg?w=3600 3600w"
  799.    sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)"
  800.    alt="New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks at a &#039;New York Stands With Israel&#039; vigil and rally on October 10, 2023 in New York City. Around the country and world, supporters of Israel are attending gatherings to show support for Israel following last weekends attacks by Palestinian militants that has left hundreds of civilians dead and over a hundred hostages taken into Gaza. (Photo by Ron Adar / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)"
  801.    width=""
  802.    height=""
  803.    loading="lazy"
  804.  data-recalc-dims="1" />
  805.      <figcaption class="photo__figcaption">
  806.              <span class="photo__caption">New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks at a “New York Stands With Israel” vigil and rally on Oct. 10, 2023, in NYC. </span>
  807.                    <span class="photo__credit">Ron Adar/Sipa via AP</span>
  808.          </figcaption>
  809.  </figure>
  810.  
  811.  
  812.  
  813. <p>The night of the raids on Columbia, police and other city officials began leaking to journalists that the wife of a convicted terrorist was on the campus, cavorting with the student protesters who had seized Hamilton Hall.</p>
  814.  
  815.  
  816.  
  817. <p>A reporter for CBS News tweeted the allegation, citing City Hall sources. During a <a href="https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lcl/date/2024-05-01/segment/02#:~:text=CNN%20on%20the,Columbia%20University%20students.">broadcast on CNN</a> late that night, the network showed Sami Al-Arian’s tweet with Nahla’s picture. “We&#8217;re learning tonight that the wife of an indicted terrorist was on the campus,” <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronjmate/status/1785526485367050385">said</a> host Laura Coates, adding that “a source” had tipped off CNN about Al-Arian’s tweet. (CNN and Coates, a former federal prosecutor, did not respond to requests for comment.)</p>
  818.  
  819.  
  820.  
  821. <p>Nahla was asleep in Virginia when the raids at Columbia unfolded and was unaware that she was becoming a figure in the emerging New York Police Department and media narratives. In the middle of the night, she checked her family’s WhatsApp group where her daughter had posted the since-deleted tweet from the CBS reporter and a clip from the CNN segment showing her photo.</p>
  822.  
  823.  
  824.  
  825. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right"><blockquote><p>“I felt betrayed by the authorities who resort to using these kinds of tricks, illegitimate, illegal tricks, shameful, shameful methods to attack those students.”</p></blockquote></figure>
  826.  
  827.  
  828.  
  829. <p>“I woke up at 2 a.m. And, unfortunately, I took my phone and I looked. I was shocked. I couldn&#8217;t sleep for two or three hours,” she said. “I stayed awake feeling very depressed and feeling very shocked. I don&#8217;t care about myself. I care about those students that I admired. I didn&#8217;t want any harm to happen to them because of me or anyone else. And I felt betrayed by the authorities who resort to using these kinds of tricks, illegitimate, illegal tricks, shameful, shameful methods to attack those students. So I felt betrayed and angry. Is that the America that we believe in, the democracy?”</p>
  830.  
  831.  
  832.  
  833. <p>In a blitz of interviews the next two mornings, Adams, the New York mayor, repeatedly mentioned Al-Arian’s presence at Columbia and said it was a crucial part of his decision to authorize the military-style raid on the building. As evidence of “outside agitators” directing the protests, Adam cited Al-Arian as the one specific example to make his case.</p>
  834.  
  835.  
  836.  
  837. <p>“One of the individuals&#8217; husband was arrested for and convicted for terrorism on a federal level,” Adams said on MSNBC’s “<a href="https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/-we-had-to-do-something-nyc-mayor-cites-outside-agitators-student-safety-as-reason-for-arrests-210033221503">Morning Joe</a>.” “I knew that there was no way I was going to allow those children to be exploited the way they were being exploited, and many people thought that this was just a natural evolution of a protest. It was not. These were professionals that were here.”</p>
  838.  
  839.  
  840.  
  841. <p>Adams echoed the tone and tenor of his remarks on “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a39aH_SjEjk">CBS Mornings</a>,” but on NPR’s “<a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/05/02/1248634146/columbia-university-mayor-eric-adams-nypd-student-arrests">Morning Edition</a>,” Adams went further, saying Nahla’s presence at Columbia was the impetus for the raid.</p>
  842.  
  843.  
  844.  
  845. <p>“What really was a tipping point for me was when I learned that one of the outside agitator’s, professional’s husband was arrested for federal terrorism charges,” he said. “I knew I could not sit back and state that I&#8217;m going to allow this to continue to escalate. That is why I made that determination” — to raid the campus. (The mayor&#8217;s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)</p>
  846.  
  847.  
  848.  
  849.  
  850.  
  851.  
  852.  
  853. <p>“The mayor’s inflammatory comments about my mother’s brief visit to Columbia are being used to justify the heavy-handed and repressive police raid of the student protest,” said Laila Al-Arian, Nahla’s daughter. “It’s equally shameful that some journalists are simply regurgitating these sensationalist claims that are intended to smear students protesting Israel’s daily killing and maiming of Palestinians in Gaza.”</p>
  854.  
  855.  
  856.  
  857. <p>In a <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/337-24/transcript-mayor-eric-adams-briefs-media-recent-protests-columbia-university-nypd">press conference</a> on May 1, the NYPD acknowledged that Nahla Al-Arian was not on the campus during the raids, but continued to use her visit the previous week as a justification for the police assault on the protests. “Last week there was the wife of somebody who had been convicted for material support to terrorism on campus,” said Rebecca Weiner, the NYPD deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism. “We have no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing on her part, but that&#8217;s not somebody who I would want necessarily influencing my child if I were a parent of somebody at Columbia.”</p>
  858.  
  859.  
  860.  
  861. <p>The smear campaign against Nahla went far and wide online, particularly in the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/columbia-rot-display-deported-terrorist-professor-praises-wife-joining-mob">right-wing</a> media and <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1785504227244052872">social media</a> ecosystem. The <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/05/20/israel-shireen-abu-akleh-journalist-killing-antisemitism/">Israeli actor </a>Noa Tishby <a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanACBrown/status/1786156580481663148">posted a video</a> featuring the picture of Nahla’s visit to Columbia and falsely said she had been “convicted with connections to terrorism financing.” Nahla has never been convicted or charged with any crimes.</p>
  862.  
  863.  
  864.  
  865. <p>The New York Post ran an <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/05/01/us-news/wife-of-convicted-terrorist-was-at-columbia-encampment-before-raid/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=nypost">article</a> with the headline: “Wife of convicted terrorist Sami Al-Arian was hanging out at Columbia encampment before dramatic raid.&#8221;</p>
  866.  
  867.  
  868.  
  869. <!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[2](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22israel-palestine%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class="promote-banner">
  870.    <a class="promote-banner__link" href="https://theintercept.com/collections/israel-palestine/">
  871.              <span class="promote-banner__image">
  872.          <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="150" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=5760 5760w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=3600 3600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />        </span>
  873.            <div class="promote-banner__text">
  874.                  <p class="promote-banner__eyebrow">
  875.            Read our complete coverage          </p>
  876.        
  877.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Israel’s War on Gaza</h2>
  878.      </div>
  879.    </a>
  880.  </aside>
  881. <!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[2] -->
  882.  
  883.  
  884.  
  885. <p>For Nahla and the Al-Arian family, none of this is shocking. They have endured more than 20 years of surveillance and trials that have displaced and scattered the family, continuing a long history of what happened to them and other Palestinians throughout the<a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/03/20/intercepted-israel-palestine-human-rights/"> past 75 years</a>. The Al-Arians themselves are descendants of Palestinians expelled from their homes during the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/11/25/tantura-movie-israel-palestine/">1948 Nakba</a>.</p>
  886.  
  887.  
  888.  
  889. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[3](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22left%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-left" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="left"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[3] -->“They just distract people so people will not think about what&#8217;s happening in Gaza.”<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[3] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[3] -->
  890.  
  891.  
  892.  
  893. <p>Even as they express outrage at how Nahla was smeared, the Al-Arian family is quick to point out that their suffering pales in comparison to the Palestinians of Gaza, including the scores of their own family members who have died in an Israeli war fueled by the U.S. government.</p>
  894.  
  895.  
  896.  
  897. <p>“I just feel angry because I am being used to hurt those students, to find an excuse to invade their place and to arrest those students. And I feel so terrible,” Nahla said. “It&#8217;s also a distraction from the genocide that&#8217;s happening in Gaza. Just focusing on a stupid thing like this — they just distract people so people will not think about what&#8217;s happening in Gaza. The killing that&#8217;s still happening every day, every minute, that destruction. I can&#8217;t believe it. They focus on my story and they ignore the most depressing story, which is the killing of innocent people. This is shameful.”</p>
  898. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/nyc-eric-adams-columbia-outside-agitator-al-arian/">NYC Mayor Smeared a Grandmother as an “Outside Agitator” to Justify NYPD Assault on Columbia</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  899. ]]></content:encoded>
  900.                                <wfw:commentRss>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/nyc-eric-adams-columbia-outside-agitator-al-arian/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  901.                <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  902.                <media:content url='https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image1-e1714760520949.jpeg?fit=4032%2C2016' width='4032' height='2016' /><post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">467776</post-id>
  903. <media:thumbnail url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image1-e1714760520949.jpeg?w=1200" />
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  905. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/df78dec7-b519-413a-b646-e1ef2ddbe3f5-e1714757834188.jpeg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  906. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150032227-e1714843444606.jpg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  907. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23284229259138.jpg?fit=6000%2C4000&#038;w=1200" medium="image">
  908. <media:title type="html">New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks at a &#039;New York Stands With Israel&#039; vigil and rally on October 10, 2023 in New York City. Around the country and world, supporters of Israel are attending gatherings to show support for Israel following last weekends attacks by Palestinian militants that has left hundreds of civilians dead and over a hundred hostages taken into Gaza. (Photo by Ron Adar / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)</media:title>
  909. </media:content>
  910. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" medium="image">
  911. <media:title type="html">DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)</media:title>
  912. </media:content>
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  914.        
  915.            <item>
  916.                <title><![CDATA[AIPAC’s Next Top Target? Rep. Jamaal Bowman]]></title>
  917.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/aipac-jamaal-bowman-primary-israel/</link>
  918.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/aipac-jamaal-bowman-primary-israel/#respond</comments>
  919.                <pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  920.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Akela Lacy]]></dc:creator>
  921.                                 <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  922. <category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
  923.  
  924.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467654</guid>
  925.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>The Israel lobby is expected to start a $20 million ad blitz backing its handpicked candidate against the incumbent Squad member.</p>
  926. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/aipac-jamaal-bowman-primary-israel/">AIPAC’s Next Top Target? Rep. Jamaal Bowman</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  927. ]]></description>
  928.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  929. <p><u>The American Israel</u> Public Affairs Committee is expected to launch its first ads in the coming weeks against its next top target this cycle: Rep. Jamaal Bowman in New York’s 16th Congressional District.</p>
  930.  
  931.  
  932.  
  933. <p>AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, is expected to run new ads against Bowman, a member of the progressive “Squad,” as the Democratic primary election for the solidly blue House seat approaches next month, according to Bowman’s campaign and another source with knowledge of the race.</p>
  934.  
  935.  
  936.  
  937. <p>“We’ve heard from inside sources that AIPAC is planning to spend up to $25 million dollars against Congressman Bowman, making this the most expensive House primary in U.S. history,” Bowman campaign manager Gabe Tobias said in a statement to The Intercept. “Their MAGA billionaire donors are spending everything they have against us because they know that Jamaal Bowman speaks for a majority of Democratic voters — from a ceasefire in Gaza to Medicare for All — and that our Democratic coalition can only be defeated with millions of dollars spent to divide our communities.”</p>
  938.  
  939.  
  940.  
  941. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22right%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-right" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="right"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[0] -->“Their MAGA billionaire donors are spending everything they have against us because they know that Jamaal Bowman speaks for a majority of Democratic voters.”<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[0] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[0] -->
  942.  
  943.  
  944.  
  945. <p>Bowman’s challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, was recruited by AIPAC. The group has helped Latimer raise just under $1 million so far, including almost<a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/02/01/george-latimer-aipac-donors-jamaal-bowman/"> </a><a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/02/01/george-latimer-aipac-donors-jamaal-bowman/">half of his total contributions</a> in the final quarter of 2023 and about a quarter of his total haul so far.</p>
  946.  
  947.  
  948.  
  949. <p>Latimer has raised $3.6 million to Bowman’s $2.7 million, including from<a href="https://jacobin.com/2024/04/maga-bowman-democrats-latimer-congress"> Republican donors</a> and supporters of former President Donald Trump. The two will face off in the primary on June 25. (Neither the United Democracy Project nor Latimer’s campaign responded to requests for comment.)</p>
  950.  
  951.  
  952.  
  953. <p>AIPAC planned to spend at least $100 million this cycle to<a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/09/21/aipac-cbc-progressive-black-democrats/"> oust members of the Squad</a>, who have led calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. military support for Israel. The lobby group’s threat would make it the largest player in the Democratic Party primary season. The group, however, has now distanced itself from the pledge after one of its top targets, Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/23/summer-lee-primary-win-aipac/">won her primary </a>last week.</p>
  954.  
  955.  
  956.  
  957. <p>AIPAC spent<a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/01/25/aipac-summer-lee-fundraising-squad/"> $5 million</a> against Lee in 2022 and had tried and <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/09/21/aipac-cbc-progressive-black-democrats/">failed to recruit </a>at least two candidates to challenge her this cycle. AIPAC had reportedly <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/02/01/summer-lee-primary-bhavini-patel-republican/">been in touch</a> with challenger Bhavini Patel’s campaign, but Patel has not said whether the group recruited her to run against Lee. And AIPAC withheld a formal endorsement in the race.</p>
  958.  
  959.  
  960.  
  961.  
  962.  
  963.  
  964. <p>The lack of an endorsement allowed AIPAC to claim a total victory in Pennsylvania; after Patel’s loss, AIPAC celebrated without mentioning the Pittsburgh race. The group posted on Twitter that all six of its endorsed candidates in Pennsylvania had won their races. “Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics!” AIPAC<a href="https://twitter.com/AIPAC/status/1782936805953662993"> tweeted</a>.</p>
  965.  
  966.  
  967.  
  968. <p>“The policies AIPAC stands for are deeply unpopular with Democratic voters, that’s why their ads don’t mention Israel ever,” Lee <a href="https://x.com/SummerForPA/status/1785412418857791755">tweeted</a> on Tuesday. “You know what Dem voters overwhelmingly support? A permanent ceasefire now. Conditioning military funding to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. Policies that we’ve led on from the beginning. AIPAC is livid that our Democratic voters are not aligned with their Republican megadonors who want to send billions in bombs &amp; weapons to incite another endless war abroad. Being pro-peace and anti-war is what our voters want.”</p>
  969.  
  970.  
  971.  
  972.  
  973.  
  974.  
  975.  
  976. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gop-cash-attacking-the-squad">GOP Cash, Attacking the Squad</h2>
  977.  
  978.  
  979.  
  980. <p>Following Lee’s victory, AIPAC is now focusing its efforts on ousting Bowman, but other members of the Squad remain in its sights. The group is also targeting Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., and backing her opponent Wesley Bell, but that primary won’t take place until August.</p>
  981.  
  982.  
  983.  
  984. <p>AIPAC is expected to spend at least $20 million in each race, according to Democratic operatives with knowledge of both primaries. The group was also expected to put significant resources into ousting Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. Tlaib has two challengers who have not yet had to report fundraising numbers, including one who was a write-in candidate in the 2018 primary that Tlaib won. Omar has far outraised her opponents, including her AIPAC-backed challenger from 2022,<a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/04/15/minnesota-policing-ilhan-omar-reelection-don-samuels/"> </a><a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/04/15/minnesota-policing-ilhan-omar-reelection-don-samuels/">Don Samuels</a>.</p>
  985.  
  986.  
  987. <!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[3](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22israel-palestine%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class="promote-banner">
  988.    <a class="promote-banner__link" href="https://theintercept.com/collections/israel-palestine/">
  989.              <span class="promote-banner__image">
  990.          <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="150" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=5760 5760w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=3600 3600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />        </span>
  991.            <div class="promote-banner__text">
  992.                  <p class="promote-banner__eyebrow">
  993.            Read our complete coverage          </p>
  994.        
  995.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Israel’s War on Gaza</h2>
  996.      </div>
  997.    </a>
  998.  </aside>
  999. <!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[3] -->
  1000.  
  1001.  
  1002.  
  1003. <p>&#8220;AIPAC started this cycle promising to take out every single member of the Squad and they have already failed at that goal with Summer&#8217;s resounding victory last week,” said Usamah Andrabi, the communications director of Justice Democrats, a progressive group that backs the Squad members, in a statement to The Intercept. “Now, their Republican billionaire megadonors want to go all-in to make up for their failures by trying to defeat a former middle school principal and educator because nothing is a greater threat to right-wing power than everyday people having a megaphone in Washington through a Congressman Jamaal Bowman and Congresswoman Cori Bush.&#8221;</p>
  1004.  
  1005.  
  1006.  
  1007. <p>Bowman is one of the reasons AIPAC started spending directly on elections after having been primarily focused on lobbying, one of the group’s longtime directors wrote in a<a href="https://jcpa.org/article/the-evolution-of-aipacs-political-operation-in-washington-over-50-years-an-eyewitness-perspective/"> blog post</a> in 2022. Bowman’s ouster of longtime AIPAC <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/06/19/eliot-engel-foreign-policy-israel/">stalwart Rep. Eliot Engel</a>, D-N.Y., in 2020 came as a shock to the group, which launched its new political action committees the next cycle.</p>
  1008.  
  1009.  
  1010.  
  1011. <p>As AIPAC has started to spend directly on elections, the group aligned itself with far-right Republicans. During the 2022 cycle, AIPAC endorsed more than 100 Republicans who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.</p>
  1012.  
  1013.  
  1014.  
  1015.  
  1016.  
  1017.  
  1018. <p>Since then, AIPAC-supported Democratic primary candidates have taken support from the most extreme wing of the GOP, including donors who have supported Republicans like Trump; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; and Republican Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake. Patel <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/02/01/summer-lee-primary-bhavini-patel-republican/">encouraged</a> Republicans to switch parties to vote in the primary against Lee, and an AIPAC donor <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/12/08/aipac-donor-jamaal-bowman-primary/">urged Republicans to switch parties</a> to vote against Bowman.</p>
  1019.  
  1020.  
  1021.  
  1022. <p>Latimer, for his part, has raised money from Republicans while trying to distance himself from the party. Trump fundraiser Steve Louro, who has given $5,000 to Latimer’s campaign, announced earlier this month that his Republican friend would host a fundraiser for Latimer in May. Latimer’s campaign distanced themself from Louro’s invitation and said they had no control over who hosts the fundraiser.</p>
  1023.  
  1024.  
  1025.  
  1026. <p>Latimer has raised more than $80,000 from donors who supported Trump and more than $200,000 from other Republican donors. One of more than a dozen <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/19/john-fetterman-israel-gop-donors/">Republicans who recently gave to Democratic Sen. John Fetterman’s campaign</a> told The Intercept he recently switched his party registration to Democrat so he could vote against Bowman.</p>
  1027. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/aipac-jamaal-bowman-primary-israel/">AIPAC’s Next Top Target? Rep. Jamaal Bowman</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  1028. ]]></content:encoded>
  1029.                                <wfw:commentRss>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/aipac-jamaal-bowman-primary-israel/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  1030.                <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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  1038. <media:title type="html">DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)</media:title>
  1039. </media:content>
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  1042.        
  1043.            <item>
  1044.                <title><![CDATA[From UCLA to Columbia, Professors Nationwide Defend Students as Politicians and Police Attack]]></title>
  1045.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/02/professors-students-gaza-university-protests-columbia/</link>
  1046.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/02/professors-students-gaza-university-protests-columbia/#respond</comments>
  1047.                <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 21:15:55 +0000</pubDate>
  1048.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Prem Thakker]]></dc:creator>
  1049.                                 <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  1050.  
  1051.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467676</guid>
  1052.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>University faculty have put their bodies and livelihoods on the line amid a brutal, violent response to student protests for Gaza.</p>
  1053. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/02/professors-students-gaza-university-protests-columbia/">From UCLA to Columbia, Professors Nationwide Defend Students as Politicians and Police Attack</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  1054. ]]></description>
  1055.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  1056. <p><span class="has-underline">Fireworks launched into</span> a group of students. Mace. Vicious slurs and unabated assault. A pro-Israel mob enacted this and more upon the pro-Palestine encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles on Tuesday night, as the police stood by and let it happen.</p>
  1057.  
  1058.  
  1059.  
  1060. <p>The scenes inspired outrage across the country, and even California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized the police for failing to respond to the attacks. Undeterred by the violence, the students stood their ground in the encampment, a show of solidarity with the people of Gaza. They were joined by university employees who <a href="https://twitter.com/PiperSFrench/status/1785831334843199844">raised a banner</a> that read “We stand with our students.” The UCLA chapter of Faculty for Justice in Palestine <a href="https://twitter.com/nsdoud/status/1785731395467481250">called for a day of strike</a> in solidarity with their students and in protest of the administration. By Wednesday night, the police finally responded: shooting rubber bullets and tear gas at the pro-Palestine students who had just been assaulted the day before.&nbsp;</p>
  1061.  
  1062.  
  1063.  
  1064. <p>The faculty intervention at UCLA is just one of the latest examples of college professors putting their bodies and livelihoods on the line in defense of their students who are protesting their tax and tuition dollars contributing to a plausible genocide. At schools across the country, faculty have locked arms to form a protective barrier in front of their students and have been arrested and brutalized themselves.</p>
  1065.  
  1066.  
  1067.  
  1068. <p>“This moment has actually brought faculty together in a way I’ve never experienced in 20 years on campus. I’ve found myself working closely with colleagues I’d never met before,” Columbia University history professor Nara Milanich told The Intercept. “People have dropped everything to support students and respond to this moment.”</p>
  1069.  
  1070.  
  1071.  
  1072.  
  1073.  
  1074.  
  1075.  
  1076. <p>The groundswell of faculty support has come amid demonstrations at over 154 university campuses nationwide. The student protesters have called on their schools to cut financial ties with Israel, whose war on Gaza has so far killed more than 34,000 people. University administrations — propelled by Republicans, who have maintained <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/04/republicans-congress-palestine-israel-double-standard/">carnal hunger for more war</a>, as well as moderate Democrats — have in response sicced riot police armed with tear gas, stun grenades, and even snipers onto America’s students. The militarized response reached an apex on Tuesday night, when police, with a megatruck in tow, invaded Columbia’s campus and removed students occupying Hamilton Hall, an action inspired by past protests against the Vietnam War, racism, and apartheid South Africa.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
  1077.  
  1078.  
  1079.  
  1080. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  1081. <!-- BLOCK(oembed)[3](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22OEMBED%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22EMBED%22%7D)(%7B%22embedHtml%22%3A%22%3Cblockquote%20class%3D%5C%22twitter-tweet%5C%22%20data-width%3D%5C%22550%5C%22%20data-dnt%3D%5C%22true%5C%22%3E%3Cp%20lang%3D%5C%22en%5C%22%20dir%3D%5C%22ltr%5C%22%3EThere%20have%20now%20been%20Palestine%20solidarity%20%26amp%3B%20anti-war%20student%20actions%20on%20at%20least%20154%20U.S.%20college%20campuses%20in%20the%20past%20two%20weeks%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ft.co%5C%2FYTBOZFE6VP%5C%22%3Epic.twitter.com%5C%2FYTBOZFE6VP%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fp%3E%26mdash%3B%20Prem%20Thakker%20%28%40prem_thakker%29%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2Fprem_thakker%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1786108972266578314%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3EMay%202%2C%202024%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fblockquote%3E%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fplatform.twitter.com%5C%2Fwidgets.js%5C%22%20charset%3D%5C%22utf-8%5C%22%3E%3C%5C%2Fscript%3E%22%2C%22endpoint%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fpublish.twitter.com%5C%2Foembed%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22unknown%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2Fprem_thakker%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1786108972266578314%22%7D) --><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There have now been Palestine solidarity &amp; anti-war student actions on at least 154 U.S. college campuses in the past two weeks <a href="https://t.co/YTBOZFE6VP">pic.twitter.com/YTBOZFE6VP</a></p>&mdash; Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) <a href="https://twitter.com/prem_thakker/status/1786108972266578314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><!-- END-BLOCK(oembed)[3] -->
  1082. </div></figure>
  1083.  
  1084.  
  1085.  
  1086. <p>Milanich described the raid as “authoritarian political theater” and said it sickened her that administrators had not only invited the “charade,” but were also defending it. Since Tuesday, she noted, the entire main campus has been closed to faculty, staff, and students other than those who live on it.&nbsp;</p>
  1087.  
  1088.  
  1089.  
  1090. <p>“The only folks on campus are the police. This feels like as good a representation as any of the administration’s handling of the situation. Our campus no longer belongs to faculty, staff, and students; it has become an occupied zone ceded to the NYPD.”</p>
  1091.  
  1092.  
  1093.  
  1094. <p><span class="has-underline">For the faculty</span> at Columbia, President Nemat Minouche Shafik’s <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/17/columbia-antisemitism-hearing-congress/">testimony </a>in front of the GOP-led House Committee on Education and Workforce on April 17 was a turning point. During the hearing Shafik and her colleagues David Schizer, Claire Shipman, and David Greenwald seldom advocated for their students and faculty, failing to challenge the hearing’s unproven premise that Columbia was plagued by rampant antisemitism and accepting the idea that they <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/18/columbia-suspends-ilhan-omar-daughter-gaza-encampment/">needed to crack down harder on students</a>. “President Shafik had an opportunity to defend the basic values of the university and instead she totally capitulated to a group of congress people with their own agendas,” Milanich wrote in a message.</p>
  1095.  
  1096.  
  1097.  
  1098.  <div class="promote-related-post">
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  1105.              <img decoding="async" width="440" height="440" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150913450_d200d0-e1714589576410.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" loading="lazy" />            <span class="promo-related-post__text">
  1106.      <h2 class="promote-related-post__eyebrow">
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  1109.    </span>
  1110.    </a>
  1111.  </div>
  1112.  
  1113.  
  1114.  
  1115. <p>The police raid the next day, during which more than 100 students were arrested, only intensified the faculty’s fury. Theater professor Shayoni Mitra said faculty came together across ranks, schools, disciplines, and ideologies in outrage and collectivity in a way she hadn’t seen before:  <a href="https://x.com/JoshuaPHilll/status/1782483847361462332">faculty walkouts</a>, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/22/gaza-protests-arrests-columbia-law-school/">dissent</a> from permanent law school professors, condemnation from <a href="https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1784313155608293828">scientists</a> around the world, and even mass global academic <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jvYNy_3KxUQu4d0fgBZQlmMXXOGleip35_7lB2WobrQ/edit">boycotts</a> against the school. “We do not stand behind this militarization of campus,” Mitra said. “We stand behind our students.”</p>
  1116.  
  1117.  
  1118.  
  1119. <p>Faculty and students alike have been especially troubled by the perception that their administrators are not only refusing to affirmatively defend them from external attacks, but are also actively welcoming them. For example, after getting bludgeoned by Republicans for allegedly overseeing a campus rife with antisemitism — and then inviting the mass arrest of pro-Palestinian protesters — Shafik then allowed Republicans House Speaker Mike Johnson, Virginia Foxx, Mike Lawler, Nicole Malliotakis, and Anthony D’Esposito to deliver a press conference at the center of Columbia’s campus. While being met by boos, the Republicans used their platform to condemn Shafik, and the students she oversees, and to call for her resignation.</p>
  1120.  
  1121.  
  1122.  
  1123. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  1124. <!-- BLOCK(oembed)[4](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22OEMBED%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22EMBED%22%7D)(%7B%22embedHtml%22%3A%22%3Cblockquote%20class%3D%5C%22twitter-tweet%5C%22%20data-width%3D%5C%22550%5C%22%20data-dnt%3D%5C%22true%5C%22%3E%3Cp%20lang%3D%5C%22en%5C%22%20dir%3D%5C%22ltr%5C%22%3EAs%20GOP%20Reps.%20Johnson%2C%20Foxx%2C%20Malliotakis%2C%20D%26%2339%3BEsposito%2C%20and%20Lawler%20leave%20Columbia%2C%20a%20voice%20bellows%3A%20%26quot%3BThat%26%2339%3Bs%20right%20get%20the%20fuck%20out%20of%20here.%5Cu201d%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3ECrowd%20cheers.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAll%205%20Reps%20have%20had%20no%20issue%20with%20Israeli%20forces%20killing%2034%2C000%20people%20in%20Palestine%20or%20Trump%26%2339%3Bs%20friendliness%20with%20antisemitism.%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ft.co%5C%2Fsqmv7VAMcb%5C%22%3Epic.twitter.com%5C%2Fsqmv7VAMcb%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fp%3E%26mdash%3B%20Prem%20Thakker%20%28%40prem_thakker%29%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2Fprem_thakker%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1783261858616500525%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3EApril%2024%2C%202024%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fblockquote%3E%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fplatform.twitter.com%5C%2Fwidgets.js%5C%22%20charset%3D%5C%22utf-8%5C%22%3E%3C%5C%2Fscript%3E%22%2C%22endpoint%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fpublish.twitter.com%5C%2Foembed%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22unknown%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2Fprem_thakker%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1783261858616500525%22%7D) --><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As GOP Reps. Johnson, Foxx, Malliotakis, D&#39;Esposito, and Lawler leave Columbia, a voice bellows: &quot;That&#39;s right get the fuck out of here.”<br><br>Crowd cheers.<br><br>All 5 Reps have had no issue with Israeli forces killing 34,000 people in Palestine or Trump&#39;s friendliness with antisemitism. <a href="https://t.co/sqmv7VAMcb">pic.twitter.com/sqmv7VAMcb</a></p>&mdash; Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) <a href="https://twitter.com/prem_thakker/status/1783261858616500525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><!-- END-BLOCK(oembed)[4] -->
  1125. </div></figure>
  1126.  
  1127.  
  1128.  
  1129. <p>“We need to reclaim our campus from outside groups — congresspeople engaged in political theater; agitators on social media; the NYPD —&nbsp;so that faculty and students can get back to the critical business of the university: teaching and learning,” Milanich said.</p>
  1130.  
  1131.  
  1132.  
  1133. <!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[1](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22israel-palestine%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class="promote-banner">
  1134.    <a class="promote-banner__link" href="https://theintercept.com/collections/israel-palestine/">
  1135.              <span class="promote-banner__image">
  1136.          <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="150" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=5760 5760w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=3600 3600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />        </span>
  1137.            <div class="promote-banner__text">
  1138.                  <p class="promote-banner__eyebrow">
  1139.            Read our complete coverage          </p>
  1140.        
  1141.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Israel’s War on Gaza</h2>
  1142.      </div>
  1143.    </a>
  1144.  </aside>
  1145. <!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[1] -->
  1146.  
  1147.  
  1148.  
  1149. <p>This week, after Shafik announced the end of negotiations between the school and students over their divestment demands, faculty <a href="https://x.com/probablyreadit/status/1785010511014445226">locked arms</a> to defend their students from being evicted from their protest encampment. Later that night, students took over <a href="https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1785185190815359313">Hamilton Hall</a>. Columbia once again escalated, inviting <a href="https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1785480680496885765">hordes</a> of police onto campus to <a href="https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1785510218140454994">sweep</a> the building and the campus encampments. In the process, the school cleared out the campus, blocking faculty from stepping in to defend their students and journalists from capturing the events as they unfolded.&nbsp;</p>
  1150.  
  1151.  
  1152.  
  1153. <p>&#8220;The university has chosen to escalate at every turn here,&#8221; said Bassam Khawaja, a lecturer at Columbia Law School. &#8220;These measures seem much more disruptive to campus life than the original encampment.&#8221;</p>
  1154.  
  1155.  
  1156.  
  1157. <figure class="wp-block-ft-photo is-style-default">
  1158.  <img decoding="async"
  1159.    src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2149571350.jpg?fit=3208%2C2313&#038;w=1200"
  1160.    srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2149571350.jpg?w=3208 3208w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2149571350.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2149571350.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2149571350.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2149571350.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2149571350.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2149571350.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2149571350.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2149571350.jpg?w=2400 2400w"
  1161.    sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)"
  1162.    alt="Police officers detain a demonstrator during a pro-Palestinian protest against the war in Gaza at Emory University on April 25, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. College campuses across the US braced for fresh protests by pro-Palestinian students, extending a week of increasingly confrontational standoffs with police, mass arrests and accusations of anti-Semitism. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage / AFP) (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)"
  1163.    width=""
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  1166.  data-recalc-dims="1" />
  1167.      <figcaption class="photo__figcaption">
  1168.              <span class="photo__caption">Police officers detain a demonstrator during a pro-Palestinian protest against the war in Gaza at Emory University on April 25, 2024, in Atlanta.</span>
  1169.                    <span class="photo__credit">Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images</span>
  1170.          </figcaption>
  1171.  </figure>
  1172.  
  1173.  
  1174.  
  1175. <p><span class="has-underline">What started at</span> Columbia quickly spread across the country — both the protest encampments, and the disproportionate, haphazard violent police response. At Northeastern University, officers arrested 100 students on the pretense of antisemitic hate speech that was <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/pro-israel-agitator-shouts-kill-the-jews-gets-everyone-else-arrested">actually</a> espoused by a pro-Israel agitator. At Virginia Commonwealth University, swarms of officers were deployed to <a href="https://x.com/Esqueer_/status/1785134880977821871">barrage and tear gas</a> students under the auspices of restoring order during “finals week.” At Emory University, officers were seen brutalizing protesters, including by <a href="https://x.com/JoshuaPHilll/status/1783518484137226284">tasing</a> an already restrained Black student. At Indiana University Bloomington and <a href="https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/education/2024/04/26/ohio-state-students-anti-israel-protest-arrests-campus-police/73468400007/">Ohio State</a>, officers were posted on roofs with long-range rifles trained upon the students below.&nbsp;</p>
  1176.  
  1177.  
  1178.  
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  1187.      <h2 class="promote-related-post__eyebrow">
  1188.        Related      </h2>
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  1190.    </span>
  1191.    </a>
  1192.  </div>
  1193.  
  1194.  
  1195.  
  1196. <p>At almost every turn, college professors flocked to protest sites to protect their students. At Emory, a professor who saw police pinning a student to the ground asked officers what they were doing, all to be <a href="https://x.com/RobertMackey/status/1783684235938894086">thrown down and arrested</a> herself. At Washington University in St. Louis, a professor who was filming police was<a href="https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1785397144515469402"> brutally beaten, slammed, and dragged</a> across campus —&nbsp;reportedly suffering broken ribs and a broken hand. At Dartmouth University, officers <a href="https://x.com/RossWMUR/status/1785846654274326612">threw</a> to the ground and arrested 65-year-old labor historian and former head of Jewish Studies Annelise Orleck.</p>
  1197.  
  1198.  
  1199.  
  1200. <p>“Those cops were brutal to me. I promise I did absolutely nothing wrong.&nbsp;I was standing with a line of women faculty in &#8230; their 60s to 80s trying to protect our students. I have now been banned from the campus where I have taught for 34 years,” Orleck <a href="https://x.com/AnneliseOrleck1/status/1785901354336104489">said</a>.</p>
  1201.  
  1202.  
  1203.  
  1204. <p>At Northwestern University, as police began pursuing arrests for students conducting an encampment last week, a group of professors linked arms to defend the protest. “You will not touch our students,” insisted Steven Thrasher, Daniel Renberg chair of social justice in reporting at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.</p>
  1205.  
  1206.  
  1207.  
  1208. <p>Thrasher told The Intercept that he was moved to action partially in response to the politicians who were fanning the flames against student protesters. He<strong> </strong>said he was “appalled” by President Joe Biden’s knee-jerk condemnation of antisemitism on campus in response to the Columbia encampment, which Thrasher had visited. He also blamed Johnson, the House speaker, for stoking “all this fear and anxiety into a moral panic” during his press conference at Columbia.</p>
  1209.  
  1210.  
  1211.  
  1212. <p>“Young people are overwhelmingly for the end of the genocide in Gaza,” Thrasher said. “And President Biden is campaigning as if he&#8217;s the only thing between fascism that will come with Donald Trump — but he&#8217;s enacting the fascism. He&#8217;s the one that&#8217;s trying to whip up hysteria and make people frightened.”</p>
  1213.  
  1214.  
  1215.  
  1216.  
  1217.  
  1218.  
  1219.  
  1220. <p><span class="has-underline">On Monday, over</span> 500 faculty at the University of Texas at Austin <a href="https://thetexan.news/issues/education/over-500-ut-austin-faculty-sign-letter-of-no-confidence-in-university-president-jay-hartzell/article_e43ba4b0-0666-11ef-9831-9b22dca4c2c8.html">expressed</a> no confidence in President Jay Hartzell, following the arrests of 57 students on campus last week. That same day, police once again returned to campus, this time using pepper spray and flash-bang grenades on students, dragging them across their own campus in the scorching heat as student medics donning pink shirts rushed to aid their classmates.</p>
  1221.  
  1222.  
  1223.  
  1224. <p>Amid the chaos, and beyond simply standing for their students’ right to protest, the school’s faculty hosted a silent demonstration calling directly for an end to the war in Gaza and to commemorate professors who have been killed there.</p>
  1225.  
  1226.  
  1227.  
  1228. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  1229. <!-- BLOCK(oembed)[5](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22OEMBED%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22EMBED%22%7D)(%7B%22embedHtml%22%3A%22%3Cblockquote%20class%3D%5C%22twitter-tweet%5C%22%20data-width%3D%5C%22550%5C%22%20data-dnt%3D%5C%22true%5C%22%3E%3Cp%20lang%3D%5C%22en%5C%22%20dir%3D%5C%22ltr%5C%22%3EUT%20Austin%20faculty%20and%20staff%20hold%20silent%20demonstration%20calling%20for%20an%20end%20to%20the%20war%20in%20Gaza.%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EThe%20building%20behind%20them%20reads%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%26quot%3BYe%20shall%20know%20the%20truth%20and%20the%20truth%20shall%20make%20you%20free.%26quot%3B%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2Fhashtag%5C%2FcampusProtests%3Fsrc%3Dhash%26amp%3Bref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3E%23campusProtests%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2Fhashtag%5C%2FUTAustin%3Fsrc%3Dhash%26amp%3Bref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3E%23UTAustin%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ft.co%5C%2FUGp62uMtPM%5C%22%3Epic.twitter.com%5C%2FUGp62uMtPM%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fp%3E%26mdash%3B%20Toni%20Waterman%20%28%40ToniWaterman_%29%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FToniWaterman_%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1784997372235264274%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3EApril%2029%2C%202024%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fblockquote%3E%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fplatform.twitter.com%5C%2Fwidgets.js%5C%22%20charset%3D%5C%22utf-8%5C%22%3E%3C%5C%2Fscript%3E%22%2C%22endpoint%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fpublish.twitter.com%5C%2Foembed%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22unknown%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FToniWaterman_%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1784997372235264274%22%7D) --><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">UT Austin faculty and staff hold silent demonstration calling for an end to the war in Gaza. <br><br>The building behind them reads:<br><br>&quot;Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/campusProtests?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#campusProtests</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UTAustin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UTAustin</a> <a href="https://t.co/UGp62uMtPM">pic.twitter.com/UGp62uMtPM</a></p>&mdash; Toni Waterman (@ToniWaterman_) <a href="https://twitter.com/ToniWaterman_/status/1784997372235264274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><!-- END-BLOCK(oembed)[5] -->
  1230. </div></figure>
  1231.  
  1232.  
  1233.  
  1234. <p>“It was powerful, it was absolutely powerful,” Roger Reeves, a professor of English and creative writing at UT Austin, told The Intercept. “Folks came out and stood silently with us. And I don&#8217;t know if you know, Texas, but it&#8217;s hot right now. They stood in the sun. They stood with us. There were students out there, and everybody was just silent for 45 minutes and we sweated, but we stood.”</p>
  1235.  
  1236.  
  1237.  
  1238. <p>During the demonstration, Reeves held a sign in honor of Rizq Arruq, a professor from the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/02/09/deconstructed-gaza-university-education/">Islamic University of Gaza</a> who was killed. He continued holding the sign for several hours after the protest, he said. “It felt as if I was in some ways holding his body. I think the silence was just as powerful as the shouting in some ways.”&nbsp;</p>
  1239.  
  1240.  
  1241.  
  1242. <p>Reeves noted the faculty faced toward the direction of the Texas Capitol. “There&#8217;s this term in African American literature that I teach called &#8216;oppositional gazing.’ It’s from bell hooks. It comes out of slavery: when you couldn&#8217;t always speak back to the master, but you can look at him defiantly. So this subversion — we were gazing back at this power that is just repressing our students, this power that we&#8217;re exporting to all parts of the globe. So it was a powerful silence. It was an important silence. It was a humble silence.”<em> </em></p>
  1243. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/02/professors-students-gaza-university-protests-columbia/">From UCLA to Columbia, Professors Nationwide Defend Students as Politicians and Police Attack</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  1244. ]]></content:encoded>
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  1247.                <media:content url='https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150732019-e1714683811180.jpg?fit=6000%2C3000' width='6000' height='3000' /><post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">467676</post-id>
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  1251. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150032227-e1714843444606.jpg?w=1200" medium="image" />
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  1253. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" medium="image">
  1254. <media:title type="html">DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)</media:title>
  1255. </media:content>
  1256. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2149571350.jpg?fit=3208%2C2313&#038;w=1200" medium="image">
  1257. <media:title type="html">Police officers detain a demonstrator during a pro-Palestinian protest against the war in Gaza at Emory University on April 25, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. College campuses across the US braced for fresh protests by pro-Palestinian students, extending a week of increasingly confrontational standoffs with police, mass arrests and accusations of anti-Semitism. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage / AFP) (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)</media:title>
  1258. </media:content>
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  1263.            </item>
  1264.        
  1265.            <item>
  1266.                <title><![CDATA[I’ve Covered Violent Crackdowns on Protests for 15 Years. This Police Overreaction Was Unhinged.]]></title>
  1267.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/nyc-gaza-college-protests-police-outside-agitators/</link>
  1268.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/nyc-gaza-college-protests-police-outside-agitators/#respond</comments>
  1269.                <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 20:14:34 +0000</pubDate>
  1270.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Natasha Lennard]]></dc:creator>
  1271.                                 <category><![CDATA[Justice]]></category>
  1272. <category><![CDATA[Natasha Lennard]]></category>
  1273. <category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
  1274.  
  1275.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467597</guid>
  1276.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>When police attacked student protesters, a lone trash can was the only damaged property I saw around City College of New York.</p>
  1277. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/nyc-gaza-college-protests-police-outside-agitators/">I’ve Covered Violent Crackdowns on Protests for 15 Years. This Police Overreaction Was Unhinged.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  1278. ]]></description>
  1279.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  1280. <figure class="wp-block-ft-photo is-style-default">
  1281.  <img decoding="async"
  1282.    src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150913450-e1714589514778.jpg?fit=4039%2C2687&#038;w=1200"
  1283.    srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150913450-e1714589514778.jpg?w=4039 4039w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150913450-e1714589514778.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150913450-e1714589514778.jpg?w=3600 3600w"
  1284.    sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)"
  1285.    alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 30:  Pro-Palestinian supporters confront police during demonstrations at The City College Of New York (CUNY) as the NYPD cracks down on protest camps at both Columbia University and CCNY on April 30, 2024 in New York City. A heavy police presence surrounded both campuses on Tuesday as local law enforcement cleared tent encampments set up by pro-Palestinian protesters. Classes at both schools have been moved virtually to online learning in response to the recent campus unrest.  (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)"
  1286.    width=""
  1287.    height=""
  1288.    loading="lazy"
  1289.  data-recalc-dims="1" />
  1290.      <figcaption class="photo__figcaption">
  1291.              <span class="photo__caption">Police attack pro-Palestine demonstrators at the City College of New York, in NYC, on April 30, 2024. </span>
  1292.                    <span class="photo__credit">Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images</span>
  1293.          </figcaption>
  1294.  </figure>
  1295.  
  1296.  
  1297.  
  1298. <p><u>A lone Trash can</u> lay on its side at the intersection of W. 139th St and Amsterdam Ave in Harlem, in front of the gates of the City College of New York.</p>
  1299.  
  1300.  
  1301.  
  1302. <p>At around 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, this was the extent of damaged property that I witnessed outside the college campus. At the same time, New York Police Department officers in riot regalia had amassed in their hundreds, including members of the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2021/04/07/nypd-strategic-response-unit-george-floyd-protests/">Strategic Response Group</a> — a unit dedicated to public unrest and “counterterrorism.”</p>
  1303.  
  1304.  
  1305.  
  1306. <p>More police had <a href="https://hellgatenyc.com/nypd-storms-city-college">stormed</a> through the school’s neo-Gothic gates less than an hour before, at the behest of the college’s president, to arrest protesting students en masse.</p>
  1307.  
  1308.  
  1309.  
  1310. <p>Twenty blocks south, police had locked down and barricaded all streets in a two-block radius of Columbia University, brutally arresting students inside the inaccessible campus.</p>
  1311.  
  1312.  
  1313.  
  1314. <p>Between Columbia and City College, over 200 protesters — almost all students — were arrested before the night was out.</p>
  1315.  
  1316.  
  1317.  
  1318.  
  1319.  
  1320.  
  1321. <p>It was a police response reminiscent of the repression that met protesters in the <a href="https://thenewinquiry.com/homegrown-fascism/">2020 George Floyd uprisings</a>. Nearly four years ago, police also responded with <a href="https://theintercept.com/collections/protests-for-black-lives/">extraordinary violence to a mass protest</a>. Then, the alleged provocation involved crucial acts of militant resistance, including low-level but widespread property damage, scattered looting, and the burning of several empty police vehicles.</p>
  1322.  
  1323.  
  1324.  
  1325. <p>Tuesday was different. In recent days on the campuses in Manhattan and across the country, massive police operations came in response to peaceful student encampments. Students gathered to share food, maintaining space to hold teach-ins and rallies, and demand their universities divest from Israel.</p>
  1326.  
  1327.  
  1328.  
  1329. <p>At Columbia, student protesters took over one university building: Hamilton Hall, the <a href="https://exhibitions.library.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/1968/protests/sas">same building</a> seized by students in 1968 in protest of the Vietnam War. At most, the latest building occupation saw a few broken windowpanes and some furniture moved around.</p>
  1330.  
  1331.  
  1332.  
  1333. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[1](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22left%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-left" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="left"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[1] -->I have never witnessed, at the scene of a protest, the use of police power so disproportionate to the type of demonstration taking place.<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[1] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[1] -->
  1334.  
  1335.  
  1336.  
  1337. <p>The negligible acts of property damage were not, of course, what was being policed. Nor was the holding of campus space; students have done this before in recent decades without their university administrators inviting the force of militarized police.</p>
  1338.  
  1339.  
  1340.  
  1341. <p>Instead, it was the protesters’ message that was being handcuffed — the condemnation of Israel and the calls for a free Palestine — and young peoples’ commitment to it.</p>
  1342.  
  1343.  
  1344.  
  1345. <p>I have been reporting on political dissent and violent policing for 15 years, particularly in New York City. Compared to Tuesday night, I have never witnessed, at the scene of a protest, the use of police power so disproportionate to the type of demonstration taking place.</p>
  1346.  
  1347.  
  1348.  
  1349. <p>Make no mistake: This is an authoritarian escalation.</p>
  1350.  
  1351.  
  1352.  
  1353. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-outside-agitator-myth">The “Outside Agitator” Myth</h2>
  1354.  
  1355.  
  1356.  
  1357. <p>The crackdown on campuses offered a grim continuity: Police and other officials churned out all the same old excuses for quashing resistance. Most notably, their rhetoric relied on the predictable canard of the “outside agitator.”</p>
  1358.  
  1359.  
  1360.  
  1361. <p>New York Mayor Eric Adams trotted it out as grounds for sending in an army of baton-wielding cops against the city’s students. And Deputy Police Commissioner Tarik Sheppard <a href="https://x.com/Morning_Joe/status/1785636351330713667">went</a> even further on MSNBC Wednesday morning, brandishing an unremarkable chain lock — the sort of which I’ve seen on bikes everywhere — as proof that “professionals,” not students themselves, had carried out the takeover of the Columbia building.</p>
  1362.  
  1363.  
  1364.  
  1365. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  1366. <!-- BLOCK(oembed)[5](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22OEMBED%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22EMBED%22%7D)(%7B%22embedHtml%22%3A%22%3Cblockquote%20class%3D%5C%22twitter-tweet%5C%22%20data-width%3D%5C%22550%5C%22%20data-dnt%3D%5C%22true%5C%22%3E%3Cp%20lang%3D%5C%22en%5C%22%20dir%3D%5C%22ltr%5C%22%3EYeauuuux%20where%20are%20my%20outside%20agitators%20with%20incriminating%20terroristic%20equipment%20at%3F%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ft.co%5C%2FIaCYdN9zyx%5C%22%3Epic.twitter.com%5C%2FIaCYdN9zyx%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fp%3E%26mdash%3B%20Nick%20Pinto%20%28%40macfathom%29%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2Fmacfathom%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1785699215550677057%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3EMay%201%2C%202024%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fblockquote%3E%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fplatform.twitter.com%5C%2Fwidgets.js%5C%22%20charset%3D%5C%22utf-8%5C%22%3E%3C%5C%2Fscript%3E%22%2C%22endpoint%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fpublish.twitter.com%5C%2Foembed%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22unknown%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2Fmacfathom%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1785699215550677057%22%7D) --><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yeauuuux where are my outside agitators with incriminating terroristic equipment at? <a href="https://t.co/IaCYdN9zyx">pic.twitter.com/IaCYdN9zyx</a></p>&mdash; Nick Pinto (@macfathom) <a href="https://twitter.com/macfathom/status/1785699215550677057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><!-- END-BLOCK(oembed)[5] -->
  1367. </div></figure>
  1368.  
  1369.  
  1370.  
  1371. <p>The bike-lock business quickly came in for rightly deserved mockery, but the “outside agitator” <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/06/02/trump-antifa-terrorist-designation/">myth</a> is no joking matter.</p>
  1372.  
  1373.  
  1374.  
  1375. <p>In this current moment, the “outside agitators” conjured are both the perennial anarchist bogeymen or Islamist terror groups sending funds to keep student encampments flush with the cheapest tents available online.</p>
  1376.  
  1377.  
  1378.  
  1379. <p>The “outside agitator” trope has a long, racist legacy, including use by the Ku Klux Klan. In the 1930s, the Klan issued <a href="http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/2020">flyers</a> in Alabama claiming that “paid organizers for the communists are only trying” to get Black people “in trouble.” The allegation does double rhetorical harm by denying the agency and commitment of organizers themselves and suggesting that “outside” support from beyond a given locale or institution is somehow a bad thing.</p>
  1380.  
  1381.  
  1382.  
  1383. <p>More recently, the canard has been hauled out in defense of movement repression in Atlanta, against <a href="https://theintercept.com/collections/cop-city/">Stop Cop City protesters</a> who had made a <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/03/08/atlanta-cop-city-protesters/">national call for backup</a>. And it was a common refrain for politicians nationwide during the 2020 uprising, as well as discourse around the <a href="https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/crimethinc-the-making-of-outside-agitators">earlier Black Lives Matter protests</a> in Ferguson after police killed Mike Brown.</p>
  1384.  
  1385.  
  1386. <!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[2](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22israel-palestine%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class="promote-banner">
  1387.    <a class="promote-banner__link" href="https://theintercept.com/collections/israel-palestine/">
  1388.              <span class="promote-banner__image">
  1389.          <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="150" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=5760 5760w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=3600 3600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />        </span>
  1390.            <div class="promote-banner__text">
  1391.                  <p class="promote-banner__eyebrow">
  1392.            Read our complete coverage          </p>
  1393.        
  1394.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Israel’s War on Gaza</h2>
  1395.      </div>
  1396.    </a>
  1397.  </aside>
  1398. <!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[2] -->
  1399.  
  1400.  
  1401.  
  1402. <p>Blaming outside agitators or interests always was a propaganda ploy and remains so now. The idea that Palestinian liberation struggle is a mere proxy for Iranian interests repeats the delegitimizing logic of the past.</p>
  1403.  
  1404.  
  1405.  
  1406. <p>In fact, the Gaza solidarity encampments on campuses are student-organized and led, with Palestinian students at front and center, and a disproportionately large presence of Jewish students too. It is students, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/1/new-york-city-police-enter-columbia-campus-as-gaza-protest-escalates">over 1,000 of them</a>, who have faced arrest.</p>
  1407.  
  1408.  
  1409.  
  1410. <p>It also happens that millions of people have called for an end to Israel’s genocidal war, and support for Palestinian liberation is not and must not be limited to the mythic and maligned terrain of campus activism.</p>
  1411.  
  1412.  
  1413.  
  1414.  
  1415.  
  1416.  
  1417.  
  1418. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-authoritarian-americanism">Authoritarian Americanism</h2>
  1419.  
  1420.  
  1421.  
  1422. <p>Brutal policing and groundless excuses are nothing new, nor is bipartisan support for the crackdowns.</p>
  1423.  
  1424.  
  1425.  
  1426. <p>What is new, though, is a most pernicious constellation coming together: far-right attacks on education; white supremacist police repression, further escalated and enabled since 2020; a time of grasping U.S. hegemony abroad; Islamophobic and anti-Arab racism sanctioned in public since the war on terror; and, crucially, an enfeebled left, at least on the electoral level.</p>
  1427.  
  1428.  
  1429.  
  1430. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[4](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22right%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-right" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="right"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[4] -->Antisemitism allegations are cynically deployed against anti-Zionist speech and twisted to permit every manner of authoritarian abuse — including a genocidal war.<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[4] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[4] -->
  1431.  
  1432.  
  1433.  
  1434. <p>These conditions set the backdrop for the one unassailable excuse, a claim beyond challenge and ripe for manipulation and weaponization: the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/03/28/safety-college-columbia-stanford-antisemitism-israel-palestine/">charge of antisemitism</a>.</p>
  1435.  
  1436.  
  1437.  
  1438. <p>Conscientious observers have become all too aware of how this allegation is cynically deployed against anti-Zionist speech and <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/judith-butler-israel-hamas-freedom-speech/">twisted to permit every manner of authoritarian abuse</a> — including a genocidal war.</p>
  1439.  
  1440.  
  1441.  
  1442. <p>It is no accident that this indefensible police crackdown comes in service of an indefensible war. The very extremity of protest repression speaks to desperation on the part of institutions of the American establishment.</p>
  1443.  
  1444.  
  1445.  
  1446. <p>Israel’s decimation of Gaza has — at least for millions more people — given lie to the redemptive myths of the post-World War II political liberal order. Young people, even the children of the elite, even children of Zionists, are standing with Palestine. Their peaceful acts of protest count as disruptive because they count as un-American — which should be a badge of honor amid a U.S.-backed genocide.</p>
  1447.  
  1448.  
  1449.  
  1450. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  1451. <!-- BLOCK(oembed)[6](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22OEMBED%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22EMBED%22%7D)(%7B%22embedHtml%22%3A%22%3Cblockquote%20class%3D%5C%22twitter-tweet%5C%22%20data-width%3D%5C%22550%5C%22%20data-dnt%3D%5C%22true%5C%22%3E%3Cp%20lang%3D%5C%22en%5C%22%20dir%3D%5C%22ltr%5C%22%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2Fhashtag%5C%2FHAPPENINGNOW%3Fsrc%3Dhash%26amp%3Bref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3E%23HAPPENINGNOW%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3A%20An%20incredible%20scene%20and%20proud%20moment%20as%20we%20have%20assisted%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FCityCollegeNY%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3E%40CityCollegeNY%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%20in%20restoring%20order%20on%20campus%2C%20culminating%20in%20raising%20Old%20Glory%20once%20again%20on%20their%20campus%20flagpole.%20%3F%3F%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FNYPDPC%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3E%40NYPDPC%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FNYPD1stDep%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3E%40NYPD1stDep%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FNYPDChiefOfDept%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3E%40NYPDChiefOfDept%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FNYPDChiefPatrol%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3E%40NYPDChiefPatrol%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FNYPDnews%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3E%40NYPDnews%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ft.co%5C%2FXZWFmvXcUs%5C%22%3Epic.twitter.com%5C%2FXZWFmvXcUs%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fp%3E%26mdash%3B%20NYPD%20Deputy%20Commissioner%2C%20Operations%20Kaz%20Daughtry%20%28%40NYPDDaughtry%29%20%3Ca%20href%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FNYPDDaughtry%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1785529408201134330%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%5C%22%3EMay%201%2C%202024%3C%5C%2Fa%3E%3C%5C%2Fblockquote%3E%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fplatform.twitter.com%5C%2Fwidgets.js%5C%22%20charset%3D%5C%22utf-8%5C%22%3E%3C%5C%2Fscript%3E%22%2C%22endpoint%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fpublish.twitter.com%5C%2Foembed%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22unknown%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Ftwitter.com%5C%2FNYPDDaughtry%5C%2Fstatus%5C%2F1785529408201134330%22%7D) --><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HAPPENINGNOW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HAPPENINGNOW</a>: An incredible scene and proud moment as we have assisted <a href="https://twitter.com/CityCollegeNY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CityCollegeNY</a> in restoring order on campus, culminating in raising Old Glory once again on their campus flagpole. ??<a href="https://twitter.com/NYPDPC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYPDPC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPD1stDep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYPD1stDep</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPDChiefOfDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYPDChiefOfDept</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPDChiefPatrol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYPDChiefPatrol</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPDnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYPDnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/XZWFmvXcUs">pic.twitter.com/XZWFmvXcUs</a></p>&mdash; NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPDDaughtry/status/1785529408201134330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><!-- END-BLOCK(oembed)[6] -->
  1452. </div></figure>
  1453.  
  1454.  
  1455.  
  1456. <p>City College President Vince Boudreau, in his letter inviting the NYPD to storm the campus, made specific note of the fact that protesters had refused to take down a Palestinian flag from a flagpole.</p>
  1457.  
  1458.  
  1459.  
  1460. <p>After the police had cleared the campus of the students who belong there and filled the space with cops instead, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry <a href="https://hellgatenyc.com/nypd-storms-city-college">pulled down the Palestinian flag</a> and raised the American one to full mast in its place.</p>
  1461.  
  1462.  
  1463.  
  1464. <p>Riot cops cheered below.</p>
  1465. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/nyc-gaza-college-protests-police-outside-agitators/">I’ve Covered Violent Crackdowns on Protests for 15 Years. This Police Overreaction Was Unhinged.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  1466. ]]></content:encoded>
  1467.                                <wfw:commentRss>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/nyc-gaza-college-protests-police-outside-agitators/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  1468.                <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  1469.                <media:content url='https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150913450_d200d0-e1714589576410.jpg?fit=5102%2C2551' width='5102' height='2551' /><post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">467597</post-id>
  1470. <media:thumbnail url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150913450-e1714589514778.jpg?fit=4039%2C2687&#038;w=1200" />
  1471. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150913450-e1714589514778.jpg?fit=4039%2C2687&#038;w=1200" medium="image">
  1472. <media:title type="html">NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 30:  Pro-Palestinian supporters confront police during demonstrations at The City College Of New York (CUNY) as the NYPD cracks down on protest camps at both Columbia University and CCNY on April 30, 2024 in New York City. A heavy police presence surrounded both campuses on Tuesday as local law enforcement cleared tent encampments set up by pro-Palestinian protesters. Classes at both schools have been moved virtually to online learning in response to the recent campus unrest.  (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)</media:title>
  1473. </media:content>
  1474. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/GettyImages-1804973504-ft.jpg" medium="image" />
  1475. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" medium="image">
  1476. <media:title type="html">DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)</media:title>
  1477. </media:content>
  1478. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image1-e1714760520949.jpeg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  1479. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/df78dec7-b519-413a-b646-e1ef2ddbe3f5-e1714757834188.jpeg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  1480. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150032227-e1714843444606.jpg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  1481.            </item>
  1482.        
  1483.            <item>
  1484.                <title><![CDATA[Israeli Weapons Firms Required to Buy Cloud Services From Google and Amazon]]></title>
  1485.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/google-amazon-nimbus-israel-weapons-arms-gaza/</link>
  1486.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/google-amazon-nimbus-israel-weapons-arms-gaza/#respond</comments>
  1487.                <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 19:58:49 +0000</pubDate>
  1488.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sam Biddle]]></dc:creator>
  1489.                                 <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
  1490. <category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
  1491.  
  1492.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467522</guid>
  1493.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>Google downplays its military work with Israel, but “Project Nimbus” documents tie the American tech giants to Israel’s deadly military capabilities.</p>
  1494. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/google-amazon-nimbus-israel-weapons-arms-gaza/">Israeli Weapons Firms Required to Buy Cloud Services From Google and Amazon</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  1495. ]]></description>
  1496.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  1497. <p><u>Google and Amazon</u> are both loath to discuss security aspects of the cloud services they provide through their joint contract with the Israeli government, known as Project Nimbus. Though both the Ministry of Defense and Israel Defense Forces are Nimbus customers, Google routinely downplays the military elements while Amazon says little at all.</p>
  1498.  
  1499.  
  1500.  
  1501. <p>According to a 63-page Israeli government procurement document, however, two of Israel’s leading state-owned weapons manufacturers are required to use Amazon and Google for cloud computing needs. Though details of Google and Amazon&#8217;s contractual work with the Israeli arms industry aren’t laid out in the tender document, which outlines how Israeli agencies will obtain software services through Nimbus, the firms are responsible for manufacturing drones, missiles, and other weapons Israel has used to bombard Gaza.</p>
  1502.  
  1503.  
  1504.  
  1505. <p>“If tech companies, including Google and Amazon, are engaged in business activities that could impact Palestinians in Gaza, or indeed Palestinians living under apartheid in general, they must abide by their responsibility to carry out heightened human rights due diligence along the entirety of the lifecycle of their products,” said Matt Mahmoudi, a researcher at Amnesty International working on tech issues. “This must include how they plan to prevent, mitigate, and provide redress for possible human rights violation, particularly in light of mandatory relationships with weapons manufacturers, which contribute to risk of genocide.”</p>
  1506.  
  1507.  
  1508.  
  1509.  
  1510.  
  1511.  
  1512. <p>Project Nimbus, which provides the Israeli government with cloud services ranging from mundane Google Meet video chats to a variety of sophisticated machine-learning tools, has already created a public uproar. Google and Amazon have faced <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/05/18/google-amazon-israel-military-nimbus/">backlash</a> ranging from street protests to <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/07/24/google-israel-artificial-intelligence-project-nimbus/">employee</a> <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/11/15/google-israel-gaza-nimbus-protest/">revolts</a>.</p>
  1513.  
  1514.  
  1515.  
  1516. <p>The <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24630181-0683x000010wodmqa2">tender document</a> consists largely of legal minutiae, rules, and regulations laying out how exactly the state will purchase cloud computing services from Amazon and Google, which won the $1.2 billion contract in 2021. The Israeli document was first published in 2021 but had been updated periodically, most recently in October 2023.</p>
  1517.  
  1518.  
  1519.  
  1520. <p>One of the document’s appendices includes a list of Israeli companies and government offices that are “required to purchase the services that are the subject of the tender from the winning bidder,” according to a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24630178-intercept-translation-of-appendix-b-of-project-nimbus-tender-document">translation</a> of the Hebrew-language original.</p>
  1521.  
  1522.  
  1523.  
  1524. <p>The tender document doesn’t require any of the entities to purchase cloud services, but if they need these services — ubiquitous in any 21st-century enterprise — they must purchase them from the two American tech giants. A separate portion of the document notes that any office that wants to buy cloud computing services from other companies must petition two government committees that oversee procurement for an explicit exemption.</p>
  1525.  
  1526.  
  1527.  
  1528. <p>Some of the entities listed in the document have had relationships with other companies that provide cloud services. The status and future of those business ties is unclear.</p>
  1529.  
  1530.  
  1531.  
  1532. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-obligatory-customers">Obligatory Customers</h2>
  1533.  
  1534.  
  1535.  
  1536. <p>The list of obligatory cloud customers includes state entities like the Bank of Israel, the Israel Airports Authority, and the Settlement Division, a quasi-governmental body tasked with expanding Israel’s illegal colonies in the West Bank.</p>
  1537.  
  1538.  
  1539.  
  1540. <p>Also included on the list are two of Israel’s most prominent, state-owned arms manufacturers: Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The Israeli military has widely fielded weapons and aircraft made by these companies and their subsidiaries to prosecute its war in Gaza, which since October 7 has killed over 30,000 Palestinians, including 13,000 children.</p>
  1541.  
  1542.  
  1543.  
  1544. <p>These relationships with Israeli arms manufacturers place Project Nimbus far closer to the bloodshed in Gaza than has been previously understood.<strong> </strong></p>
  1545.  
  1546.  
  1547.  
  1548. <p>Asked how work with weapons manufacturers could be consistent with Google&#8217;s claim that Project Nimbus doesn&#8217;t involve weapons, spokesperson Anna Kowalczyk repeated the claim in a statement to The Intecept. </p>
  1549.  
  1550.  
  1551.  
  1552. <p>&#8220;We have been very clear that the Nimbus contract is for workloads running on our commercial cloud by Israeli government ministries, who agree to comply with our Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy. This work is not directed at highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services,&#8221; said Kowalczyk, who declined to answer specific questions. &#8220;Across Google, we’ve also been clear that we will not design or deploy AI applications as weapons or weapons systems, or for mass surveillance.&#8221;</p>
  1553.  
  1554.  
  1555.  
  1556. <p>(A spokesperson for Amazon Web Services declined to comment. Neither Rafael nor IAI responded to requests for comment.)</p>
  1557.  
  1558.  
  1559. <!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[1](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22israel-palestine%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class="promote-banner">
  1560.    <a class="promote-banner__link" href="https://theintercept.com/collections/israel-palestine/">
  1561.              <span class="promote-banner__image">
  1562.          <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="150" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=5760 5760w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=3600 3600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />        </span>
  1563.            <div class="promote-banner__text">
  1564.                  <p class="promote-banner__eyebrow">
  1565.            Read our complete coverage          </p>
  1566.        
  1567.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Israel’s War on Gaza</h2>
  1568.      </div>
  1569.    </a>
  1570.  </aside>
  1571. <!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[1] -->
  1572.  
  1573.  
  1574.  
  1575. <p>The Israeli document provides no information about exactly what cloud services these arms makers must purchase, or whether they are to purchase them from Google, Amazon, or both. Though the government’s transition to Google and Amazon’s bespoke cloud<a href="https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001454378"> has hit lengthy delays</a>, last June Rafael <a href="https://www.pc.co.il/upcoming-conferences/388218/">announced</a> it had begun transitioning certain “unclassified” cloud needs to Amazon Web Services but did not elaborate.</p>
  1576.  
  1577.  
  1578.  
  1579. <p>Google has historically declined to explain whether its various human rights commitments and terms of service prohibiting its users from harming others apply to Israel. After an<a href="https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/"> April 3 report by +972 Magazine</a> found that the Israeli military was using Google Photos’ facial recognition to map, identify, and create a “hit list” of Palestinians in Gaza, Google would not say whether it allowed this use of its software.</p>
  1580.  
  1581.  
  1582.  
  1583. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[2](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22right%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-right" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="right"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[2] -->“Without such deep and serious process, they can be seen as complicit in Israeli crimes.”<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[2] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[2] -->
  1584.  
  1585.  
  1586.  
  1587. <p>Both Google and Amazon say their work is guided by the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which seeks to “to prevent or mitigate adverse human rights impacts that are directly linked to their operations, products or services by their business relationships, even if they have not contributed to those impacts.” The U.N. principles, which were endorsed by the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2011, say companies must “identify and assess any actual or potential&#8221; rights abuses related to their business.</p>
  1588.  
  1589.  
  1590.  
  1591. <p>Michael Sfard, an Israeli human rights attorney, told The Intercept that these guidelines dictate that Google and Amazon should conduct human rights due diligence and vet the use of their technology by the Israeli government.</p>
  1592.  
  1593.  
  1594.  
  1595. <p>&#8220;Without such deep and serious process,” Sfard said, “they can be seen as complicit in Israeli crimes.&#8221;</p>
  1596.  
  1597.  
  1598.  
  1599. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spike-missiles">“Spike” Missiles</h2>
  1600.  
  1601.  
  1602.  
  1603. <p>Rafael, a state-owned arms contractor, is a titan of the Israeli defense sector. The company provides the Israeli military with broad variety of missiles, drones, and other weapons systems.</p>
  1604.  
  1605.  
  1606.  
  1607. <p>It sells the vaunted Iron Dome rocket-defense system and the “Trophy” anti-rocket countermeasure system that’s helped protect Israeli military tanks during the ground offensive in Gaza.</p>
  1608.  
  1609.  
  1610.  
  1611. <p>Israel also routinely fields Rafael’s “Spike” line of missiles, which can be fired from shoulder-carried launchers, jets, or drones. Effective against vehicles, buildings, and especially people, Spike missiles can be outfitted with a fragmentation option that creates a lethal spray of metal. Since 2009, analysts have <a href="https://www.wired.com/2009/02/gazas-deadly-cu/">attributed</a> <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2009/06/30/precisely-wrong/gaza-civilians-killed-israeli-drone-launched-missiles">cube-shaped tungsten shrapnel wounds</a> in civilians to Israel’s use of Spike missiles.</p>
  1612.  
  1613.  
  1614.  
  1615. <p>Use of these missiles in Gaza continue, with military analysts saying that <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/israel-accurate-spike-missile-killed-aid-workers-gaza-idf-rdcsmr3kx">Spike missiles</a> were <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68714128">likely used</a> in the April 1 drone killing of seven aid workers affiliated with World Central Kitchen.</p>
  1616.  
  1617.  
  1618.  
  1619. <figure class="wp-block-ft-photo is-style-default">
  1620.  <img decoding="async"
  1621.    src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2128598999.jpg?fit=4400%2C3016&#038;w=1200"
  1622.    srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2128598999.jpg?w=4400 4400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2128598999.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2128598999.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2128598999.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2128598999.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2128598999.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2128598999.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2128598999.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2128598999.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2128598999.jpg?w=3600 3600w"
  1623.    sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)"
  1624.    alt="A view of the destroyed roof of a vehicle where employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), including foreigners, were killed in an Israeli airstrike, according to the NGO as the Israeli military said it was conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this &quot;tragic&quot; incident, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza, Strip April 2, 2024. (Photo by Yasser Qudihe / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by YASSER QUDIHE/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)"
  1625.    width=""
  1626.    height=""
  1627.    loading="lazy"
  1628.  data-recalc-dims="1" />
  1629.      <figcaption class="photo__figcaption">
  1630.              <span class="photo__caption">The destroyed roof of a vehicle where World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike, in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 2, 2024.</span>
  1631.                    <span class="photo__credit">Photo: Yasser Qudihe/Middle East Images via AFP</span>
  1632.          </figcaption>
  1633.  </figure>
  1634.  
  1635.  
  1636.  
  1637. <p>Elta Systems, a subsidiary of IAI, is also named in the document as an obligatory Nimbus customer. The firm deals mostly in electronic surveillance hardware but co-developed the Panda, a <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-03-03/ty-article-magazine/.premium/gaza-becomes-israels-testing-ground-for-remote-control-military-robots/0000018e-03ed-def2-a98e-cfff1e640000">remote-controlled bulldozer</a> Israeli military has used to demolish portions of Gaza.</p>
  1638.  
  1639.  
  1640.  
  1641. <p>Israel Aerospace Industries, commonly known as IAI, plays a similarly central role in the war, its weapons often deployed hand in glove with Rafael’s.</p>
  1642.  
  1643.  
  1644.  
  1645. <p>IAI’s <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/07/01/israel-drone-morocco/">Heron drone</a>, for instance, is frequently armed with Spike missiles. The Heron provides the Israeli Air Force with the crucial capacity to persistently surveil the denizens of Gaza and launch airstrikes against them at will.</p>
  1646.  
  1647.  
  1648.  
  1649. <p>In November, IAI CEO Boaz Levy <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-774574">told the Jerusalem Post</a>, &#8220;IAI&#8217;s HERON Unmanned Aerial Systems stand as a testament to our commitment to innovation and excellence in the ever-evolving landscape of warfare. In the Iron Swords War” — referring to Israel’s name for its military operation against Hamas — “the HERON UAS family played a pivotal role, showcasing Israel’s operational versatility and adaptability in diverse environments.”</p>
  1650.  
  1651.  
  1652.  
  1653.  
  1654.  
  1655.  
  1656.  
  1657. <p>Project Nimbus also establishes its own links between the Israeli security establishment and the American defense industry. While Nimbus is based on Google and Amazon’s provision of their own cloud services to Israel, the tender document says these companies will also establish “digital marketplaces,” essentially bespoke app stores for the Israeli government that allow them to access a library of cloud-hosted software from third parties.</p>
  1658.  
  1659.  
  1660.  
  1661. <p>According to a spreadsheet detailing these third-party cloud offerings, Google provides Nimbus users with access to Foundry, a data analysis tool made by the U.S. defense and intelligence contractor Palantir. (A spokesperson for Palantir declined to comment.)</p>
  1662.  
  1663.  
  1664.  
  1665. <p>Google began offering <a href="https://cloud.google.com/solutions/palantir">Foundry access to its cloud customers</a> last year. While marketed primarily as civilian software, Foundry is used by military forces including <a href="https://www.c4isrnet.com/industry/2021/08/12/palantir-with-joint-all-domain-command-and-control-the-pentagon-is-finally-catching-up/">U.S. Special Operations Command</a> and the <a href="https://www.palantir.com/newsroom/press-releases/palantir-technologies-and-the-royal-navy-extend-contracts/">U.K. Royal Navy</a>. In 2019, the Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/12/13/palantir-deepens-its-pentagon-business-with-new-million-army-contract/">reported</a> the U.S. Army would spend $110 million to use Foundry “to piece together thousands of complex data sets containing information on U.S. soldiers and the expansive military arsenal that supports them.”</p>
  1666.  
  1667.  
  1668.  
  1669. <p>The Israeli military extensively uses Palantir software for targeting in Gaza, veteran national security journalist <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/world/nsa-palantir-israel-gaza-ai">James Bamford reported</a> recently in The Nation.</p>
  1670.  
  1671.  
  1672.  
  1673. <p>Palantir has been an outspoken champion of the Israeli military’s invasion of Gaza. “Certain kinds of evil can only be fought with force,” the company posted on its social media <a href="https://twitter.com/PalantirTech/status/1712248580558246065?lang=en">during the first week of the conflict</a>. “Palantir stands with Israel.”</p>
  1674.  
  1675.  
  1676.  
  1677.  
  1678.  
  1679.  
  1680.  
  1681. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-war-abroad-revolt-at-home">War Abroad, Revolt at Home</h2>
  1682.  
  1683.  
  1684.  
  1685. <p>That Project Nimbus includes a prominent military dimension has been known since the program’s inception.</p>
  1686.  
  1687.  
  1688.  
  1689. <p>In 2021, the Israeli Finance Ministry announced the contract as “intended to provide the government, the defense establishment and others with an all-encompassing cloud solution.” In 2022, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/07/24/google-israel-artificial-intelligence-project-nimbus/">training materials first reported by The Intercept</a> confirmed that the Israeli Ministry of Defense would be a Google Cloud user.</p>
  1690.  
  1691.  
  1692.  
  1693. <p>Google’s public relations apparatus, however, has consistently downplayed the contracting work with the Israeli military. Google spokespeople have <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/ex-google-workers-say-firings-protesting-israel-contract-were-illegal-2024-04-30/">repeatedly</a> <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/18/google-israel-cloud-contract-protest-firings">told</a> <a href="https://fortune.com/2024/04/18/google-employees-israel-project-nimbus-no-tech-apartheid-firing-reaction/">press</a> <a href="https://time.com/6966102/google-contract-israel-defense-ministry-gaza-war/">outlets</a> that Nimbus is “not directed at highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services.” Amazon has tended to avoid discussing the contract at all.</p>
  1694.  
  1695.  
  1696.  
  1697. <p>The revelation that Google’s lucrative relationship with the Israeli state includes a mandated relationship with two weapons manufacturers undermines its claim that the contract doesn’t touch the arms trade.</p>
  1698.  
  1699.  
  1700.  
  1701. <p>“Warfighting operations narrowly defined can only proceed through the wider communications and data infrastructures on which they depend,” Lucy Suchman, professor emerita of anthropology of science and technology at Lancaster University, told The Intercept. “Providing those infrastructures to industries and organizations responsible for the production and deployment of weapon systems arguably implicates Google in the operations that its services support, however indirectly.”</p>
  1702.  
  1703.  
  1704.  
  1705. <p>Project Nimbus has proven deeply contentious within Google and Amazon, catalyzing a wave of employee dissent unseen since the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/06/01/google-drone-ai-project-maven-contract-renew/">controversy over Google’s now-defunct contract</a> to bolster the U.S. military drone program.</p>
  1706.  
  1707.  
  1708.  
  1709. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[5](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22left%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-left" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="left"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[5] -->“Why are we pretending that because my logo is colorful and has round letters that I&#8217;m any better than Raytheon?”<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[5] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[5] -->
  1710.  
  1711.  
  1712.  
  1713. <p>While workers from both companies have publicly protested the Nimbus contract, Google employees have been particularly vocal. Following anti-Nimbus sit-ins organized at the company’s New York and Sunnyvale, California, offices, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/23/tech/google-fires-employees-protest-israel/index.html">Google fired 50 employees</a> it said participated in the protests.</p>
  1714.  
  1715.  
  1716.  
  1717. <p>Emaan Haseem, a cloud computing engineer at Google until she was fired after participating in the Sunnyvale protest, told The Intercept she thinks the company needs to be frank with its employees about what their labor ends up building.</p>
  1718.  
  1719.  
  1720.  
  1721. <p>“A lot of us signed up or applied to work at Google because we were trying to avoid working at terrible unethical companies,” she said in an interview. Haseem graduated college in 2022 and said she consciously avoided working for weapons manufacturers like Raytheon or large energy companies.</p>
  1722.  
  1723.  
  1724.  
  1725. <p>“Then you just naively join, and you find out it&#8217;s all the same. And then you&#8217;re just kind of angry,” she said. “Why are we acting any different? Why are we pretending that because my logo is colorful and has round letters that I&#8217;m any better than Raytheon?”</p>
  1726. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/google-amazon-nimbus-israel-weapons-arms-gaza/">Israeli Weapons Firms Required to Buy Cloud Services From Google and Amazon</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  1727. ]]></content:encoded>
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  1729.                <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  1730.                <media:content url='https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2149617503-e1714577729279.jpg?fit=6686%2C3337' width='6686' height='3337' /><post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">467522</post-id>
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  1734. <media:title type="html">DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)</media:title>
  1735. </media:content>
  1736. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2128598999.jpg?fit=4400%2C3016&#038;w=1200" medium="image">
  1737. <media:title type="html">A view of the destroyed roof of a vehicle where employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), including foreigners, were killed in an Israeli airstrike, according to the NGO as the Israeli military said it was conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this &#34;tragic&#34; incident, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza, Strip April 2, 2024. (Photo by Yasser Qudihe / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by YASSER QUDIHE/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)</media:title>
  1738. </media:content>
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  1742.            </item>
  1743.        
  1744.            <item>
  1745.                <title><![CDATA[Judith Butler Will Not Co-Sign Israel’s Alibi for Genocide]]></title>
  1746.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/judith-butler-israel-hamas-freedom-speech/</link>
  1747.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/judith-butler-israel-hamas-freedom-speech/#respond</comments>
  1748.                <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  1749.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Intercepted]]></dc:creator>
  1750.                                 <category><![CDATA[Intercepted Podcast]]></category>
  1751.  
  1752.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467531</guid>
  1753.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>The famed scholar on why reducing Hamas to a terrorist label sanctions Israel’s war on Palestinians. </p>
  1754. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/judith-butler-israel-hamas-freedom-speech/">Judith Butler Will Not Co-Sign Israel’s Alibi for Genocide</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  1755. ]]></description>
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  1760. </div>
  1761. <!-- END-BLOCK(acast)[0] -->
  1762.  
  1763.  
  1764.  
  1765. <p><span class="has-underline">Last month,</span> the famed American philosopher and gender studies scholar Judith Butler was thrust into the center of a controversy after remarks Butler made about the October 7 attacks in Israel. A longtime critic of Zionism and Israel’s war against the Palestinians, Butler had condemned the attacks in the immediate aftermath. But at a <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/news/after-pantin">March roundtable in France</a>, Butler offered a historical context for the Hamas-led operations and stated that the attacks constituted armed resistance. The blowback was swift, and Butler was criticized in media outlets across Europe and in Israel. This week on Intercepted, Butler discusses the controversy and their position on Hamas, Israel, and crackdowns on student protests.</p>
  1766.  
  1767.  
  1768.  
  1769. <p>Butler is currently a Distinguished Professor at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School. They are the author of several books, including “The Force of Nonviolence: An Ethico-Political Bind,” “Parting Ways: Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism,” and most recently, “Who&#8217;s Afraid of Gender?”</p>
  1770.  
  1771.  
  1772.  
  1773. <p></p>
  1774.  
  1775.  
  1776.  
  1777. <p><strong>Jeremy Scahill: </strong>Welcome to Intercepted. I&#8217;m Jeremy Scahill.</p>
  1778.  
  1779.  
  1780.  
  1781. <p><strong>Murtaza Hussain: </strong>And I&#8217;m Murtaza Hussain.</p>
  1782.  
  1783.  
  1784.  
  1785. <p><strong>JS:</strong> Well, Maz, there&#8217;s a lot to talk about this week. In a few minutes, we&#8217;re going to be talking with the great Judith Butler. But before we get to that interview, I want to ask you your sense of where things are right now with the Netanyahu government appearing to be ready for a full-scale invasion of Rafah.</p>
  1786.  
  1787.  
  1788.  
  1789. <p>Of course, Rafah has been attacked repeatedly, but this presumably would be a much more intense, full-scale ground operation, even as there&#8217;s reports that the Biden administration is trying to push for some form of a deal where Hamas would release 33 of the Israelis that they&#8217;re holding in return for some, as of now, undefined pause in the Israeli attacks.</p>
  1790.  
  1791.  
  1792.  
  1793. <p>But your thoughts on this moment, the political situation, and the threats coming out of Tel Aviv.</p>
  1794.  
  1795.  
  1796.  
  1797. <p><strong>MH:</strong> Well, it’s been a very eventful few days. We had the reports suggesting that a peace deal could be imminent, in fact, that would end the conflict for a predetermined period of time. But on Tuesday, Netanyahu indicated that whether there is a deal for hostages or not, the war will continue and the attack on Rafah will continue.</p>
  1798.  
  1799.  
  1800.  
  1801. <p>And he said explicitly that we&#8217;re going to enter Rafah “with or without a deal.” So what it indicates to me, and most observers, I would say too, is that this war was not really about the hostages. It&#8217;s not currently about the hostages either, because Netanyahu&#8217;s had many opportunities to free the hostages in a peace agreement for a ceasefire or a permanent peace agreement.</p>
  1802.  
  1803.  
  1804.  
  1805. <p>And reportedly, even from the first days of the war, it came out recently that Hamas apparently had offered full release of hostages in exchange for the IDF not coming into Gaza on the ground. So it seems that Netanyahu is very, very committed to continuing the war as long as possible; the hostages are not a priority.</p>
  1806.  
  1807.  
  1808.  
  1809. <p>It seems like his statement on Tuesday was specifically geared to sabotage the current ongoing negotiations, which by all accounts, we&#8217;re almost reaching success. So it seems very, very obvious that Netanyahu is invested in continuing the war. And it could not just be for political reasons, in terms of Israel&#8217;s position, but his own political future inside Israel, because the second the war ends, he&#8217;s going to be in serious political and legal trouble with Israelis and continuing [the war] longer prevents that.</p>
  1810.  
  1811.  
  1812.  
  1813. <p><strong>JS:</strong> There&#8217;s also this strange micro-mystery that&#8217;s been playing out. Some days ago, there were reports that started emerging in the Israeli press, indicating that Netanyahu and some of his senior officials in his government were very concerned that the International Criminal Court was going to be handing down indictments, including indictments of Netanyahu himself and Yoav Gallant, the defense minister.</p>
  1814.  
  1815.  
  1816.  
  1817. <p>And the initial reporting in the Israeli media was citing sources in The Hague, but it seems pretty clear from other reporting that has now taken place in Israel and elsewhere, that this was kind of rumor intelligence and that it was being floated to the Israeli press. For what reason would Netanyahu and his government want to float the notion that the International Criminal Court was potentially going to be issuing indictments?</p>
  1818.  
  1819.  
  1820.  
  1821. <p>It could be that that is true — that there is a contemplation at play at the Hague where the prosecutor, Karim Khan, is actually considering or has sealed indictments of Netanyahu or others. Though it would be a really swift course of action, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/05/04/international-criminal-court-karim-khan/">if you look at the history of how the ICC proceeds</a>, but it does seem as though there&#8217;s a political agenda at play that isn&#8217;t exactly clear right now.</p>
  1822.  
  1823.  
  1824.  
  1825. <p>Netanyahu reportedly also spoke directly to Joe Biden saying that he wants the United States to block any effort by the International Criminal Court to issue indictments against Netanyahu or other officials. But it&#8217;s something to sort of keep an eye on and flag. And just one thing I want to mention for people — we&#8217;ve talked about this on the show before, whether it&#8217;s true or not, the reports about potential International Criminal Court indictments of the Israelis — it&#8217;s important to remember this, that there is a law on the books in the United States that&#8217;s been in place since 2002, and it was a bipartisan bill that was signed into law by George Bush. And it&#8217;s known in the human rights community as the Hague Invasion Act.</p>
  1826.  
  1827.  
  1828.  
  1829. <p>And basically what it says is that if any American personnel — military elected officials, appointed officials — are ever indicted or brought to The Hague on war crimes charges or as part of a war crimes investigation, that the president of the United States can use military force to liberate them from the Netherlands.</p>
  1830.  
  1831.  
  1832.  
  1833. <p>But also buried within the language that the framers of that law employed was that it&#8217;s not just American officials that could be liberated, but also those working for governments of a NATO member country or major non-NATO allies — and among them is the state of Israel.</p>
  1834.  
  1835.  
  1836.  
  1837. <p>So, I just want to put that out there for people. Imagine if China or Russia had a law on the books that said if any of their personnel were ever taken to The Hague, that China or Russia could invade the Netherlands. But the final thing I want to say on this is that just the mere rumors that there may be an attempt by the International Criminal Court to indict the Israelis has caused a panic in Washington, particularly among Republican lawmakers and Speaker Mike Johnson, where they are now drafting legislation to directly retaliate against the International Criminal Court if they indict any Israeli officials on war crimes charges. The White House, Maz, is saying for now, we don&#8217;t support an investigation. The position is the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel. And then Speaker Mike Johnson saying that if the Biden administration doesn&#8217;t stop this, if it is in fact even true, that it would create a precedent that would allow American diplomats, political leaders, and American military personnel to be indicted on war crimes charges at The Hague as well.</p>
  1838.  
  1839.  
  1840.  
  1841. <p><strong>MH:</strong> Well, the whole thing is making such a spectacle out of the supposed rules-based liberal order, because these are institutions that the United States has patronized or supported in various ways in the past and used, specifically, endorsed their use against their own enemies. Vladimir Putin is indicted by the ICC. He has a warrant for him.</p>
  1842.  
  1843.  
  1844.  
  1845. <p>No one claimed they didn&#8217;t have jurisdiction over that. So, to so brazenly view it as valid in one circumstance and ignore it and even attack the institution in others, I think this is not going to be sustainable in the long term, because the whole world <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/02/10/us-russia-putin-war-crimes/">sees this hypocrisy</a>, sees the lack of substance behind these very lofty words and institutions.</p>
  1846.  
  1847.  
  1848.  
  1849. <p>So I think that if they attack the ICC in various ways, attack its personnel, threaten even to attack it physically, if it puts warrants for Israelis, I think it only further along the process of a decay and dissolution of these very, very flawed ideas, institutions that the U.S. built at the end of the Cold War.</p>
  1850.  
  1851.  
  1852.  
  1853. <p><strong>JS: </strong>Yeah. And just a final note on this: I still think that there are political reasons why Netanyahu&#8217;s government wanted to push this story, whether it&#8217;s true or not. And let&#8217;s also remember that there have been credible reports that Israel has spied on lawyers working for the state of Palestine in proceedings at the International Criminal Court. These have been going on for many years, so it&#8217;s possible that the Israelis heard something and they wanted to front-run it and make a big racket about it. It&#8217;s also possible that it&#8217;s part of a broader distraction operation or an attempt to get the United States to come out on record and attack the International Criminal Court — knowing that Israel is committing war crime after war crime.</p>
  1854.  
  1855.  
  1856.  
  1857. <p>Well, we&#8217;re going to speak to somebody who also has been really outspoken about Israel&#8217;s war crimes in Gaza, as well as the events of October 7, and also the events taking place on American college campuses and universities, [and] around the world increasingly. I&#8217;m referring to Judith Butler, the U.S. philosopher, currently a distinguished professor at UC Berkeley&#8217;s Graduate School.</p>
  1858.  
  1859.  
  1860.  
  1861. <p>Judith Butler is the author of several books, including “The Force of Nonviolence: An Ethico-Political Bind,” “Parting Ways: Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism,” and most recently, “<a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374608224/whosafraidofgender">Who&#8217;s Afraid of Gender?</a>”</p>
  1862.  
  1863.  
  1864.  
  1865. <p>Professor Judith Butler joins us now from Paris. Thank you so much for being with us here on Intercepted.</p>
  1866.  
  1867.  
  1868.  
  1869. <p><strong>Judith Butler: </strong>I&#8217;m glad to be here.</p>
  1870.  
  1871.  
  1872.  
  1873. <p><strong>JS:</strong> Judith, I want to start by asking you about the protests, the encampments that we&#8217;re seeing pop up, not just across the United States at universities and colleges, but now increasingly we&#8217;re seeing this happening at universities internationally.</p>
  1874.  
  1875.  
  1876.  
  1877. <p>And at some of the campuses, particularly in the United States, there&#8217;s been a violent crackdown — not only targeting students, but also targeting professors at universities like Emory and others. And I&#8217;m curious to get your analysis of the situation as we understand it right now on these campuses, the way that the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/15/columbia-pomona-vanderbilt-gaza-student-protests-arrests/">university administrations have responded</a>, and the role of law enforcement agencies in coming onto the campuses to arrest students and faculty.</p>
  1878.  
  1879.  
  1880.  
  1881. <p><strong>JB:</strong> Well, certainly I have been following the student encampments and protests, and the way that some university presidents have called in police to break apart the encampments, but also physically to confront and hurt students and faculty protesting and to suppress, in general, their rights of assembly and their rights of free speech. I would say as well their academic freedom — although those three are not the same.&nbsp;</p>
  1882.  
  1883.  
  1884.  
  1885. <p>I think we all saw the footage from Emory University, and the calm and principled head of the philosophy department [Noëlle McAfee] who had the perspicacity to persist and to<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwNW417h494"> communicate </a>about her situation. I have to say that I have seen police incursions on campuses for many years.</p>
  1886.  
  1887.  
  1888.  
  1889. <p>It is important to see that some university presidents are not calling in the police. So we need to remember that some of them do still hold to principles of freedom of expression and are not enacting violence against students. That said, it is a quite phenomenal movement.&nbsp;</p>
  1890.  
  1891.  
  1892.  
  1893. <p>I&#8217;m in France right now, where the students at Sciences Po have been erecting an encampment. I saw an astonishing number of police surrounding the Sorbonne the other morning. Paddy wagons waiting for student protesters and other protesters are seen every weekend in the streets of Paris. Whenever there is a demonstration, there are huge numbers of police who bear their automatics in public as ways of intimidating people and keeping them from expressing their solidarity with Palestine, and of course, their principled opposition to a continuing genocidal attack on Gaza, now focusing, as we know, on and near the Rafah gate.</p>
  1894.  
  1895.  
  1896.  
  1897. <p>I think that there are spurious and completely objectionable grounds that universities have given for unleashing police on students. One of them has to do with security. One has to ask security for whom or for what — certainly not security for protesters. They&#8217;re not interested in protesters being secure, secure enough, to exercise their rights of expression, their rights of protest. It seems like that would be good if we wanted to guarantee rights of protest on campus, since that would be a defense of freedom of expression and what we call “extramural speech” in the academy.&nbsp;</p>
  1898.  
  1899.  
  1900.  
  1901. <p>But also it becomes clear that the security at issue is twofold. One: security for the campus, its own property — security of the entrance, allowing students to come and leave as they wish, imagining that those protests, those encampments, are somehow keeping people from moving on and off campus.&nbsp;</p>
  1902.  
  1903.  
  1904.  
  1905. <p>But also, as we know, there is a security concern raised by some Jewish students — and here, it&#8217;s really important to say <em>some</em> Jewish students, because not all Jewish students agree — those Jewish students who claim that they are unsafe on campus or feel that they need security, telling us that certain utterances make them feel unsafe.</p>
  1906.  
  1907.  
  1908.  
  1909.  <div class="promote-related-post">
  1910.    <a      class="promo-related-post__link"
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  1917.      <h2 class="promote-related-post__eyebrow">
  1918.        Related      </h2>
  1919.      <h3 class="promote-related-post__title">Pro-Israel Advocates Are Weaponizing “Safety” on College Campuses</h3>
  1920.    </span>
  1921.    </a>
  1922.  </div>
  1923.  
  1924.  
  1925.  
  1926. <p>Now, utterances that truly jeopardize another person&#8217;s safety are those that threaten them with harm. And what we&#8217;re seeing in some of the justifications that are used by college and university presidents to bring police onto campus is an equivocation between utterances that may be objectionable and hurtful or disturbing, and utterances that are threats, literally threats to the physical safety of a student.</p>
  1927.  
  1928.  
  1929.  
  1930. <p>So I think that the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/03/28/safety-college-columbia-stanford-antisemitism-israel-palestine/">blurring of that distinction has quite frankly become nefarious </a>because any student who says “I feel unsafe by what I hear another student say” is saying that “My security and safety is more important than that person&#8217;s freedom of expression.” And if we countenance that, if we give too much leeway to that claim that a student feels unsafe because, say, an anti-Zionist — or a statement in support of Palestine, or a statement opposing genocide makes that Jewish student feel unsafe, we are saying that that student is perceiving a personal threat or is threatened by the discourse itself — even when the discourse is expressive rather than portending physical harm.&nbsp;</p>
  1931.  
  1932.  
  1933.  
  1934. <p>Now, if somebody does say, listen, if somebody uses a deeply antisemitic slur, any kind of antisemitic slur, or addresses a Jewish student in an antisemitic way, and then says, “And because you&#8217;re Jewish,” or “Because I feel the following way about Jews, I&#8217;m also going to do physical damage to you. I&#8217;m going to harm you.” — that is not acceptable speech. That is not protected speech. There&#8217;s nothing about that speech that is protected.&nbsp;</p>
  1935.  
  1936.  
  1937.  
  1938. <p>But if calling for an end of genocide against Palestine is understood as making a Jewish student feel unsafe, then we see that the safety of the situation has been oddly co-opted by that particular Jewish student. It&#8217;s as if <em>they</em> are being threatened with harm when, in fact, the opposition to the genocide in Gaza is quite explicitly an opposition to doing harm and killing numerous people who are huddled in Rafah looking for safety.</p>
  1939.  
  1940.  
  1941.  
  1942. <p>So I call it nefarious because it&#8217;s so clear that Palestinians — who are under bombardment and will now, or have undergone, unfathomable loss, who are living through a spree of killing and genocide that stretches the human imagination and appalls anybody whose heart is open to the reality before them — that they are the ones in need of safety. And the international community has failed to provide that safety. They are in need of safety from harm, like real physical harm. They need to be safe from killing, from being killed. They need to be protected against being killed. They need to protect their families, what&#8217;s left of their families.</p>
  1943.  
  1944.  
  1945.  
  1946. <p>So for an utterance that opposes the genocide in Gaza to suddenly make a Jewish student feel unsafe — because that Jewish student identifies with Zionism or with the state of Israel — is a grotesque claim in the sense that that student is safe.&nbsp;</p>
  1947.  
  1948.  
  1949.  
  1950. <p>That student is having to hear something that might be deeply disturbing and sometimes antisemitic — and I think we must all agree that antisemitic speech, narrowly, clearly, lucidly defined, is radically objectionable under all circumstances. But we can talk about that as well, since what counts as antisemitic has so expanded <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/06/06/antisemitism-definition-israel-palestine/">beyond the limits of its established definitions</a> that, unfortunately, the call for justice in Palestine is <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/11/11/palestine-israel-protests-ceasefire-antisemitic/">registered by some as nothing more than antisemitism</a>.</p>
  1951.  
  1952.  
  1953.  
  1954. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>“If calling for an end of genocide against Palestine is understood as making a Jewish student feel unsafe, then we see that the safety of the situation has been oddly co-opted by that particular Jewish student.” </p></blockquote></figure>
  1955.  
  1956.  
  1957.  
  1958. <p><strong>MH:</strong> Judith, I wanted to get your perspective also on what these protests are indicative of — in the sense that, obviously, you&#8217;ve seen previous generations of protests by students and others about Palestine before, but it seems the scale and scope today is quite unlike what we&#8217;ve seen in the past. What do you think that this reflects in terms of public opinion and particularly generational change of how younger people view this subject, as opposed to how it appears to older generations?&nbsp;</p>
  1959.  
  1960.  
  1961.  
  1962. <p><strong>JB:</strong> I think that it&#8217;s obviously not everyone in the younger generation. So we have to be careful in our generational generalizations. And, you know, we see people like <a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2023/10/30/grand_central_protest">Ros Petchesky</a> in New York, a Jewish Voice for Peace advocate, getting arrested, I think, several times now. She&#8217;s older than I am, I believe. So there&#8217;s a cross-generational solidarity, as well as a specific form of mobilization that is now focusing on college campuses.&nbsp;</p>
  1963.  
  1964.  
  1965.  
  1966. <p>But let&#8217;s remember that the mobilization on college campuses was preceded by a number of very public actions jointly waged by Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, disrupting bridges in New York or the federal building in Oakland, the ports of Oakland, the Statue of Liberty, we could go on and on. Some very high-profile protests. And of course, Biden himself has discovered that there are — that there&#8217;s no event he can go to right now without major protest outside. Now, a lot of times that <em>is</em> young people. I guess I want to point out that a lot depends on whether you&#8217;re able-bodied, like able-bodied young people are able to encamp and protest in ways that other folks maybe can&#8217;t.</p>
  1967.  
  1968.  
  1969.  
  1970.  <div class="promote-related-post">
  1971.    <a      class="promo-related-post__link"
  1972.            href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/10/intercepted-gaza-free-speech-campus-protests/"
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  1976.          >
  1977.              <img decoding="async" width="440" height="440" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IN_Student-Protests_20240410.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" loading="lazy" />            <span class="promo-related-post__text">
  1978.      <h2 class="promote-related-post__eyebrow">
  1979.        Related      </h2>
  1980.      <h3 class="promote-related-post__title">Amid Gaza War, College Campuses Become Free Speech “Testing Ground”</h3>
  1981.    </span>
  1982.    </a>
  1983.  </div>
  1984.  
  1985.  
  1986.  
  1987. <p>But the current mobilization on college campuses is being watched nationwide and globally. So a number of Palestinians have commented to me from different parts of the world that it is enormously heartening, that it lifts them to see this great solidarity and this great clarity. Very often when it comes to Israel–Palestine, we hear people say, “Well, it&#8217;s so complex.”&nbsp;I think for many of the young people, it&#8217;s not that complex. This is a genocidal violence being enacted against the Palestinian people in Gaza. And it is obvious and it is clear, and they have the footage and they circulate the footage and they know it. </p>
  1988.  
  1989.  
  1990.  
  1991. <p>They&#8217;re also reading: They&#8217;re getting the history of Zionism. They&#8217;re getting the history of occupation. They&#8217;re getting the history of Gaza. They&#8217;re learning online and in seminars and in their own colleges. And the mobilization is born of an unequivocal conviction — not just that the bombardments and killings, the loss now of over 34,000 Palestinian lives is horrific. Not just that, but the history of Zionism, the history of occupation, the structure of apartheid within the state of Israel, the fact that Palestinians remain stateless or living within <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/01/24/gaza-palestinian-authority-israel/">administrative authorities that do not have full state powers</a> and do not represent full political self-determination. And that even now, Palestinians who live within the state of Israel,&nbsp;within its current boundaries, they also are suffering harassment, violence, and second-class citizenship in many different ways.&nbsp;</p>
  1992.  
  1993.  
  1994.  
  1995. <p>I think that there is a broad educational effort happening here. And I like the fact that education is being mixed with activism because activism should be informed. And sometimes we see ill-informed instances, like somebody yelling, “Jews go back to Poland.” No, that&#8217;s not acceptable.&nbsp;</p>
  1996.  
  1997.  
  1998.  
  1999. <p>What does the liberation of Palestine mean? What does it look like? Well, in my view, it means that Palestinians and Jews and other inhabitants of that land will find a way to live together. Either next to each other or with one another, under conditions of radical equality, where occupation is dismantled and all the colonial structures associated with occupation is dismantled.</p>
  2000.  
  2001.  
  2002.  
  2003. <p>It doesn&#8217;t mean pushing Jews off the land. It does mean, in my mind and in many people&#8217;s minds, the taking down of settlements and the redistribution of that land to Palestinians who lived there. And it does mean, in my mind and in the mind of many others, a just way of thinking about the right of return for Palestinians who have suffered forcible exile and who wish to return to the lands or at least to the region, or to have compensation or acknowledgment for what they have suffered.&nbsp;</p>
  2004.  
  2005.  
  2006.  
  2007. <p>I wish I saw more on campus. Like, what&#8217;s behind the slogan? Like, yes, I want to free Palestine from colonization, from bombardment violence, from settlements, from military and police detention. I want to see freedom from all of those things. But then we also have to ask: Freedom to do what? What will freedom look like? How will it be organized? How will people live together in a free Palestine, or in a free Palestine–Israel, whatever it may be called, or in two states who will have to have a negotiated agreement or a federated model?&nbsp;</p>
  2008.  
  2009.  
  2010.  
  2011. <p>A lot of people have been thinking about this for a long time, so I think I would like to see more seminars in the street, seminars on college campuses that try to take apart the slogans — distinguish the hateful slogans, the ignorant ones, the antisemitic ones from those that are actually helping to realize justice and freedom and equality in that land.</p>
  2012.  
  2013.  
  2014.  
  2015. <p>So if we were to have another public seminar on these campuses where everybody is assembled, it should surely be on academic freedom as well. Academic freedom means that educators have a right to teach what they want, to build their own curriculum, to express their ideas without the interference of state and without the interference of donors.</p>
  2016.  
  2017.  
  2018.  
  2019. <p>But I think that&#8217;s also collapsing right now as donors, we see at Columbia University, are making threats to withdraw funds, that also happened at Harvard and elsewhere. Also state powers, governments pressuring universities to suppress the rights of speech and assembly that their students have. These are forms of interference in university and college environments that ought properly to be protected from that interference. That is what academic freedom is.</p>
  2020.  
  2021.  
  2022.  
  2023. <p><strong>JS:</strong> Judith, I wanted to ask you about the events of the last few months and how they&#8217;ve impacted you and your public profile. On March 3, you made remarks at a gathering in France. And for people that have really followed the history of Hamas as an organization, of the armed struggle of the Palestinian people, of the actions of the Israeli state over the decades — the remarks that you made were, in my assessment, a quite factual rendering of the events, and embedded within them was historical context. You used a phrase, though, that was then cherry-picked, and much ado was made about it in the international press, and certainly in the Israeli press, but also in Le Monde,&nbsp;in American newspapers, and other papers in Europe, et cetera.</p>
  2024.  
  2025.  
  2026.  
  2027. <p>You described the attacks of October 7 as “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFjYFonN3ZI">an act of armed resistance</a>.” And again, I emphasize, if people listen to the full context of your remarks, it was quite clear, I think, to intellectually honest people, what you were saying. But then you had just this avalanche of attacks against you publicly. And, from what I understand, also privately, you received hostile communications or hateful communications from people.</p>
  2028.  
  2029.  
  2030.  
  2031. <p>But I wanted you to walk us through how you experienced that. What was the point that you were making that then became the subject of controversy? Because I think it&#8217;s important to hear it in your own words.</p>
  2032.  
  2033.  
  2034.  
  2035. <p><strong>JB:</strong> Well, thank you. I appreciate the opportunity. I should preface my answer with this comment. Because the violence is so acute and people are taking up sides in very emotionally invested ways, they&#8217;re not hearing very well. They don&#8217;t always have the time or patience to read or listen to a complex point. And I am somebody who does speak in complex sentences, and I make a claim, and then I qualify it, and then I contextualize it. There&#8217;s several steps. And as a teacher, I have the time to do that. As a public figure, I&#8217;m learning, one doesn&#8217;t always have the time to do that.&nbsp;</p>
  2036.  
  2037.  
  2038.  
  2039. <p>The question that was posed to me in <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/news/after-pantin">Pantin</a> was, first of all, whether Hamas was a terrorist organization, and then whether I thought as well that it was possible to distinguish the actions of Hamas from an antisemitic attack.&nbsp;</p>
  2040.  
  2041.  
  2042.  
  2043. <p>I made clear in that context that I, as a Jewish person, quite frankly, was anguished on October 7, and I wrote about that, and a lot of my friends on the left were very angry with me for writing about that. I was supposed to keep that to myself. We can see that the grief over Jewish lives lost is very often humanized and memorialized in ways that Palestinian deaths are not.</p>
  2044.  
  2045.  
  2046.  
  2047. <p>And we have only to look at the U.S. press and Le Monde as well to see that enormous inequality.&nbsp;</p>
  2048.  
  2049.  
  2050.  
  2051. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right"><blockquote><p>“We can see that the grief over Jewish lives lost is very often humanized and memorialized in ways that Palestinian deaths are not.”</p></blockquote></figure>
  2052.  
  2053.  
  2054.  
  2055. <p>But I did feel that way. And I wrote against Hamas, in fact, hoping that it would disappear as a movement on October 7. And then as I thought about it, and I saw the genocidal actions of the Israeli state against the Palestinian people of Gaza, and I think we have to say Palestinian people, because it&#8217;s not just those who voted for Hamas, or those who are actively part of Hamas. They [Israel] weren&#8217;t like asking people, “How did you vote?” or “How do you feel about Hamas?” before they killed them. They did not do that. And indeed, children, older people, as we know, aid workers — I mean, the killing has been monstrous and largely indiscriminate.</p>
  2056.  
  2057.  
  2058.  
  2059. <p>And I did think that it was then more important to come out against genocide and to call it that. I did some work, some reading, as I think we probably all did, to figure out, well, how is genocide defined, and who are the jurists who agree. And now, as we know, there are several hundred, if not thousands, who do agree that what is happening is genocide, and the International Court of Justice has also said, plausibly, yes, it is. Wish they would say something stronger.&nbsp;</p>
  2060.  
  2061.  
  2062.  
  2063. <p>By the time I got to Pantin, and people asked me about Hamas — I still don&#8217;t like Hamas. I don&#8217;t endorse Hamas. I have never applauded or rejoiced in the military tactics of Hamas. I have written extensively on nonviolence, and I often presume people know that I am actually committed to nonviolent means of overthrowing unjust regimes. This is what I teach, and it&#8217;s what I believe, and it is what I also have written about at length.&nbsp;</p>
  2064.  
  2065.  
  2066.  
  2067. <p>So I wasn&#8217;t romanticizing Hamas, but I was saying they come from somewhere. Hamas emerged as a significant political organization in the wake of the Oslo Accords. The Oslo Accords turned out to be an enormous betrayal of the Palestinian people. The transfer of political authority that was going to take place, that was promised, never took place. And in fact, it was undercut: More land was taken, fewer rights were given, and it was considered by most Palestinians to be a massive betrayal.</p>
  2068.  
  2069.  
  2070.  
  2071. <p>Hamas emerged then, as we know, within Palestinian politics. There are several political parties. There&#8217;s Fatah, there&#8217;s the Palestinian Liberation Organization, there&#8217;s the Palestinian Administration and its complex relationship to that, and also the Palestinian National Unity Party, which is extremely interesting to me. I&#8217;m probably following that more closely than anything else.&nbsp;</p>
  2072.  
  2073.  
  2074.  
  2075. <p>In short, I thought it was important not to just see the atrocities committed by Hamas — and they were atrocities — on October 7 as random acts of violence. They were horrific. I&#8217;ve condemned them many times, and I continue to condemn them. But they come from somewhere.</p>
  2076.  
  2077.  
  2078.  
  2079. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote><p>“Can we take the time to understand what drives people to that? Where does that come from? What conditions are they living under?”</p></blockquote></figure>
  2080.  
  2081.  
  2082.  
  2083. <p>Can we take the time to understand what drives people to that? Where does that come from? What conditions are they living under? What conditions are they objecting to? Can we discuss those who object to those conditions through military means and those who object to those conditions through other means available to them? Just as a matter of understanding.&nbsp;</p>
  2084.  
  2085.  
  2086.  
  2087. <p>But in certain contexts, to try to understand something like this means that you endorse it. Or if you fail immediately to call it “terrorist,” that means you think it is acceptable. Well, no, there are various unacceptable crimes against humanity, many of which are inflicted by states. We don&#8217;t call all crimes against humanity “terrorist” crimes.&nbsp;</p>
  2088.  
  2089.  
  2090.  
  2091. <p>I was trying to contextualize. I was trying to understand why people would be moved to take up arms and be part of a combat struggle. Now, the problem in France is, if you say “resistance movement,” you&#8217;re saying <em>résistance. </em>And if you say <em>résistance</em>, you are recalling the liberation from the Nazis, you are recalling the triumphant win of the resistance movement against fascism in France.&nbsp;</p>
  2092.  
  2093.  
  2094.  
  2095. <p>So <em>résistance</em> is always an idealization. <em>Résistance</em> is always what you want. You want to be part of it. You want to be in the wake of it. You want to tell that story. You want to applaud it. So to say something is <em>résistance</em> is to applaud it. And I was foolish because I know enough French and French culture to know that you can&#8217;t use the word <em>résistance</em> without invoking that particular legacy.</p>
  2096.  
  2097.  
  2098.  
  2099. <p>So, people immediately thought that meant, if I call this violent resistance — and then even say, “And I object to its tactics,” which I did say — by using the word <em>résistance</em>, I am applauding, I am endorsing.&nbsp;</p>
  2100.  
  2101.  
  2102.  
  2103. <p>I never was. I never will. I never have. But I am interested in why people pick up arms, and I&#8217;m interested in when they lay them down. So why can&#8217;t we be thinking about the Irish Republican Army, or why can&#8217;t we be thinking about other places where there&#8217;s been violent conflict — where different groups have agreed to lay their arms down when a legitimate political negotiation seems plausible? I&#8217;m interested in that, because I am interested in nonviolent modes of resolution. But we have to understand why people take up arms.</p>
  2104.  
  2105.  
  2106.  
  2107. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p> “I am interested in why people pick up arms, and I’m interested in when they lay them down &#8230; because I am interested in nonviolent modes of resolution.”</p></blockquote></figure>
  2108.  
  2109.  
  2110.  
  2111. <p>And I suppose also, I want to distinguish between being against occupation or against the Israeli siege of Gaza, and antisemitism. Now, yes, some Hamas members said hideous antisemitic remarks. And, of course, we must object to every and all antisemitic remarks. And those were hideous, clear, and explicit. There&#8217;s no equivocation.&nbsp;</p>
  2112.  
  2113.  
  2114.  
  2115. <p>But to say that their struggle for justice, freedom, or equality is, at core, just antisemitism, or mainly antisemitism, is to assume that they would be happier if they were colonized by some other group of people. They&#8217;re only objecting to being colonized by the Jews because they&#8217;re the Jews.Well, no, that&#8217;s not right.&nbsp;</p>
  2116.  
  2117.  
  2118.  
  2119. <p>They&#8217;re objecting to colonization. And if and when antisemitism gets confused with an anti-colonial rhetoric or an anti-occupation rhetoric, then we need to disentangle it. We need to do that on college campuses, we need to do it with our Palestinian allies if that ever happens — in my experience, it happens very, very rarely.&nbsp;</p>
  2120.  
  2121.  
  2122.  
  2123. <p>In any case, I guess I was taken to endorse Hamas, which I do not do, that I refused to call it “terrorist,” but I feel like once you call it “terrorist” and you just put it in that box, then it&#8217;s random violence that justifies any and all efforts to wipe it out.</p>
  2124.  
  2125.  
  2126.  
  2127. <p>If Hamas is only terrorist and not a military group that is trying to achieve some kind of political aim that other people are also trying to achieve through nonmilitary means, if it&#8217;s only terrorist, then the alibi for genocide is right there. Because if all of these people are terrorists or terrorist sympathizers who are living in Gaza, then the entire population is painted as terrorist, at which point, there&#8217;s only one thing that the Israelis and many of its U.S. supporters think is possible: which is the obliteration of those people.&nbsp;</p>
  2128.  
  2129.  
  2130.  
  2131. <p>So I think we have to think critically about how and when we call people terrorists. There&#8217;s a jurist here who&#8217;s defending people&#8217;s free speech on Palestine, and she&#8217;s called a terrorist sympathizer, and she&#8217;s now under scrutiny by a legal investigation. So before we bandy about this term “terrorist” — and I&#8217;m sure there are legitimate uses of it, and we can even describe some actions of Hamas as terroristic, terrorizing, terroristic — we can certainly also talk about whether Israel is an example of state terrorism. When do we talk about that?</p>
  2132.  
  2133.  
  2134.  
  2135. <p>I think it&#8217;s not the case that terrorism only belongs to nonstate actors. We also have states that act through terrorization and terroristic tactics and who would comply with such a definition. But yes, for many people, at least in the media, it seemed that I had either contradicted myself, that I had criticized Hamas and now I was elevating it and even identifying with it — but that&#8217;s not the case. I continue to deplore their tactics.&nbsp;</p>
  2136.  
  2137.  
  2138.  
  2139. <p>I am interested in why they took up arms after Oslo. I wonder what it would take to get them to put down arms. What am I for? I&#8217;m for significant, substantial political negotiations that would produce a nonviolent future for Palestine. But, I don&#8217;t know if anybody can really hear that, because at this point, the smallest word reduces the person.</p>
  2140.  
  2141.  
  2142.  
  2143. <p>Like, “Oh, you said that word,” or “You failed to say that word, so this is who you are, and this is where you belong, and you&#8217;re on that side.” “You&#8217;re pro-Hamas.” Or even&nbsp;in my early one, “You&#8217;re pro-Israel.” It&#8217;s like, no. No. People are jumping, and they see words and they grab them, and they try to capture people and reduce them without listening, reading, contextualizing.&nbsp;I hope, really, that we get slower, more careful educational efforts happening on campuses and elsewhere, so that our reporting and our speaking can be as precise and thoughtful as possible.</p>
  2144.  
  2145.  
  2146.  
  2147. <!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[1](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22israel-palestine%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class="promote-banner">
  2148.    <a class="promote-banner__link" href="https://theintercept.com/collections/israel-palestine/">
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  2150.          <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="150" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=5760 5760w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=3600 3600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />        </span>
  2151.            <div class="promote-banner__text">
  2152.                  <p class="promote-banner__eyebrow">
  2153.            Read our complete coverage          </p>
  2154.        
  2155.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Israel’s War on Gaza</h2>
  2156.      </div>
  2157.    </a>
  2158.  </aside>
  2159. <!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[1] -->
  2160.  
  2161.  
  2162.  
  2163. <p><strong>MH:</strong> Judith, one thing you alluded to — and we&#8217;ve discussed on the show in the past as well too — is the difficulty of discussing the subject not just among peers, but also due to state pressure. In the United States certainly we&#8217;re seeing now with the campus protests, but also in Europe, perhaps even more strenuously.</p>
  2164.  
  2165.  
  2166.  
  2167. <p>You&#8217;re based in Paris, and you&#8217;ve had some incidents in the last few months where events you&#8217;re speaking at or taking part in came under some sort of pressure or participation had to be withdrawn. And things like this are happening across Europe and quite extensively. Can you talk a bit about the climate there for discussing Israel–Palestine and the challenge in raising these perspectives that you&#8217;re discussing with us today?</p>
  2168.  
  2169.  
  2170.  
  2171. <p><strong>JB:</strong> I mean, I think what&#8217;s going on in Germany is quite distinct, and people here in France I know keep asking themselves, “Are we becoming Germany?” And I don&#8217;t know whether France is becoming Germany. I think there is in fact an internal debate about that. The police were brought in to confront the students at Sciences Po, and many people who may have very different views on Palestine and Israel objected to the suppression of the freedom of protest and the freedom of speech at Sciences Po. But it&#8217;s true that, I mean, obviously in places like Germany, anybody who&#8217;s invited there will first be investigated by their hosts to see whether they support the boycott, divestment, and sanctions, which I have since 2009. I wouldn&#8217;t go to Germany because I know what the attacks would be like against me.</p>
  2172.  
  2173.  
  2174.  
  2175. <p>I&#8217;m glad [Yanis] Varoufakis did. I think that was brave and important<a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2024/4/16/germany_palestine"> and drew attention to it</a>. I&#8217;m glad Masha Gessen survived that trial. I&#8217;m glad that Nancy Fraser is <a href="https://jacobin.com/2024/04/nancy-fraser-germany-palestine-letter#:~:text=Cologne%20University%20has%20canceled%20philosopher,from%20standing%20up%20for%20Palestine.">speaking out strongly against her cancellation</a>. It was, and remains, a complete scandal that someone as smart and important as she is, is denied the freedom to speak because she signed a perfectly legitimate philosophers’ letter objecting to the genocidal attacks on Gaza.</p>
  2176.  
  2177.  
  2178.  
  2179. <p>So I&#8217;ve been rescheduled. One of that was canceled in a convoluted way, but then I&#8217;ve been twice rescheduled. So we will see whether that rescheduling is fulfilled. I think it probably will be, but it is not comfortable to speak freely in public about matters such as these</p>
  2180.  
  2181.  
  2182.  
  2183. <p><strong>JS:</strong> Just to follow up on that: I&#8217;ve been in touch with lawyers in Germany who are representing ordinary citizens, not prominent academics, not famous people, but ordinary residents of Germany.</p>
  2184.  
  2185.  
  2186.  
  2187. <p>Some of them are Arabs, Palestinians, others are Jewish residents of Germany, who have been charged under antisemitic speech laws because they&#8217;ve used terms at demonstrations to describe what the Israeli state is currently doing to Gaza that were historically applied to the actions of the Third Reich.</p>
  2188.  
  2189.  
  2190.  
  2191. <p>And there was a rather senior woman who is an Israeli living in Germany who was twice arrested within I believe a week period, a one-week period, for simply holding a sign. But many of the most vicious attacks against people on these grounds in Germany are aimed at Arab residents, unfamous Arab residents of Germany, some of whom are even being threatened with deportation.</p>
  2192.  
  2193.  
  2194.  
  2195. <p>And what I wanted to zero in on is, I&#8217;m constantly having arguments with people in Germany and elsewhere in Europe about these kinds of laws. As you see the rise of the AfD in Germany, the far right-wing party, the re-rise of the the far right,&nbsp;— and we&#8217;re seeing this in other European countries as well, and you&#8217;re certainly experiencing that in France. If right now Germans, ordinary Germans, don&#8217;t recognize that the weaponization of these laws against residents or citizens of Germany — because the German state has this “reason of state” that “we must defend Israel at all costs,” that&#8217;s the mentality here, and it in and of itself conflates Israel as a state with Judaism as a whole.&nbsp;</p>
  2196.  
  2197.  
  2198.  
  2199. <p>But if you justify criminalizing this speech, right now, that is aimed at protesting against Israel&#8217;s actions in Gaza. And then if you have a far-right party take over, it&#8217;s so easy for that party to say, “Well, hey, that&#8217;s the standard. You&#8217;ve set the standard. We&#8217;re allowed to criminalize speech that we don&#8217;t like.” I think that&#8217;s extremely dangerous. You know, I can levy a million criticisms toward the United States, but at least we have a fundamental basis to argue about these issues from, and it&#8217;s the First Amendment. In Germany, and it&#8217;s leading the way, and in other European countries, they also have speech laws heading in this direction, or they&#8217;re contemplating them — these are extraordinarily dangerous laws. Extraordinarily dangerous.</p>
  2200.  
  2201.  
  2202.  
  2203. <p><strong>JB:</strong> I am following that, and I certainly didn&#8217;t mean to imply that people who are&nbsp;famous should not be canceled or criminalized, but maybe other people can be. No, no, no. I&#8217;m quite aware — in fact, when I used to go to Germany, I visited many Israelis in exile who live in Berlin and who were working closely with Palestinians and were anti-Zionists, quite frankly, who thought that they would be able to live in Germany more easily than they could in Israel because of the cultural activities.</p>
  2204.  
  2205.  
  2206.  
  2207. <p>But those people, including, as you say, Jewish people of conscience, the Jüdische <em>Stimme</em> people, the Jewish voices people — they are being arrested, and we&#8217;re seeing German police arresting Jewish people in the name of defending against antisemitism. And of course, we&#8217;re also seeing German politicians and their apologists deciding whether or not a Jewish person&#8217;s critique of Zionism or critique of the Israeli state or the Israeli policy in Gaza amounts to antisemitism.</p>
  2208.  
  2209.  
  2210.  
  2211. <p>So Germans are brokering whether or not Jews are antisemitic or not, which I find appalling. And there&#8217;s no shame in that. You&#8217;re right about the <em>raison d&#8217;état</em> the reason of state in Germany, the unconditional support for the Jewish state of Israel. But, you know, they claim that the Jewish state of Israel is a democracy, and yet, if it were, which I don&#8217;t think it is, it would also accommodate free speech or robust criticism of the state&#8217;s actions. But it does not do that.</p>
  2212.  
  2213.  
  2214.  
  2215. <p>We&#8217;ve seeing that now in the sporadic persecution of Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, professor at Hebrew University, who was arrested in her bed just the other morning. Released now, but possibly facing new arrests as we speak. But in Germany as well, the suppression of criticism, of public criticism, is also an attack on democracy. So as they cancel and annul and criminalize all kinds of young people, including, as you say, Palestinians, people from Turkey, North Africa, Syria, you don&#8217;t have full citizenship or full residency or complete papers or are particularly vulnerable — we see a crackdown on the stateless or the precarious that suggests that police powers are legitimately being used to suppress open public criticism. What we associate with flourishing democracies.</p>
  2216.  
  2217.  
  2218.  
  2219. <p>So you&#8217;re right. The AFD, which according to the latest reports is gaining greater and greater support among German people, including German youth, is able to flourish in an environment in which state powers and police powers are being unleashed against people who are trying to express basic democratic rights: the rights to speak, to criticize, to assemble, to protest, to give names to what we see, to give the true name for what we see, to say the word “genocide.”</p>
  2220.  
  2221.  
  2222.  
  2223. <p>We could have a longer conversation about the spurious argument that is sometimes used against protesters, namely that the Jews are those who suffered genocide, therefore they cannot be enacting a genocide, and it is obscene to say that they are, and they use that word “obscene.” There is nothing that keeps a people who have suffered massively in life from afflicting massive suffering on others, even though the sufferings are different. There is nothing in the history of the world that precludes that. </p>
  2224.  
  2225.  
  2226.  
  2227. <p>There are no pure angels in the situation, but there is obviously an effort to control language and to suppress analogies and to keep the exceptional character of the Nazi genocide in place so that we cannot use the word “genocide” to name what very clearly complies with the legal definition of genocide. So I just think it is going to be a massive struggle in Germany to open up the critique of Israel, to accept the nonconsensus on Israel.&nbsp;</p>
  2228.  
  2229.  
  2230.  
  2231. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right"><blockquote><p>“What if we imagined a transformation of that state, so that it was a state that represented all the inhabitants there, regardless of religion, regardless of race, national origin?”</p></blockquote></figure>
  2232.  
  2233.  
  2234.  
  2235. <p>I want to say one last thing about it, and here&#8217;s a kind of bad argument: If you say you&#8217;re an anti-Zionist in Israel, in Germany, and sometimes here in France as well, people think it means that you believe that Israel has no right to exist. They actually think that&#8217;s all it means. When you say you&#8217;re an anti-Zionist, they hear you saying, “I want the destruction of the state of Israel.” Now, you could be an anti-Zionist like I am, clearly, and wish for a state formation in which Palestinians and Jews live together and inhabit that earth together equally and without violence, supported by constitutional protections, by economic equality, the end to colonial structures, the end to occupation.</p>
  2236.  
  2237.  
  2238.  
  2239. <p>That&#8217;s not the death of the state of Israel, but it might involve a transformation of that state. And it&#8217;s that last point, like, what if we imagined a transformation of that state, so that it was a state that represented all the inhabitants there, regardless of religion, regardless of race, national origin?</p>
  2240.  
  2241.  
  2242.  
  2243. <p>We would just sound like old-style liberals, right? We would be like boring old-style liberals. Constitutional democracy. If you called for that, for a one-state solution, would you be calling for the end of the Jewish people or the death of the Jewish people or the destruction of the state? You would be calling for a transformation of the state that would be in the service of all the inhabitants, because living on conditions of equality, living equally free, living under justice is the end to a violent struggle for freedom, because freedom is there.</p>
  2244.  
  2245.  
  2246.  
  2247. <p>It&#8217;s the end of the violent struggle against the Palestinians because they are your neighbors and your equal citizens. I mean, it&#8217;s a vision of cohabitation. It&#8217;s not a violent act. So, you know, the state of Israel was founded one way; it could have been founded another way. There were bi-nationalists who wanted the state of Israel not to be founded on the basis of Jewish sovereignty. They lost that. And there have always been Jewish Israeli critics of the Jewish sovereignty principle who wanted Israel to be a democracy worthy of the name. Those are positive values, and at least they should be debated. And they could be debated in Germany because a lot of the people who held to this view were German Jews or German-speaking Czech Jews like Hans Kohn.</p>
  2248.  
  2249.  
  2250.  
  2251. <p>I mean, it&#8217;s just nonsense. Anyway, this is the nonsense that we&#8217;re left with in this world right now.</p>
  2252.  
  2253.  
  2254.  
  2255. <p><strong>JS:</strong> Well, Judith Butler, you leave us with a lot to contemplate, and I know you have to go right now, but we&#8217;re so grateful for you, for taking the time to be with us here on Intercepted. Thank you so much.</p>
  2256.  
  2257.  
  2258.  
  2259. <p><strong>JB:</strong> OK. Thank you very much.</p>
  2260.  
  2261.  
  2262.  
  2263. <p><strong>MH:</strong> Judith Butler’s latest book is out now and called “<a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374608224/whosafraidofgender">Who&#8217;s Afraid of Gender?</a>”</p>
  2264.  
  2265.  
  2266.  
  2267. <p><strong>JS: </strong>And that does it for this episode of Intercepted.&nbsp;</p>
  2268.  
  2269.  
  2270.  
  2271. <p>Intercepted is a production of The Intercept. Laura Flynn produced this episode. Rick Kwan mixed our show. Legal review by Shawn Musgrave and Elizabeth Sanchez. This episode was transcribed by Leonardo Fireman. Our theme music, as always, was composed by DJ Spooky.</p>
  2272.  
  2273.  
  2274.  
  2275. <p><strong>MH: </strong>If you want to support our work, you can go to<a href="https://intercept.com/join"> theintercept.com/join</a>. Your donation, no matter what the size, makes a real difference. And, if you haven’t already, please subscribe to Intercepted and our other podcast, Deconstructed. Also leave us a rating and review whenever you find our podcasts. It helps other listeners to find us as well.</p>
  2276.  
  2277.  
  2278.  
  2279. <p>If you want to give us additional feedback, email us at podcasts@theintercept.com</p>
  2280.  
  2281.  
  2282.  
  2283. <p><strong>JS: </strong>Thank you so much for joining us, I’m Jeremy Scahill.&nbsp;</p>
  2284.  
  2285.  
  2286.  
  2287. <p><strong>MH: </strong>And I’m Murtaza Hussain.</p>
  2288. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/01/judith-butler-israel-hamas-freedom-speech/">Judith Butler Will Not Co-Sign Israel’s Alibi for Genocide</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  2289. ]]></content:encoded>
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  2297. <media:title type="html">DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)</media:title>
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  2302.                <title><![CDATA[Cable News Viewers Have a Skewed Attitude Toward Gaza War, Survey Finds]]></title>
  2303.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/30/gaza-israel-palestine-cable-news-poll/</link>
  2304.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/30/gaza-israel-palestine-cable-news-poll/#respond</comments>
  2305.                <pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 15:45:45 +0000</pubDate>
  2306.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ryan Grim]]></dc:creator>
  2307.                                 <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  2308. <category><![CDATA[Ryan Grim]]></category>
  2309.  
  2310.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467506</guid>
  2311.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>A tale of two Americas.</p>
  2312. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/30/gaza-israel-palestine-cable-news-poll/">Cable News Viewers Have a Skewed Attitude Toward Gaza War, Survey Finds</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  2313. ]]></description>
  2314.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  2315. <p><em>This article was originally published as a newsletter from Ryan Grim. </em><a href="https://join.theintercept.com/signup/signup-ryan-grim/?source=web_intercept_20230927_grimpolitics_signup"><em>Sign up to get the next one in your inbox.</em></a></p>
  2316.  
  2317.  
  2318.  
  2319. <p><span class="has-underline">Americans who get</span> their news primarily from cable are the only people who believe that Israel is not committing a genocide in Gaza, according to a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24628251-breaking-points-survey-results">new survey</a> that examined the relationship between attitudes toward the war and news consumption habits. </p>
  2320.  
  2321.  
  2322.  
  2323. <p>The survey puts numbers on trends that have become increasingly apparent: Cable news viewers are more supportive of Israel’s war effort, less likely to think Israel is committing war crimes, and less interested in the war in general. People who get their news primarily from social media, YouTube, or podcasts, by contrast, generally side with the Palestinians, believe Israel is committing war crimes and genocide, and consider the issue of significant importance.&nbsp;</p>
  2324.  
  2325.  
  2326.  
  2327. <p>The poll of 1,001 American adults was conducted by J.L. Partners from April 16 through April 18. It was&nbsp;paid for by the YouTube-based news network <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWUR48grJuc&amp;t=147s">Breaking Points</a> (for which I co-host the show “Counter Points”).&nbsp;</p>
  2328.  
  2329.  
  2330.  
  2331. <p>The survey comes as events surrounding the war in Gaza seem to be coming to a head. Talks aimed at something approaching a ceasefire are reportedly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/blinken-saudi-crown-prince-discuss-achieving-peace-security-gaza-us-says-2024-04-29/">making progress</a>, even as <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/israeli-bombs-kill-children-rafah">Israel ramps up its bombing campaign in Rafah</a>. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent the last week attacking the International Criminal Court for what he said was a looming plan of theirs to charge him with war crimes. The U.S. dutifully came to his defense, preposterously claiming that because Israel is not a party to the ICC, the court has no jurisdiction. The same is true for Russia, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/3/20/an-icc-warrant-against-putin-is-good-its-also#:~:text=The%20US%20applauds%20the%20ICC,and%20Israel%20against%20besieged%20Palestinians.">but we applauded</a> the ICC’s charges against Vladimir Putin. With U.S. support in hand, Netanyahu announced <a href="https://twitter.com/prem_thakker/status/1785273410513154088?s=46&amp;t=S2SeunXz7qXWOdOHUxDn4g">he’d go forward with a Rafah invasion</a> regardless of whether Hamas accepts a hostage deal.</p>
  2332.  
  2333.  
  2334.  
  2335.  
  2336.  
  2337.  
  2338.  
  2339. <p>College administrators and local police are cracking down hard on the mushrooming campus protests. Overnight, Columbia University students took over Hamilton Hall, the same building occupied by antiwar protesters in the 1960s. They renamed it Hind Hall, for 6-year-old Hind Rajab, whose family was killed while they fled to southern Gaza. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-HyIiyNQ9E">Her harrowing final phone call</a> to rescuers captivated the globe, as people around the world desperately awaited news of her fate, only to learn Israel had killed not just her and her family, but also the rescuers sent to save her — a rescue team that had coordinated its movements with the Israeli military.&nbsp;</p>
  2340.  
  2341.  
  2342.  
  2343. <p>Despite President Joe Biden and much of the media attempting to cast the campus protests as antisemitic, the crackdown and the smear campaign has only fueled the movement’s growth, because young people, as the survey shows, don’t rely on the mainstream media for their news, and there is plenty of footage of the peaceful, respectful protests on social media to counter the false narrative. How else to explain that a thoroughly establishment-minded institution like the College Democrats <a href="https://twitter.com/ryangrim/status/1785308130466845072">could have come out in support of the protesters</a>?</p>
  2344.  
  2345.  
  2346.  
  2347. <p>The group’s executive board approved the resolution by a vote of 8-2. “I hope it’s clear by looking at the hundreds of college campuses across the country: this generation is committed to ensuring justice for all,” the chair of the College Democrats Muslim Caucus, Hasan Pyarali, told me. “Opposing genocide and hatred against any group is not just good policy, but good politics.”</p>
  2348.  
  2349.  
  2350.  
  2351. <p>Joining them is the Fairfax County Democratic Committee in Virginia, which also issued a statement denouncing the crackdown on the protesters. The Fairfax Democrats are about as mainstream, establishment-linked as you could imagine. Many of their members work for the federal government, and many are specifically in the national security field. <a href="https://twitter.com/FairfaxDems/status/1785013929158304169">Yet here they are.</a></p>
  2352.  
  2353.  
  2354.  
  2355.  
  2356.  
  2357.  
  2358.  
  2359. <p><span class="has-underline">We often hear</span> people say that “Twitter isn’t real life” or that “Nobody watches cable news,” but the survey asked where people get most of their news, asking them to pick just one, and cable and social media won out. Most Americans do in fact get their news either primarily from cable (42 percent) or social media like TikTok, Instagram, or another platform (18 percent). A third of people said they get their news from YouTube or podcasts, with 13 percent saying they got <em>most </em>of their news that way.</p>
  2360.  
  2361.  
  2362.  
  2363. <p>Asked generally where folks got their news on a day-to-day basis, with a “check all that apply” option, it’s even more clear how dominant cable (55 percent), social media (38 percent), and podcasts/YouTube (34) are compared to print, at 21 percent.&nbsp;(I read the survey as using “print” as a stand-in for any text-based media, whether digital like The Intercept or on actual printed paper.) Just 8 percent of people said they got most of their news from print journalism, which was less than the portion of people who said they don’t watch or read the news at all at 13 percent. (That number may be significantly higher in practice, as those who consume zero news could be difficult for pollsters to reach.)&nbsp;</p>
  2364.  
  2365.  
  2366.  
  2367. <p>These numbers don’t mean print is irrelevant. News is an ecosystem, with print reporters producing the journalism that is then grist for cable news as well as YouTube shows or podcasts. Print journalists also break much of the news that gets talked about on social media. But social media also gives users/viewers direct access to sources of information they never would have had before, with the journalists in Gaza broadcasting directly to Instagram and TikTok being the most visible recent examples.&nbsp;</p>
  2368.  
  2369.  
  2370.  
  2371. <!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[2](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22politics-with-ryan-grim%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class="promote-banner">
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  2375.            <div class="promote-banner__text">
  2376.                  <p class="promote-banner__eyebrow">
  2377.            Regular Updates on News and Politics           </p>
  2378.        
  2379.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Politics With Ryan Grim</h2>
  2380.      </div>
  2381.    </a>
  2382.  </aside>
  2383. <!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[2] -->
  2384.  
  2385.  
  2386.  
  2387. <p>What the survey doesn’t quite answer is which phenomenon comes first. Are social media users more likely to oppose the war because of the information they’re exposed to, or simply because they are more likely to be young? Are cable news viewers propagandized into their position by the talking heads they watch, or are they just old and conservative? (Social media use does go far beyond young people, of course. The survey found that 38 percent of people listed it as one of multiple sources of news.)</p>
  2388.  
  2389.  
  2390.  
  2391. <p>Asked if Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, cable news viewers said no by a 34-32 margin. All other news consumers said Israel is committing genocide, including print (36-33), YouTube (41-31), and social media users, who agree with the statement by a 44 to 19 percent margin. People aged 18 to 29, meanwhile, have similar views (48-21 percent), while those over 65 say by a 47 to 21 percent plurality that Israel isn’t committing genocide.&nbsp;</p>
  2392.  
  2393.  
  2394.  
  2395. <p>When it comes to the salience of the war on Gaza as an electoral concern, the trend continues. Just 12 percent of the overall public lists it as a top three issue, and just 3 percent say it’s their top issue. Of that 3 percent, nearly all of them get their news from social media or YouTube. One in 5 social media news consumers say Israel’s war is a top-three issue; the same is true for 18- to 29-year-olds.&nbsp;</p>
  2396.  
  2397.  
  2398.  
  2399. <p>Yet if nearly half of young people think Israel is committing genocide, why doesn’t it have greater salience as an issue in the election? The answer could lie in the choices available to voters: Biden has given his unconditional support to Israel, and Donald Trump has done little more than <a href="https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/03/25/trump-to-israel-hayom-only-a-fool-would-have-not-acted-like-israel-on-oct-7/">suggest</a>, “I will say, Israel has to be very careful, because you&#8217;re losing a lot of the world, you&#8217;re losing a lot of support, you have to finish up, you have to get the job done.&#8221; If those are your choices, the actual choice seems to be whether to vote at all.&nbsp;</p>
  2400.  
  2401.  
  2402.  
  2403. <!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[3](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22israel-palestine%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class="promote-banner">
  2404.    <a class="promote-banner__link" href="https://theintercept.com/collections/israel-palestine/">
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  2406.          <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="150" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=5760 5760w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=3600 3600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />        </span>
  2407.            <div class="promote-banner__text">
  2408.                  <p class="promote-banner__eyebrow">
  2409.            Read our complete coverage          </p>
  2410.        
  2411.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Israel’s War on Gaza</h2>
  2412.      </div>
  2413.    </a>
  2414.  </aside>
  2415. <!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[3] -->
  2416.  
  2417.  
  2418.  
  2419. <p>Indeed, the other stark difference among the cohorts was on propensity to vote: Print readers and cable viewers were by far the most likely to vote, and those who got their news from social media or YouTube were most likely to say they were definitely not voting or were unlikely to.&nbsp;</p>
  2420.  
  2421.  
  2422.  
  2423. <p>Only social media users said they’d be more likely to support a candidate who supported Palestinians (33-19 percent). Just 15 percent of cable news viewers said the same, even though 31 percent of cable viewers agreed that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians.</p>
  2424.  
  2425.  
  2426.  
  2427. <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWUR48grJuc&amp;t=147s">You can watch a segment on the survey here</a>.</p>
  2428.  
  2429.  
  2430.  
  2431. <p>Speaking of people who get their news from podcasts: <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/26/deconstructed-gaza-doctor-medical-mission/">In the most recent episode of Deconstructed,</a> I interviewed a Dallas spine surgeon, Mohammed Khaleel, who just returned from a medical mission to Gaza. During his week on the ground,&nbsp;he worked at the European Hospital in Khan Younis, effectively the only hospital still functioning. It’s worth hearing his account first hand, and you can find it by searching “Deconstructed” or my name on any podcast platform.&nbsp;</p>
  2432. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/30/gaza-israel-palestine-cable-news-poll/">Cable News Viewers Have a Skewed Attitude Toward Gaza War, Survey Finds</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
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  2443. <media:title type="html">DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)</media:title>
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  2448.                <title><![CDATA[Biden Says He Told Nigeria to Kill Fewer Civilians — but Nigeria Keeps Killing Lots of Civilians]]></title>
  2449.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/29/nigeria-civilian-casualties-us-military-ai-biden/</link>
  2450.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/29/nigeria-civilian-casualties-us-military-ai-biden/#respond</comments>
  2451.                <pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  2452.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Turse]]></dc:creator>
  2453.                                 <category><![CDATA[National Security]]></category>
  2454. <category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
  2455.  
  2456.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467472</guid>
  2457.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>Nigeria has gotten billions in U.S. security assistance, even as its counterterrorism campaign has a massive civilian death toll.</p>
  2458. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/29/nigeria-civilian-casualties-us-military-ai-biden/">Biden Says He Told Nigeria to Kill Fewer Civilians — but Nigeria Keeps Killing Lots of Civilians</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  2459. ]]></description>
  2460.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  2461. <p><u>A Nigerian airstrike</u> this month on a village in the country’s northwest killed 33 people, according to four residents and a local traditional leader. It is the latest in a long-running series of attacks on civilians by the government of Nigeria, one of the United States’ closest allies in Africa and the recipient of billions of dollars in U.S. weapons and military assistance.</p>
  2462.  
  2463.  
  2464.  
  2465. <p>The April 10 attack, the latest errant strike in a Nigerian counterterrorism campaign against militants and “bandits,” came as villagers prepared for Eid prayers marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.</p>
  2466.  
  2467.  
  2468.  
  2469. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22right%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-right" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="right"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[0] -->“The pattern of Nigeria’s military operations resulting in civilian casualties is deeply troubling.”<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[0] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[0] -->
  2470.  
  2471.  
  2472.  
  2473. <p>&#8220;Arriving at the scene, I saw children, men and women &#8230; were killed and trapped inside the collapsed buildings that were hit by a bomb,&#8221; Lawali Ango, the traditional leader of Dogon Daji village, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigerian-airstrike-killed-33-villagers-during-eid-witnesses-say-2024-04-19/">told Reuters</a>. (A Nigerian military spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, denied that civilians were killed in the April 10 strike.)</p>
  2474.  
  2475.  
  2476.  
  2477. <p>“The pattern of Nigeria’s military operations resulting in civilian casualties is deeply troubling,” Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., told The Intercept. “One of the biggest factors contributing to violent extremism is security sector violence against you or someone you know — so we’ll likely see the reverberations of this civilian harm for years to come unless there’s justice and accountability.”</p>
  2478.  
  2479.  
  2480.  
  2481. <p>Between 2000 and 2022, the U.S. provided, facilitated, or approved more than $2 billion in security aid, including weapons and equipment sales, to Nigeria, according to <a href="https://securityassistance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Nigeria-May-2022-Factsheet-FINAL.pdf">report</a> by Brown University’s Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies and the Security Assistance Monitor at the Center for International Policy, a Washington think tank. Over that time, the U.S. also carried out more than 41,000 training courses for Nigerian military personnel.</p>
  2482.  
  2483.  
  2484.  
  2485. <p>The U.S. has repeatedly raised the subject of civilian casualties with Nigeria’s government. Earlier this year, in the wake of an attack that <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/01/23/nigeria-civilian-deaths-antony-blinken/">killed more than 120 civilians,</a> U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly discussed the issue with Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu.</p>
  2486.  
  2487.  
  2488.  
  2489. <p>When pressed by The Intercept following Blinken’s visit on what actions the State Department would take if Nigeria’s military continued to kill civilians, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee said, at the time, “I’m not going to get into hypotheticals.”</p>
  2490.  
  2491.  
  2492.  
  2493.  
  2494.  
  2495.  
  2496. <p>Since the April 10 attack that killed more than 30 civilians, requests for comment from or to speak with Phee, while acknowledged, have gone unanswered, and the State Department failed to respond to questions on the record.</p>
  2497.  
  2498.  
  2499.  
  2500. <p>“Of course, as we always do when we meet with our Nigerian partners, we talk about how to minimize harm to civilians,” Phee told The Intercept in January, asserting that the U.S. seeks “to support Nigeria’s wish to make sure that the country is safe and secure for all of its citizens.”</p>
  2501.  
  2502.  
  2503.  
  2504. <p>Since it ramped up its U.S.-backed counterterror campaign in 2017, however, Nigeria has regularly attacked its own people.</p>
  2505.  
  2506.  
  2507.  
  2508.  
  2509.  
  2510.  
  2511.  
  2512. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-u-s-weapons-and-civilian-deaths"><strong>U.S. Weapons and Civilian Deaths</strong></h2>
  2513.  
  2514.  
  2515.  
  2516. <p>A January 17, 2017, airstrike on a displaced persons camp in Rann, Nigeria — <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/09/08/nigeria-airstrike-pentagon-civilians/">revealed </a>by The Intercept to <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/12/20/pentagon-nigeria-airstrike-accountability/">involve the U.S.</a> — killed more than 160 civilians and seriously wounded more than 120 people.</p>
  2517.  
  2518.  
  2519.  
  2520. <p>In September 2021, the Nigerian Air Force admitted that it attacked a village, <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/485299-nigerian-airforce-takes-responsibility-for-bombing-of-yobe-village.html">killing 10 civilians</a> and injuring another 20. That April, a <a href="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-05-13-helicopter-attack-on-nigerian-civilians-puts-british-pilot-training-under-fresh-scrutiny/">Nigerian military helicopter</a> reportedly launched <a href="https://declassifieduk.org/helicopter-attack-on-nigerian-civilians-puts-british-pilot-training-under-fresh-scrutiny/">indiscriminate attacks on homes</a>, farms, and a school.</p>
  2521.  
  2522.  
  2523.  
  2524. <p>A reported Nigerian airstrike on a village in neighboring Niger in February 2022 <a href="https://civiliansinconflict.org/press-releases/airstrike-on-niger-nigeria-border/">killed at least 12 civilians</a>. Another attack in August 2022 left at least <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/investigationspecial-reports/627492-under-the-radar-inside-nigerian-militarys-propaganda-campaigns.html">eight civilians dead</a>. Witnesses and local officials said a December 2022 strike <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N37Y087/">killed at least 64 people</a>, including civilians. An attack in January 2023 <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/06/nigeria-no-justice-civilians-killed-airstrike">killed 39 civilians</a> and injured at least six others.</p>
  2525.  
  2526.  
  2527.  
  2528. <p>And a December 2023 strike killed more than 120 villagers celebrating Maulud, the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/12/nigeria-military-attempting-to-cover-up-mass-killing-of-civilians/">according</a> to Amnesty International.</p>
  2529.  
  2530.  
  2531.  
  2532. <p>A 2023 Reuters analysis of data compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a U.S.-based armed violence monitoring group, found more than <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/nigeria-military-civilian-airstrikes/">2,600 people were killed</a> in 248 airstrikes outside the most active war zones in Nigeria during the previous five years. Most victims were identified as “communal militia,” a catchall category that includes local self-defense forces, criminal gangs, and so-called bandits.</p>
  2533.  
  2534.  
  2535.  
  2536.  
  2537.  
  2538.  
  2539.  
  2540. <p>Nigeria’s government has <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/1657562.html">frequently</a> been <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-protest-victims-burial-new-investigation-41adc0b22734b523cd1bdd6de20b4780">accused</a> of <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/varying-accounts-of-nigerian-village-bombing-spark-debate-about-cover-up/7390190.html">covering</a> up <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2020/10/nigeria-authorities-must-stop-attempts-to-cover-up-lekki-toll-gate-massacre-new-investigative-timeline/">civilian deaths</a>, including running what a 2023 investigation by Nigeria’s Premium Times <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/investigationspecial-reports/627492-under-the-radar-inside-nigerian-militarys-propaganda-campaigns.html">called</a> “a systemic propaganda scheme to keep the atrocities of its troops under wraps.”</p>
  2541.  
  2542.  
  2543.  
  2544. <p>In 2021, the U.S. <a href="https://www.safia.hq.af.mil/IA-News/Article/2804228/81-fs-says-farewell-to-last-nigerian-air-force-class/">provided</a> Nigeria <a href="https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3382223/nigerian-air-force-receives-new-facilities-for-a-29-super-tucano-fleet/">12 Super Tucano warplanes</a> as part of a <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/air/2017/08/03/us-approves-a-29-super-tucano-sale-to-nigeria/">$593 million</a> package that also included bombs and rockets. Last May, as part of the sale, the U.S. completed a <a href="https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3382223/nigerian-air-force-receives-new-facilities-for-a-29-super-tucano-fleet/">$38 million project</a> to construct new facilities for those aircraft.</p>
  2545.  
  2546.  
  2547.  
  2548. <p>The State Department also approved a 2022 sale to Nigeria of nearly $1 billion in AH-1Z attack helicopters and supporting munitions and equipment.</p>
  2549.  
  2550.  
  2551.  
  2552. <p>Last year, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Jacobs, the California Democrat, called on the Biden administration to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-congress-members-seek-halt-1-billion-nigeria-weapons-deal-2023-02-16/">scuttle the nearly $1 billion</a> attack helicopter deal.</p>
  2553.  
  2554.  
  2555.  
  2556. <p>“We write to express our concern with current U.S. policy on and military support to Nigeria,” the lawmakers said, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/01/23/nigeria-civilian-deaths-antony-blinken/">urging</a> “a review of security assistance and cooperation programs in Nigeria, including a risk assessment of civilian casualties and abuses.”</p>
  2557.  
  2558.  
  2559.  
  2560. <p>Jacobs remains opposed to the sale and called for a thorough investigation of the April 10 strike, stressing the need for justice for the victims and survivors. “But more than that,” she said, “I will continue to push the United States to prioritize human rights and accountability in its relationship with the Nigerian military.”</p>
  2561. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/29/nigeria-civilian-casualties-us-military-ai-biden/">Biden Says He Told Nigeria to Kill Fewer Civilians — but Nigeria Keeps Killing Lots of Civilians</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
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  2574.                <title><![CDATA[QAnon Was Born Out of the Sex Ad Moral Panic That Took Down Backpage.com]]></title>
  2575.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/27/backpage-com-sex-trafficking-qanon-conspiracy-moral-panic/</link>
  2576.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/27/backpage-com-sex-trafficking-qanon-conspiracy-moral-panic/#respond</comments>
  2577.                <pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  2578.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Trevor Aaronson]]></dc:creator>
  2579.                                 <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  2580.  
  2581.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467358</guid>
  2582.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>For years, the political establishment opportunistically railed against sex trafficking. Then came Pizzagate.</p>
  2583. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/27/backpage-com-sex-trafficking-qanon-conspiracy-moral-panic/">QAnon Was Born Out of the Sex Ad Moral Panic That Took Down Backpage.com</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  2584. ]]></description>
  2585.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  2586. <p><u>Americans adore a</u> moral panic.</p>
  2587.  
  2588.  
  2589.  
  2590. <p>During the Red Scare, we believed that Soviet agents were everywhere, having secretly infiltrated all levels of society. In the 1950s, the U.S. government banned switchblades over unfounded fears that we were in the throes of “West Side Story”-style knife violence. The Satanic Panic convinced Americans of the 1980s that absurd claims of ritual abuse and sacrifice were somehow credible. Around the same time, there was “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mEQmrw6JpA">stranger danger</a>” — which was debunked like other moral panics, but <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2010/11/27/dispelled-kidnap-myths-do-little-to-allay-parents-fears/">never went away</a> entirely.</p>
  2591.  
  2592.  
  2593.  
  2594. <p>At any given time, America is moving in and out of some moral panic or another. Harm to children is a persistent theme. In recent years, however, our national obsession with these moral panics has consumed our politics. We’ve come to believe that sex trafficking rings are all around us. The driving force may come as a surprise: a moral panic about consensual sex workers who advertised legally on the internet.</p>
  2595.  
  2596.  
  2597.  
  2598. <p>The far-right’s current obsession with “child sex trafficking” — the animating force behind such conspiracy theories as QAnon and Pizzagate, as well as <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/12/16/viral-spread-lies-katie-porter-shows-twitters-power-amplify-disinformation/">coded political insults</a> like “groomer” — has roots in this moral panic hyped by powerful Republicans and Democrats alike. The panic reached its crescendo with the 2018 federal indictments related to a sex ad hub called Backpage.com.</p>
  2599.  
  2600.  
  2601.  
  2602. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22left%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-left" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="left"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[0] -->The Backpage story may stand as a cautionary tale not only of overzealous prosecutions, but also of the second- and third-order effects of moral panics.<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[0] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[0] -->
  2603.  
  2604.  
  2605.  
  2606. <p>A classifieds site that became known predominantly for “adult” advertising, Backpage was born of a more dispersed industry that used to operate in the back pages of local alternative weekly newspapers like the Village Voice, Chicago Reader, and LA Weekly — known as alt-weeklies. For a time, the sex ad industry had its central platform on Craigslist, the free classifieds website, which spurred large-scale campaigns against the ads. As the campaigns took hold, Craigslist buckled and effectively handed the mantle to Backpage — until eventually it, too, came under a sustained morality attack.</p>
  2607.  
  2608.  
  2609.  
  2610. <p>I spent four years reporting on this saga — the rise and fall of alt-weeklies, adult advertising, and Backpage — with fellow journalists Sam Eifling and Michael J. Mooney. The result, a documentary podcast series, now on Audible, titled “<a href="http://www.audible.com/holdfast">Hold Fast: The Unadulterated Story of the World’s Most Scandalous Website</a>,” reveals how cynical politicians can take hold of a moral panic and exploit it for political gain.</p>
  2611.  
  2612.  
  2613.  
  2614. <p>One thing that struck me during my reporting was that the Backpage story may stand as a cautionary tale not only of overzealous prosecutions, but also of the second- and third-order effects of moral panics — in this case, conspiracy theories like Pizzagate and QAnon. If you look closely enough, you can trace a line from adult ads in alt-weeklies to escort ads on websites like Craigslist and Backpage, to conspiracy claims that Donald Trump is fighting to break up a global child sex-trafficking cabal run by Hillary Clinton and her malevolent minions.</p>
  2615.  
  2616.  
  2617.  
  2618. <p>Conspiracy theories don’t grow in isolation. They wrap themselves around <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/09/23/qanon-conspiracy-theory-colorado/">kernels of truth</a>. The truth here is that sex trafficking and sexual exploitation are horrific crimes, and no one should underestimate the harms experienced by survivors. For the last two decades, though, powerful politicians, breathless news media, and a host of ill-informed celebrities have conflated “sex trafficking” with “prostitution” — fanning a national hysteria that underpins the conspiracy theories now wracking American society.</p>
  2619.  
  2620.  
  2621.  
  2622. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sex-ad-industry"><strong>Sex Ad Industry</strong></h2>
  2623.  
  2624.  
  2625.  
  2626. <p>A quick history: Starting with the Village Voice in the 1950s, alt-weeklies popped up in cities nationwide. These papers prized investigative reporting and magazine-style narrative writing; pioneered attitudinal pop-culture criticism; and published classified ads in their back pages that would make half the country blush.</p>
  2627.  
  2628.  
  2629.  
  2630. <p>The “adult” ads on the last pages of the tabloid-style papers promoted sex work. At first, they were written in coded language, which created enough ambiguity that federal judges had upheld the ads’ First Amendment protections. The legal doctrine was simple: The government couldn’t deprive a massage therapist or a dancer of their First Amendment right to advertise on mere suspicion that they might also provide an illegal sexual service behind closed doors.</p>
  2631.  
  2632.  
  2633.  
  2634. <p>For decades, wink-and-a-nod adult ads could be found in alt-weeklies nationwide. Publishers knew what was being advertised. Most readers knew. So did police and prosecutors. No one, however, seemed to holler about sex ads in newspapers that could be found at busy bus stops, crowded restaurants, or smoky bars. Society didn’t collapse. The kids were all right.</p>
  2635.  
  2636.  
  2637.  
  2638.  
  2639.  
  2640.  
  2641. <p>Then came Craigslist, a simple website that slashed a gaping hole in the newspaper industry&#8217;s hulking money bags. Who would pay for an ink-smeared classified ad in a newspaper when you could get a more effective one for free, in minutes, on Craigslist? People selling cars, boats, guitars, whatever — they moved to Craigslist. And those sex workers advertising in the back pages of alt-weeklies? They did too.</p>
  2642.  
  2643.  
  2644.  
  2645. <p>In response to the migration of classifieds to the internet, the largest publisher of alt-weeklies launched a Craigslist competitor, Backpage. Essentially a knockoff, Backpage used a design and category scheme almost identical to Craigslist’s. Throughout its early existence, the alt-weekly-run Backpage never matched the popular site from which it was cribbing.</p>
  2646.  
  2647.  
  2648.  
  2649. <p>Then the government and the press turned on the burgeoning online classifieds industry. Public officials latched on to a study from the University of Pennsylvania that claimed 326,000 children in America were “at risk for commercial sexual exploitation.” The report analyzed data from the 1990s using methodologies so deeply flawed that the Washington Post described it as “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/05/28/the-bogus-claim-that-300000-u-s-children-are-at-risk-of-sexual-exploitation/">bogus</a>.”</p>
  2650.  
  2651.  
  2652.  
  2653. <p>The jaw-dropping stat — More than 300,000 children in the United States could be victims of sex trafficking! — nonetheless lodged itself in our national consciousness. Politicians <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5110951/user-clip-300000-young-americans-risk">trumpeted the claim</a>. Actor Ashton Kutcher, fashioning himself an advocate against sex trafficking, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90MKmjSXox8&amp;t=118s">announced unchallenged on CNN </a>that there are “between 100,000 and 300,000 child sex slaves in the United States today.” It sounded even then like an improbable total. But with kids’ lives reportedly at stake, few Americans pushed back.&nbsp;</p>
  2654.  
  2655.  
  2656.  
  2657. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pressure-campaigns">Pressure Campaigns</h2>
  2658.  
  2659.  
  2660.  
  2661. <p>The FBI, conditioned to view any national clamor as a federal funding bonanza, launched Operation Cross Country to investigate the supposed scourge of sex trafficking. The FBI’s ongoing efforts now include partnerships with 400 law enforcement agencies nationwide, but the feds still haven’t uncovered any sort of large-scale, highly organized trafficking ring as part of Operation Cross Country.</p>
  2662.  
  2663.  
  2664.  
  2665. <p>That’s because — while cases of sexual exploitation and trafficking do occur, many of them horrific in their details — the perception of a large-scale threat in the United States is perched on a mountain of distortions and exaggerations.</p>
  2666.  
  2667.  
  2668.  
  2669. <p>“If you believe that hundreds of thousands of kids are being trafficked, you have to believe your husband, your dad, your brother, your sons are the ones buying them,” Juliana Piccillo, a sex worker advocate, explained to me. “It&#8217;s not just a handful of guys buying 300,000 kids.”</p>
  2670.  
  2671.  
  2672.  
  2673. <p>For context, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/22/business/economy/ups-contract-vote-teamsters.html">union-covered employees of UPS</a>, those brown-clad delivery drivers we see daily, number 300,000.</p>
  2674.  
  2675.  
  2676.  
  2677. <p>As America bought into myths of large-scale sex trafficking, individual accounts of <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/craigslist-adult-services-sex-slaves-who-fought-back">sexual exploitation</a> made headlines. Yet the more nuanced story of online adult ads went unreported. Put simply, the internet made sex work, on the whole, safer by giving consensual sex workers a marketplace away from the streets and the ability to screen potentially dangerous clients.</p>
  2678.  
  2679.  
  2680.  
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  2682.  <img decoding="async"
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  2686.    alt="Sex Workers and their supporters protest a police raid on Oct. 25, 2016, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, saying shutting down sites like Backpage.com exposes them to more risk."
  2687.    width=""
  2688.    height=""
  2689.    loading="lazy"
  2690.  data-recalc-dims="1" />
  2691.      <figcaption class="photo__figcaption">
  2692.              <span class="photo__caption">Sex workers and their supporters protest a police raid on Oct. 25, 2016, in Minneapolis saying shutting down sites like Backpage.com exposes them to more risk.</span>
  2693.                    <span class="photo__credit">Photo: &#8220;<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/fibonacciblue/30448839452/in/photolist-4CdasT-NoEg9y-MBbmqo-N7xmcC-N7x317-NvLsC5-NrbLfg-N7wmqf-depYp8-depYtP-4vhTKL-aHFByB-aHFBkp-aHFBHv-aHFzgZ-aHFysR-aHFBRp-aHFB6r-aHFxXi-aHFyzZ-aHFC6n-aHFAix-aHFyeZ-aHFAx2-aHFAQD-2n1CkTC-aHFz3Z-aHFzwr-aHFyRR">Protest march against the raid on Backpage</a>&#8221; by Fibonacci Blue. Used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY 2.0</a></span>
  2694.          </figcaption>
  2695.  </figure>
  2696.  
  2697.  
  2698.  
  2699. <p>These gains in worker safety benefited a large portion of Americans, and the reason is simple: The nation’s sex work industry is enormous. The National Institutes of Health estimate that sex work in the U.S. generates $14 billion per year in economic activity. That makes sex work a significant American industry, on par in revenue with the streaming music industry.</p>
  2700.  
  2701.  
  2702.  
  2703. <p>As police and politicians conflated sex trafficking with sex work, journalists dutifully followed along. A <a href="https://www.minnpost.com/community-sketchbook/2016/09/u-study-shows-dramatic-shift-public-perception-sex-trafficking/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwnv-vBhBdEiwABCYQA-BcU-HQFegkcBEXJ6EfYy-majUd1duCQO9lqdbvDLZbDkqUV5niUxoCTH8QAvD_BwE">study </a>from the University of Minnesota of 1,500 news articles from 1995 to 2014 found a dramatic increase in the media’s use of “sex trafficking” in place of “prostitution.” That trend hasn’t reversed. A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmKpeHbjNHo">local news report</a> from Florida last year described a standard prostitution bust as being part of “a sweeping sex trafficking investigation.” Or consider a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDSu6JDeCzk">local news report</a> from South Dakota, where an undercover cop posed as an underage sex worker in a prostitution sting. The TV anchor described it as “an undercover sex trafficking investigation,” even though no one involved was being trafficked. A right-wing sheriff in Florida fashioned a national profile by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-sheriff-military-teacher-included-those-apprehended-massive-human-trafficking-bust">running prostitution stings</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsXs9sV20-A">hosting chest-beating press conferences</a> that promote how he’s bravely fighting “human trafficking.”</p>
  2704.  
  2705.  
  2706.  
  2707. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[2](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22none%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-none" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="none"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[2] -->Backpage became the world’s internet brothel. It was the same legal business alt-weeklies had been in for decades, now operating at an industrial scale.<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[2] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[2] -->
  2708.  
  2709.  
  2710.  
  2711. <p>In August 2010, 17 attorneys general banded together in a letter pressuring Craigslist to take down its adult ads. It wasn’t a legal threat; federal judges had upheld the legality of such ads since their days on the back pages of alt-weeklies. Instead, the attorneys general were mounting a coordinated pressure campaign. And it worked. Bowing to the coercion, Craigslist shuttered its adult section, slapping the word “CENSORED” across it on the website.</p>
  2712.  
  2713.  
  2714.  
  2715. <p>Suddenly, adult ads flooded into the also-ran, Backpage, and the company’s annual revenue skyrocketed from $11.7 million to $78 million in just a few years. Backpage became the world’s internet brothel. It was the same legal business alt-weeklies had been in for decades, now operating at an industrial scale.</p>
  2716.  
  2717.  
  2718.  
  2719. <p>Backpage’s owners, Arizona newspaper moguls Michael Lacey and James Larkin, believed they could withstand what the nerds at Craigslist couldn’t. After all, they were career alt-weekly publishers, owning 17 papers nationwide, including the Village Voice, LA Weekly, and Miami New Times. They’d printed adult ads in the back pages of their papers for decades. How could the internet be any different?</p>
  2720.  
  2721.  
  2722.  
  2723. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-political-opportunism">Political Opportunism</h2>
  2724.  
  2725.  
  2726.  
  2727. <p>As the world’s largest platform for adult ads, Backpage became the target of withering scrutiny and sensational claims that it was encouraging child sexual exploitation. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof led the charge with stories headlined “When Backpage.com Peddles Schoolgirls for Sex” and “Google and Sex Traffickers Like Backpage.com.”</p>
  2728.  
  2729.  
  2730.  
  2731. <p>Protestors <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN6V1197H8I">gathered outside</a> the Village Voice’s office in New York. They held up signs reading “End Sex Trafficking” and “Women and Girls Will Not Be Silenced.” An anonymously run website, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121118085316/http:/www.villagevoicepimp.com/">VillageVoicePimps.com</a>, aggregated reports of violence and sexual exploitation.</p>
  2732.  
  2733.  
  2734.  
  2735. <p>The drumbeat drowned out a more complicated reality. Backpage, whose owners and employees knew large amounts of its ads were using ambiguous language to promote illegal sex work, was minting money by cynically pushing First Amendment protections and internet laws to their legal limits. Backpage, though, didn’t turn a blind eye to possible harm. One of the company’s executives had received an award from the FBI for working proactively with law enforcement. Prosecutors at the Justice Department had even advised against filing criminal charges involving Backpage after concluding, in an<a href="https://reason.com/2019/08/26/secret-memos-show-the-government-has-been-lying-about-backpage/"> internal memo</a>, that “Backpage genuinely wanted to get child prostitution off of its site.”</p>
  2736.  
  2737.  
  2738.  
  2739. <p>Politicians, on the other hand, saw blood in the water.</p>
  2740.  
  2741.  
  2742.  
  2743. <figure class="wp-block-ft-photo is-style-default">
  2744.  <img decoding="async"
  2745.    src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP481053596184.jpg?fit=%2C&#038;w=1200"
  2746.    srcset=""
  2747.    sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)"
  2748.    alt="FILE - In this April 25, 2014 file picture California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who as a prosecutor once specialized in child sexual assault cases addresses the Domestic Human Trafficking symposium in Los Angeles, Trafficking, forced labor and modern slavery are big business generating profits estimated at $150 billion a year, the U.N. labor agency said Tuesday May 20, 2014. The report by the International Labor Organization finds global profits from involuntary workers _ an estimated 21 million of them _ have more than tripled over the past decade from its estimate of at least $44 billion in 2005. ILO Director Guy Ryder said his agency?s report Tuesday calls attention to the need ?to eradicate this fundamentally evil, but hugely profitable practice as soon as possible.?  (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)"
  2749.    width=""
  2750.    height=""
  2751.    loading="lazy"
  2752.  data-recalc-dims="1" />
  2753.      <figcaption class="photo__figcaption">
  2754.              <span class="photo__caption">Then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris addresses the Domestic Human Trafficking symposium in Los Angeles on April 25, 2014.</span>
  2755.                    <span class="photo__credit">Photo: Damian Dovarganes/AP</span>
  2756.          </figcaption>
  2757.  </figure>
  2758.  
  2759.  
  2760.  
  2761. <p>Vice President Kamala Harris, then the ambitious attorney general of California, boasted of being <a href="https://youtu.be/gbzsyNngN0g?si=IJln32Ha3v93Fhge">tough on human trafficking</a>. In 2016, while running for U.S. Senate, she filed criminal charges against Backpage’s owners. The case garnered Harris national headlines — What politician doesn’t want to be seen as tough on child sex trafficking? — but a judge threw out most of the charges shortly after the newly elected Harris was sworn into the Senate. Her case hadn’t helped end exploitation at Backpage, but it had launched her into national politics. </p>
  2762.  
  2763.  
  2764.  
  2765. <p>Around this time, Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain’s think tank, the McCain Institute, focused its efforts on human trafficking. His wife, Cindy, became a self-appointed expert in the subject. McCain Institute reports circulated in Washington, pointing the finger at Backpage for sex trafficking cases in the United States. </p>
  2766.  
  2767.  
  2768.  
  2769. <p>The McCains had a wounded history with the owners of Backpage, who started their publishing company in Arizona with the muckraking alt-weekly Phoenix New Times. The paper had written unflatteringly about the McCains for decades and in the mid-1990s revealed how Cindy McCain was stealing painkillers from her medical charity — a story headlined with the very alt-weekly pun “<a href="https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/opiate-for-the-mrs-6432986">Opiate for the Mrs.</a>” Cindy spun the scandal as a story of addiction and redemption, but it dogged her husband through his failed presidential bids.</p>
  2770.  
  2771.  
  2772.  
  2773.  
  2774.  
  2775.  
  2776.  
  2777. <p>Political chicanery and sensational news reports about sex trafficking fueled each other, creating a media environment by 2016 in which Americans had been inundated with reports about sex trafficking and online classifieds. Just as Americans had come to believe that strangers were abducting thousands of children in the 1980s, we came to believe that child sex trafficking was endemic, with hundreds of thousands of our kids at risk.</p>
  2778.  
  2779.  
  2780.  
  2781. <p>In April 2018, bowing to pressure from Harris, McCain, and other elected officials, the Justice Department seized Backpage and filed criminal charges against its owners. None of the charges alleged sex trafficking — of either children or adults. The government accused Backpage’s owners and executives of <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/09/600360618/backpage-founders-indicted-on-charges-of-facilitating-prostitution">money laundering and facilitating prostitution</a>. Because prostitution is not a federal crime, the Justice Department filed charges under the Travel Act, which outlaws interstate activities intended to violate state laws. </p>
  2782.  
  2783.  
  2784.  
  2785. <p>In the first Backpage trial, federal prosecutors repeatedly referred to “child sex trafficking” — even though none of the charges alleged such activity — forcing the judge to declare a mistrial. In November 2023, a federal jury in Arizona <a href="https://apnews.com/article/backpage-prostitution-sex-ads-trial-verdict-0adbe61bb6efeb53b4ed8c9ecf98ac72">convicted Backpage’s principals</a> following a second trial. Lacey was convicted on one count of money laundering, acquitted on another, and no verdict was reached on the other charges, many of which were thrown out by a judge this week ahead of an possible retrial. He faces sentencing in June. Larkin took his own life in 2023, on the eve of the second trial.</p>
  2786.  
  2787.  
  2788.  
  2789. <p>Any of the nation’s alt-weeklies — which published the same types of adult ads that Backpage did — could have faced the same charges decades earlier, but prosecutors had deferred to First Amendment protections.</p>
  2790.  
  2791.  
  2792.  
  2793. <p>Until the political pressure ramped up on Backpage.</p>
  2794.  
  2795.  
  2796.  
  2797.  
  2798.  
  2799.  
  2800.  
  2801. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conspiracy-theories">Conspiracy Theories</h2>
  2802.  
  2803.  
  2804.  
  2805. <p>Pizzagate, the far-right conspiracy theory that suggests Democrats operated a child sex trafficking ring out of a pizzeria in Washington, sprung from this Backpage-obsessed media environment. The conspiracy claim jumped from the online world to the real one when, in December 2016, a <a href="https://theintercept.com/2016/12/06/disinformation-not-fake-news-got-trump-elected/">man fired an AR-15 rifle inside the pizzeria</a>, Comet Ping Pong, as he attempted to investigate the supposed sex trafficking ring. </p>
  2806.  
  2807.  
  2808.  
  2809. <p>The intrigue around Comet pizza then fed the sprawling pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy. The far-fetched myth hyped secret sex trafficking rings operated by prominent figures, notably Democrats, with Trump cast as a hero fighting valiantly to expose this criminal network and bring its pedophiles to justice. QAnon inspired other conspiracy theories, including one that claimed online retailer Wayfair was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wayfair-denies-sex-trafficking-claims-involving-expensive-cabinets-2020-7">selling sex-trafficked children</a>.</p>
  2810.  
  2811.  
  2812.  
  2813.  
  2814.  
  2815.  
  2816. <p>“You&#8217;re onto something with the idea of far-right obsession over trafficking and grooming having its seeds planted with Backpage,” Mike Rothschild, the author of “Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories,” told me after I explained how I suspected the years of sensationalistic Backpage coverage explains our current conspiracy theories. “There&#8217;s a sense among QAnon promoters and right-wing influencers in general that organized rings of child trafficking have been a problem for decades and that only Trump had the courage and lack of connections to ‘the swamp’ to take it on.”</p>
  2817.  
  2818.  
  2819.  
  2820. <p>“And sure enough,” Rothschild added, “I dug around a bit on Telegram and found some Q promoters talking about the cabal taking its child trafficking ops somewhere else once Trump took Backpage down in 2018.”</p>
  2821.  
  2822.  
  2823.  
  2824. <p>The beliefs behind QAnon are shaped by so-called <a href="https://theintercept.com/2021/06/27/qanon-michael-flynn-digital-soldiers/">Q drops</a>, cryptic online messages written by a supposed government insider describing child sex trafficking and Trump’s efforts to stop it. One “Q drop” in particular <a href="https://qagg.news/?q=&amp;q2=1051">folded the seizure of Backpage into its tinfoil-hatted QAnon universe</a> as if it were evidence that Trump was battling the sex traffickers:</p>
  2825.  
  2826.  
  2827.  
  2828. <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
  2829. <p>That didn’t take long.</p>
  2830.  
  2831.  
  2832.  
  2833. <p>Preparation.</p>
  2834.  
  2835.  
  2836.  
  2837. <p>Strength test.</p>
  2838.  
  2839.  
  2840.  
  2841. <p>For God &amp; Country!</p>
  2842.  
  2843.  
  2844.  
  2845. <p>We Fight for FREEDOM.</p>
  2846.  
  2847.  
  2848.  
  2849. <p>Q</p>
  2850. </blockquote>
  2851.  
  2852.  
  2853.  
  2854. <p>After the Justice Department seized Backpage, Trump signed a bill known as FOSTA-SESTA into law. It was designed to scorch the earth behind Backpage — a response to the years of media reports about sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation. The law <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/4/13/17172762/fosta-sesta-backpage-230-internet-freedom">stripped away liability protections</a> for online platforms perceived to be promoting prostitution.</p>
  2855.  
  2856.  
  2857.  
  2858. <p>By one measure, the law worked. The breathless news reports about child sex trafficking through online classified ads came to a trickling stop.</p>
  2859.  
  2860.  
  2861.  
  2862. <figure class="wp-block-ft-photo is-style-default">
  2863.  <img decoding="async"
  2864.    src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP18229715254379.jpg?fit=3000%2C2217&#038;w=1200"
  2865.    srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP18229715254379.jpg?w=3000 3000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP18229715254379.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP18229715254379.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP18229715254379.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP18229715254379.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP18229715254379.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP18229715254379.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP18229715254379.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP18229715254379.jpg?w=2400 2400w"
  2866.    sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)"
  2867.    alt="FILE - This April 6, 2018, file photo shows a screen shot of Backpage.com on the day that federal authorities seized the classified site as part of a criminal case. Dan Hyer, sales and marketing director for Backpage.com, pleaded guilty Friday, Aug. 17, 2018, in Arizona to conspiring to facilitate prostitution in a scheme to give free ads to prostitutes in a bid to draw them away from competitors. Six others affiliated with Backpage.com face charges in the case. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)"
  2868.    width=""
  2869.    height=""
  2870.    loading="lazy"
  2871.  data-recalc-dims="1" />
  2872.      <figcaption class="photo__figcaption">
  2873.              <span class="photo__caption">A screenshot of Backpage.com on April 6, 2018, the day that federal authorities seized the classified site as part of a criminal case.</span>
  2874.                    <span class="photo__credit">Photo: Damian Dovarganes/AP</span>
  2875.          </figcaption>
  2876.  </figure>
  2877.  
  2878.  
  2879.  
  2880. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-end-of-sex-trafficking">The End of Sex Trafficking?</h2>
  2881.  
  2882.  
  2883.  
  2884. <p>So, the far-right conspiracy theories were correct, then? As prophesied by “Q,” Trump vanquished the child sex trafficking rings?</p>
  2885.  
  2886.  
  2887.  
  2888. <p>Of course not.</p>
  2889.  
  2890.  
  2891.  
  2892. <p>In 2021, the Government Accountability Office issued a <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-385.pdf">report</a> concluding that shuttering Backpage had made it more difficult for law enforcement officials to identify and track cases of sexual exploitation.</p>
  2893.  
  2894.  
  2895.  
  2896. <p>And online ads promoting sex work haven’t gone away either. There’s now a constellation of smaller Backpage-like sites, many based outside the United States and beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement. Some sex workers have simply slid over to Instagram, Facebook, and X, using a decades-old trick refined in the naughty back pages of alt-weeklies: ambiguous language.</p>
  2897.  
  2898.  
  2899.  
  2900. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[6](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22right%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-right" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="right"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[6] -->Conspiracy theories like QAnon and Pizzagate were never the true aim. They are byproducts of something more sinister in our body politic.<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[6] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[6] -->
  2901.  
  2902.  
  2903.  
  2904. <p>The madness of our nation’s obsession with child sex trafficking appears to be reaching new and frightening peaks. Last year, the melodramatic movie “Sound of Freedom,” about a vigilante who rescues children from international trafficking rings, was a box-office smash, grossing more than $250 million. The film’s writer-director, Alejandro Monteverde, was inspired to make it after seeing <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/features/sound-of-freedom-director-controversy-calls-qanon-untrue-1235694549/">TV news coverage of sex trafficking</a> during the Backpage media pile-on. The influence has gone full circle: A prospective juror in the second Backpage trial admitted that he thought “Sound of Freedom” was a documentary film.</p>
  2905.  
  2906.  
  2907.  
  2908. <p>That prospective juror wasn’t the only one mixing sex-trafficking fiction with reality. Last month, during the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, Alabama Sen. Katie Britt passed off a case of child sex trafficking in Mexico<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@katzonearth/video/7346671744255626527"> from two decades ago</a> as a recent crime that had occurred in the United States under the Biden administration.</p>
  2909.  
  2910.  
  2911.  
  2912. <p>The avalanche of stories portraying extensive violence, human trafficking, and child sexual exploitation linked to online classified ads helped rid the world of Craigslist’s adult section and Backpage altogether. Those stories, however, seeded the ground for another dark reality, with secondary and tertiary effects that promise to be much more consequential. We are now a nation consumed by fantastical conspiracy claims about child sex trafficking.</p>
  2913.  
  2914.  
  2915.  
  2916. <p>Potential harm to children is an unmatched motivator in American civic life. By fooling us into fears about massive sex trafficking rings, elected officials can lace panic into the<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/02/15/migrant-encounters-at-the-us-mexico-border-hit-a-record-high-at-the-end-of-2023/"> border crisis</a> or <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/26/us/instagram-facebook-children-subscriptions-predators.html">crack down on internet speech</a>.</p>
  2917.  
  2918.  
  2919.  
  2920. <p>Conspiracy theories like QAnon and Pizzagate were never the true aim. They are byproducts of something more sinister in our body politic: power-hungry elected officials promoting fear for political advantage, all the while unconcerned about what happens when that fear becomes hysteria.</p>
  2921. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/27/backpage-com-sex-trafficking-qanon-conspiracy-moral-panic/">QAnon Was Born Out of the Sex Ad Moral Panic That Took Down Backpage.com</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  2922. ]]></content:encoded>
  2923.                                <wfw:commentRss>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/27/backpage-com-sex-trafficking-qanon-conspiracy-moral-panic/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  2924.                <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  2925.                <media:content url='https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1229483334-e1714149776807.jpg?fit=5079%2C2539' width='5079' height='2539' /><post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">467358</post-id>
  2926. <media:thumbnail url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/AP_19154107900803-1580399435-e1580399503217.jpg" />
  2927. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/AP_19154107900803-1580399435-e1580399503217.jpg" medium="image" />
  2928. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/30448839452_8cdc8e7e61_o.jpg?fit=6000%2C4000&#038;w=1200" medium="image">
  2929. <media:title type="html">Sex Workers and their supporters protest a police raid on Oct. 25, 2016, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, saying shutting down sites like Backpage.com exposes them to more risk.</media:title>
  2930. </media:content>
  2931. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP481053596184.jpg?fit=%2C&#038;w=1200" medium="image">
  2932. <media:title type="html">FILE - In this April 25, 2014 file picture California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who as a prosecutor once specialized in child sexual assault cases addresses the Domestic Human Trafficking symposium in Los Angeles, Trafficking, forced labor and modern slavery are big business generating profits estimated at $150 billion a year, the U.N. labor agency said Tuesday May 20, 2014. The report by the International Labor Organization finds global profits from involuntary workers _ an estimated 21 million of them _ have more than tripled over the past decade from its estimate of at least $44 billion in 2005. ILO Director Guy Ryder said his agency?s report Tuesday calls attention to the need ?to eradicate this fundamentally evil, but hugely profitable practice as soon as possible.?  (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)</media:title>
  2933. </media:content>
  2934. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image1-e1714760520949.jpeg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  2935. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/df78dec7-b519-413a-b646-e1ef2ddbe3f5-e1714757834188.jpeg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  2936. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150032227-e1714843444606.jpg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  2937. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/deconstructed-naomi-klein-doppelganger.jpg" medium="image" />
  2938. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP18229715254379.jpg?fit=3000%2C2217&#038;w=1200" medium="image">
  2939. <media:title type="html">FILE - This April 6, 2018, file photo shows a screen shot of Backpage.com on the day that federal authorities seized the classified site as part of a criminal case. Dan Hyer, sales and marketing director for Backpage.com, pleaded guilty Friday, Aug. 17, 2018, in Arizona to conspiring to facilitate prostitution in a scheme to give free ads to prostitutes in a bid to draw them away from competitors. Six others affiliated with Backpage.com face charges in the case. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)</media:title>
  2940. </media:content>
  2941.            </item>
  2942.        
  2943.            <item>
  2944.                <title><![CDATA[“Tell the World What’s Happening Here,” Say Patients in Gaza]]></title>
  2945.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/26/deconstructed-gaza-doctor-medical-mission/</link>
  2946.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/26/deconstructed-gaza-doctor-medical-mission/#respond</comments>
  2947.                <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  2948.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Deconstructed]]></dc:creator>
  2949.                                 <category><![CDATA[Deconstructed Podcast]]></category>
  2950.  
  2951.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467382</guid>
  2952.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>Dr. Mohammed Khaleel recounts his experience serving patients, mostly children and young adults with blasts injuries and bullet wounds.</p>
  2953. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/26/deconstructed-gaza-doctor-medical-mission/">“Tell the World What’s Happening Here,” Say Patients in Gaza</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  2954. ]]></description>
  2955.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
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  2957. <div class="acast-player">
  2958.  <iframe src="https://embed.acast.com/deconstructed/tell-the-world-whats-happening-here-say-patients-in-gaza?accentColor=111111&#038;bgColor=f5f6f7&#038;logo=false" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" class="acast-player__embed"></iframe>
  2959. </div>
  2960. <!-- END-BLOCK(acast)[0] -->
  2961.  
  2962.  
  2963.  
  2964. <p></p>
  2965.  
  2966.  
  2967.  
  2968. <p><span class="has-underline">“There were kids</span> in the ICU that had bullet wounds to the chest or bullet wounds to the head,” Dr. Mohammed &#8220;Adeel&#8221; Khaleel recounts the harrowing scenes from his recent medical mission in Gaza to Ryan Grim on Deconstructed this week. An orthopedic spine surgeon hailing from Dallas, Texas, Khaleel witnessed firsthand the crushing toll on human life amid the rubble of decimated hospital infrastructure. Despite the overwhelming challenges, Khaleel highlights the unwavering dedication of medical personnel committed to providing whatever aid they can through the devastation. He returned back to the U.S. with a message from patients and doctors in Gaza: “Don&#8217;t forget us.”</p>
  2969.  
  2970.  
  2971.  
  2972. <p><em>Transcript coming soon. </em></p>
  2973. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/26/deconstructed-gaza-doctor-medical-mission/">“Tell the World What’s Happening Here,” Say Patients in Gaza</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  2974. ]]></content:encoded>
  2975.                                <wfw:commentRss>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/26/deconstructed-gaza-doctor-medical-mission/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  2976.                <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  2977.                <media:content url='https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DN_20240426_Banner_GettyImages-2149458313.jpg?fit=3000%2C1500' width='3000' height='1500' /><post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">467382</post-id>
  2978.            </item>
  2979.        
  2980.            <item>
  2981.                <title><![CDATA[“Little Home Market”: The Connecticut Company Accused of Fueling an Execution Spree]]></title>
  2982.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/absolute-standards-execution-drug-pentobarbital/</link>
  2983.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/absolute-standards-execution-drug-pentobarbital/#respond</comments>
  2984.                <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 17:10:40 +0000</pubDate>
  2985.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lauren Gill]]></dc:creator>
  2986.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Daniel Moritz-Rabson]]></dc:creator>
  2987.                                 <category><![CDATA[Justice]]></category>
  2988.  
  2989.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467316</guid>
  2990.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>Evidence points to Absolute Standards as the source of a lethal drug the Trump administration used to restart federal executions after 17 years.</p>
  2991. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/absolute-standards-execution-drug-pentobarbital/">“Little Home Market”: The Connecticut Company Accused of Fueling an Execution Spree</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  2992. ]]></description>
  2993.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  2994. <p><u>The Intercept has</u> uncovered new details about the small family business in Connecticut identified as having sold a lethal drug to the Federal Bureau of Prisons for use in the Trump administration’s unprecedented execution spree. Beginning in July 2020, the administration killed 13 people in the federal death chamber in Terre Haute, Indiana, over the course of six months.</p>
  2995.  
  2996.  
  2997.  
  2998. <p>Absolute Standards Inc., located on the outskirts of New Haven, produces and sells materials used to calibrate laboratory and research instruments. The company is registered with Connecticut as a “manufacturer of drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices” and <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/absolute-standards-inc-1387657402">employed</a> just 21 people in the lead-up to the executions, records show.</p>
  2999.  
  3000.  
  3001.  
  3002. <p>John Criscio, the company’s owner, has denied that Absolute Standards played a role in supplying pentobarbital, a barbiturate used for lethal injection.</p>
  3003.  
  3004.  
  3005.  
  3006. <p>But according to a source The Intercept interviewed last year, Criscio and the company’s director, Stephen Arpie, acknowledged in a meeting that Absolute Standards produced the active ingredient for pentobarbital for use in the federal executions. The person, who met with Criscio and Arpie about the possibility of obtaining lethal injection drugs, asked that their name be withheld because they were not authorized to speak about the interaction. A separate unnamed pharmacy then used the active ingredient, or API, to make an injectable drug that would stop prisoners’ hearts.</p>
  3007.  
  3008.  
  3009.  
  3010. <p>“They went about explaining to us how they produce the chemical,” the person said of Criscio and Arpie. “They’d been reading about it in the papers. And they saw that people couldn&#8217;t get it. They were like, ‘Well, we make the standard, so we know how to make it. So we can just make it.&#8217; They basically bragged about how they built this little home market.”</p>
  3011.  
  3012.  
  3013.  
  3014. <p>A second person interviewed by The Intercept said they were also told by Arpie and Criscio that Absolute Standards made drugs for executions.</p>
  3015.  
  3016.  
  3017.  
  3018.  
  3019.  
  3020.  
  3021.  
  3022. <p>Like many of the 27 states capable of carrying out death sentences, the federal government has fought to keep the identity of its supplier hidden from the public. Earlier this month, the comedy news program “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/apr/08/john-oliver-lethal-injections-death-penalty#:~:text=But%20Oliver's%20team%20claimed%20to,drugs%20as%20a%20side%20hustle">named Absolute Standards</a> as the Bureau of Prisons’ drug supplier, citing an anonymous source. The segment echoed <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN24F2NY/">reporting by Reuters</a>, which noted in 2020 that the House Oversight Committee had sent a letter to Absolute Standards suspecting the business was the source of the drugs. At the time, Arpie told Reuters that he did not always keep track of the final use of his products and couldn’t rule out involvement.</p>
  3023.  
  3024.  
  3025.  
  3026. <p>Interviews conducted by The Intercept and documents obtained under public records laws bolster evidence that Absolute Standards, located in a state that <a href="https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-and-federal-info/state-by-state/connecticut">abolished</a> the death penalty in 2012, helped the Trump administration <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/08/02/federal-executions-indiana-trump-coronavirus/">resume</a> <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/08/02/federal-executions-indiana-trump-coronavirus/">federal executions </a>after a 17-year hiatus. A Connecticut congressional staffer raised concerns about the company’s role in the executions as early as April 2021, suggesting that states might be looking to follow the federal government’s lead. “As Absolute Standards has been identified as the only possible supplier of pentobarbital ingredients for executions,” the staffer warned, “the risk that Connecticut medicines will imminently fuel the death penalty in executing states across the country is high.”</p>
  3027.  
  3028.  
  3029.  
  3030. <p>When asked about pentobarbital, Criscio told The Intercept, “We don’t make that material.” Arpie did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and the BOP declined to comment.</p>
  3031.  
  3032.  
  3033.  
  3034. <figure class="wp-block-ft-photo is-style-default">
  3035.  <img decoding="async"
  3036.    src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?fit=5700%2C3798&#038;w=1200"
  3037.    srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?w=5700 5700w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?w=3600 3600w"
  3038.    sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)"
  3039.    alt="The federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Ind., is shown Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. The scheduled federal execution at the facility of Keith Nelson, who was convicted in the killing of a 10-year-old Kansas girl,  was back on track Friday after an appellate panel tossed a lower court&#039;s ruling that would have required the government to get a drug prescription before it could use pentobarbital to kill the inmate.  (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)"
  3040.    width=""
  3041.    height=""
  3042.    loading="lazy"
  3043.  data-recalc-dims="1" />
  3044.      <figcaption class="photo__figcaption">
  3045.              <span class="photo__caption">The federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Ind., on Aug. 28, 2020.</span>
  3046.                    <span class="photo__credit">Photo: Michael Conroy/AP</span>
  3047.          </figcaption>
  3048.  </figure>
  3049.  
  3050.  
  3051.  
  3052. <p><u>In August 2018,</u> Absolute Standards applied to the Drug Enforcement Administration to become a bulk manufacturer of pentobarbital, according to a notice in the <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/09/27/2018-21075/bulk-manufacturer-of-controlled-substances-application-absolute-standards-inc">Federal Register</a>. The designation allows for the production of chemicals “by means of chemical synthesis or by <a href="https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/chem_prog/bulk-chem-manufacturer.html">extraction</a> from other substances.” A few months later, in October, the BOP received its first batch of the API for pentobarbital, according to a declaration by Raul Campos, then-associate warden of the BOP’s Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. The declaration was submitted as part of litigation over the Trump administration’s lethal injection protocol. </p>
  3053.  
  3054.  
  3055.  
  3056. <p>(The Intercept requested Absolute Standards’ applications to become a bulk manufacturer of pentobarbital in August 2023. On Monday, the DEA declined to hand over those records, stating that they were exempt from disclosure, in part because they included “information that is classified to protect national security.”)</p>
  3057.  
  3058.  
  3059.  
  3060. <p>For years, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/01/lundbeck-us-pentobarbital-death-row">pharmaceutical</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/01/lundbeck-us-pentobarbital-death-row">companies</a> refused to <a href="https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/growing-number-of-pharmaceutical-companies-object-to-use-of-drugs-in-executions">sell pentobarbital </a>for use in capital punishment, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2016/05/19/pfizers-death-penalty-ban-highlights-the-black-market-in-execution-drugs/">creating shortages</a> that halted executions in some states that relied on the drug. Acquiring the API marked the end of a yearslong search for the BOP.</p>
  3061.  
  3062.  
  3063.  
  3064. <p>“We were looking for the drugs domestically and internationally,” a former BOP official with knowledge of the situation told The Intercept last year. The official asked that their name be withheld because they were not authorized to speak about the procurement of execution drugs. “There were a number of leads that looked promising and then ended up being dry.”</p>
  3065.  
  3066.  
  3067. <!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[1](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22out-for-blood%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class="promote-banner">
  3068.    <a class="promote-banner__link" href="/collections/out-for-blood/">
  3069.              <span class="promote-banner__image">
  3070.          <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="150" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/out-for-blood.jpg?fit=300%2C150" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/out-for-blood.jpg?w=1440 1440w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/out-for-blood.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/out-for-blood.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/out-for-blood.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/out-for-blood.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/out-for-blood.jpg?w=1000 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />        </span>
  3071.            <div class="promote-banner__text">
  3072.                  <p class="promote-banner__eyebrow">
  3073.            Read our complete coverage          </p>
  3074.        
  3075.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Out for Blood</h2>
  3076.      </div>
  3077.    </a>
  3078.  </aside>
  3079. <!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[1] -->
  3080.  
  3081.  
  3082.  
  3083. <p>Eager to restart executions, the Trump administration had prioritized locating lethal drugs. But U.S. manufacturers did not want their products to be associated with killing people because they feared it would hurt their bottom line. “There&#8217;s such a lobby against the death penalty that any company who becomes identified as providing the drugs gets boycotted,” the BOP official said. “Those companies make more money from legitimate uses of the drug than they do from executions.” It was equally difficult to find drugs internationally, the official added, because of “shady characters” and issues confirming the legitimacy of suppliers.</p>
  3084.  
  3085.  
  3086.  
  3087. <p>A team within the BOP general counsel’s office, led by then-general counsel Kenneth Hyle, was in charge of vetting potential suppliers. “More often than not, the companies they identified turned out to be nonviable,” the official said. Hyle did not respond to requests for comment.</p>
  3088.  
  3089.  
  3090.  
  3091. <p>The former official did not remember how the BOP identified Absolute Standards but said there was a team of people calling suppliers off a list. “I know that we had people that were just calling every company that they could to find out if they were able and willing to produce it.”</p>
  3092.  
  3093.  
  3094.  
  3095. <p>Only a small group of people knew the name of the API supplier, according to the official, who was only aware that it was a small company based in Connecticut. “I had no reason to ask for the name,” the official said.</p>
  3096.  
  3097.  
  3098.  
  3099. <p>The API failed its first quality assurance test in October 2018, according to the declaration submitted by Campos. Another batch of the pentobarbital ingredient passed testing in February 2019 and was sent to a compounding pharmacy to be made into an injectable solution. The BOP has not revealed the identity of the compounding pharmacy. The former BOP official told The Intercept that they did not remember the name of the pharmacy, only that it was located somewhere in the South.</p>
  3100.  
  3101.  
  3102.  
  3103. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>“The fear was that publicity would result in this company no longer wanting &#8230; to do business.”</p></blockquote></figure>
  3104.  
  3105.  
  3106.  
  3107. <p>Typically, the government logs payments to vendors in an online database, but there is no public record of any BOP payments to Absolute Standards. “I don’t recall how it was done. It was probably not done through their normal payments process,” the former BOP official said. “Everything was done discreetly, because again, the fear was that publicity would result in this company no longer wanting to be willing to do business.”</p>
  3108.  
  3109.  
  3110.  
  3111.  
  3112.  
  3113.  
  3114.  
  3115. <p>After learning that the BOP had secured execution drugs, officials from other states started inquiring about whether they could buy from the same company. An official from Nebraska, which was prevented in 2015 from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/17/nebraska-lethal-injection-drugs-india-failed">importing</a> drugs from India, asked the BOP about its source. The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services did not respond to questions about the communication.</p>
  3116.  
  3117.  
  3118.  
  3119. <p>In April 2019, an attorney adviser from the Justice Department’s Office of Legislative Affairs emailed colleagues to notify them that a staffer from South Carolina Rep. William Timmons’s office had asked about the federal government’s execution drugs. “Specifically, they ask 1. Does the Federal Government have the ‘cocktail’? 2. Could they transfer it to states under existing law?” the email read.</p>
  3120.  
  3121.  
  3122.  
  3123. <p>Timmons’s deputy chief of staff, Heather Smith, told The Intercept that the employee who inquired with the BOP no longer worked for the representative. Smith did not know whether the employee ever talked to Absolute Standards.</p>
  3124.  
  3125.  
  3126.  
  3127. <p>South Carolina has not <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/after-a-12-year-pause-south-carolina-secures-drug-to-resume-lethal-injections">conducted</a> an execution since May 2011 due to drug shortages. But last September, officials <a href="https://governor.sc.gov/news/2023-09/south-carolina-now-prepared-carry-out-death-penalty-lethal-injection#:~:text=As%20a%20result%20of%20those,of%20a%20one%2Ddrug%20protocol.">announced</a> that the state had secured pentobarbital. After The Intercept requested records detailing communications between the South Carolina Department of Corrections and Absolute Standards, the corrections team replied that such information was exempt from disclosure, citing in part a state secrecy law that shields records disclosing the identity of people and companies involved in executions. The corrections department did not comment when asked whether its response meant that Absolute Standards was providing the state with execution drugs.</p>
  3128.  
  3129.  
  3130.  
  3131. <p>In the summer of 2020, as the federal executions got underway, Reps. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., started to raise questions about Absolute Standards’ involvement. They sent a letter to the company on July 14, the same day the government <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/08/02/federal-executions-indiana-trump-coronavirus/">killed Daniel Lewis Lee</a>, the first person to die in the execution spree, stating that they’d seen redacted testing reports “indicating that your company has assisted DOJ in securing and/or testing pentobarbital for death penalty executions.” The lawmakers posed a list of 11 questions to Absolute Standards about its work in the executions. The company did not reply, emails obtained by The Intercept show.</p>
  3132.  
  3133.  
  3134.  
  3135. <p>There is no public record of further investigation by the lawmakers into Absolute Standards.</p>
  3136.  
  3137.  
  3138.  
  3139. <p>Pressley’s office did not return multiple requests for comment, and Raskin’s press secretary told The Intercept to contact the House Oversight Committee. Nelly Decker, the communications director for Oversight Committee Democrats, wrote in an email that she had “nothing more to add” on the inquiry.</p>
  3140.  
  3141.  
  3142.  
  3143. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[3](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22left%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-left" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="left"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[3] -->“The risk that Connecticut medicines will imminently fuel the death penalty in executing states across the country is high.”<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[3] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[3] -->
  3144.  
  3145.  
  3146.  
  3147. <p>In April 2021, Jennifer Lamb, the district director for Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., brought Absolute Standards to the attention of state Attorney General William Tong. “It appears the company may have supplied the US Department of Justice with ingredients used to make pentobarbital for use in federal executions,” Lamb wrote.</p>
  3148.  
  3149.  
  3150.  
  3151. <p>“There are several states that are now actively looking to follow the federal government’s lead in acquiring this drug and resuming executions,” she continued. Describing Absolute Standards as the only possible supplier of pentobarbital ingredients for capital punishment, Lamb warned that Connecticut could be complicit in clearing the way for executions across the country.</p>
  3152.  
  3153.  
  3154.  
  3155. <p>The following month, Tong sent a letter to Absolute Standards informing its owners that “Connecticut has a strong public policy against executions.” Providing drugs to carry them out, he wrote, “is contrary to the values and policies of this state.” Tong requested details about the company’s activities, expressing concern that the business might “also be providing pentobarbital, or contemplating providing the drug, for use by individual states in their attempts to execute human beings.” Connecticut Assistant Attorney General Joshua Perry, named in the letter as the point of contact for future correspondence, declined to comment.</p>
  3156.  
  3157.  
  3158.  
  3159. <p>After John Oliver named Absolute Standards as the BOP’s source, a spokesperson for Tong <a href="https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/lethal-injection-ban-john-oliver-hamden-ct-company-19418742.php">told CT Insider</a> that the attorney general was reviewing the company but had not launched an investigation. The outlet also reported that state lawmakers are now exploring legislation to ban Connecticut companies from selling lethal injection drugs.</p>
  3160.  
  3161.  
  3162.  
  3163. <figure class="wp-block-ft-photo is-style-default">
  3164.  <img decoding="async"
  3165.    src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1227542515.jpg?fit=5000%2C3333&#038;w=1200"
  3166.    srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1227542515.jpg?w=5000 5000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1227542515.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1227542515.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1227542515.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1227542515.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1227542515.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1227542515.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1227542515.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1227542515.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1227542515.jpg?w=3600 3600w"
  3167.    sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)"
  3168.    alt="TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA, UNITED STATES - 2020/07/15: Abe Bonowitz of Death Penalty Action, an execution abolitionist group, protests near the Terre Haute Federal Correctional Complex where death row inmate Wesley Ira Purkey was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection.
  3169. Purkey&#039;s execution scheduled for 7 p.m., was delayed by a judge. Purkey suffers from Dementia, and Alzheimer&#039;s disease. Wesley Ira Purkey was convicted of a gruesome 1998 kidnapping and killing. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)"
  3170.    width=""
  3171.    height=""
  3172.    loading="lazy"
  3173.  data-recalc-dims="1" />
  3174.      <figcaption class="photo__figcaption">
  3175.              <span class="photo__caption">Abe Bonowitz of Death Penalty Action protests near the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Ind., on July 15, 2020.</span>
  3176.                    <span class="photo__credit">Photo: Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images</span>
  3177.          </figcaption>
  3178.  </figure>
  3179.  
  3180.  
  3181.  
  3182. <p><u>Absolute Standards is</u> known for its flexibility in the scientific industry. “They can pivot pretty easily as far as what the needs are of whatever industries,” said Meredith Millay, director of product management at Emerald Scientific, a company focused on cannabis science that has worked with Absolute Standards for a decade and sells products made by the Connecticut business. “If you need something and you can&#8217;t find what you need … they are small enough to where you can put in a special request and get custom standards made.”</p>
  3183.  
  3184.  
  3185.  
  3186. <p>Absolute Standards has <a href="https://www.absolutestandards.com/docs/catalog.pdf">boasted</a> about the “world class manufacturing” and “internationally recognized quality” of its analytical reference materials and performance evaluation samples, compounds used to calibrate lab equipment and increase the precision of scientific analysis conducted by a wide range of entities. Criscio started the business in 1990, later employing his son and daughter. The company is registered with the DEA to manufacture Schedule II through V drugs, according to documents filed with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. When asked about Absolute Standards and the API for pentobarbital, the DEA said it “does not comment on specific registrants.”</p>
  3187.  
  3188.  
  3189.  
  3190. <p>In recent years, the company netted contracts with the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency, contracts and invoices obtained through records requests show. In 2017, for example, the company sold the Interior Department $88,500 worth of analytes in substances such as ethanol and soil. State agencies such as the California State Water Resources Control Board and the New York Office of Cannabis Management list Absolute Standards as one of a handful of vendors approved to conduct testing to ensure the quality of lab results.</p>
  3191.  
  3192.  
  3193.  
  3194. <p>Criscio has vehemently denied his company’s role in executions. Last October, The Intercept visited the Absolute Standards office, a small one-story building covered in weathered aluminum siding. When The Intercept inquired about Criscio at the reception desk, a woman said that he was out for the rest of the week. But later in the afternoon, Criscio arrived at the office, wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the NASA logo.</p>
  3195.  
  3196.  
  3197.  
  3198. <p>“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Nothing to talk about,” Criscio told The Intercept in the parking lot after being asked whether his company supplied execution drugs. “You’re on private property. If I have to, I’ll call the police. Is that what you want me to do?” He then went inside.</p>
  3199.  
  3200.  
  3201.  
  3202. <p>After The Intercept approached another man outside to ask about pentobarbital, Criscio reemerged and called the police, telling the operator, “I have two people on my property refusing to leave, harassing my employees.”</p>
  3203.  
  3204.  
  3205.  
  3206. <p>“I’m ready to have a fucking heart attack right now. Get off my fucking property,” he said, growing increasingly agitated. “I do not know what you’re talking about. That’s all I have to say. I’m not gonna say no more.”</p>
  3207.  
  3208.  
  3209.  
  3210. <p>The Intercept left a note at an address listed for Arpie, the company’s director. He did not reply and has not answered subsequent phone calls, text messages, or emails.</p>
  3211.  
  3212.  
  3213.  
  3214. <p>In early April, after the John Oliver segment, Criscio maintained that his company did not supply drugs for the federal executions.</p>
  3215.  
  3216.  
  3217.  
  3218. <p>“Yeah, no, we don’t make that material,” he told The Intercept. “I’m the owner of the company. I’m telling you there&#8217;s no comment. Thank you, goodbye.”</p>
  3219.  
  3220.  
  3221.  
  3222. <p><em>This story was supported by a grant from Columbia University’s Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights, in conjunction with Arnold Ventures.</em></p>
  3223. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/absolute-standards-execution-drug-pentobarbital/">“Little Home Market”: The Connecticut Company Accused of Fueling an Execution Spree</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  3224. ]]></content:encoded>
  3225.                                <wfw:commentRss>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/absolute-standards-execution-drug-pentobarbital/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  3226.                <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  3227.                <media:content url='https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/RTS3JSYS-crop.jpg?fit=3252%2C1637' width='3252' height='1637' /><post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">467316</post-id>
  3228. <media:thumbnail url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?fit=5700%2C3798&#038;w=1200" />
  3229. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP20241696074590.jpg?fit=5700%2C3798&#038;w=1200" medium="image">
  3230. <media:title type="html">The federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Ind., is shown Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. The scheduled federal execution at the facility of Keith Nelson, who was convicted in the killing of a 10-year-old Kansas girl,  was back on track Friday after an appellate panel tossed a lower court&#039;s ruling that would have required the government to get a drug prescription before it could use pentobarbital to kill the inmate.  (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)</media:title>
  3231. </media:content>
  3232. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/out-for-blood.jpg?fit=300%2C150" medium="image" />
  3233. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image1-e1714760520949.jpeg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  3234. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/df78dec7-b519-413a-b646-e1ef2ddbe3f5-e1714757834188.jpeg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  3235. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150032227-e1714843444606.jpg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  3236. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1227542515.jpg?fit=5000%2C3333&#038;w=1200" medium="image">
  3237. <media:title type="html">TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA, UNITED STATES - 2020/07/15: Abe Bonowitz of Death Penalty Action, an execution abolitionist group, protests near the Terre Haute Federal Correctional Complex where death row inmate Wesley Ira Purkey was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection.
  3238. Purkey&#039;s execution scheduled for 7 p.m., was delayed by a judge. Purkey suffers from Dementia, and Alzheimer&#039;s disease. Wesley Ira Purkey was convicted of a gruesome 1998 kidnapping and killing. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)</media:title>
  3239. </media:content>
  3240.            </item>
  3241.        
  3242.            <item>
  3243.                <title><![CDATA[House Responds to Israeli-Iranian Missile Exchange by Taking Rights Away From Americans]]></title>
  3244.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/iran-travel-ban-passports-congress/</link>
  3245.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/iran-travel-ban-passports-congress/#respond</comments>
  3246.                <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 15:18:48 +0000</pubDate>
  3247.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Murtaza Hussain]]></dc:creator>
  3248.                                 <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  3249. <category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
  3250.  
  3251.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467296</guid>
  3252.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>A measure passed by the House seeks to block Americans from traveling to Iran on U.S. passports.</p>
  3253. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/iran-travel-ban-passports-congress/">House Responds to Israeli-Iranian Missile Exchange by Taking Rights Away From Americans</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  3254. ]]></description>
  3255.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  3256. <p><u>Civil liberties groups</u> are raising alarms about a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5826">bill</a> making its way through Congress that applies pressure for a ban on travel to Iran for Americans using U.S. passports. The rights groups see the bill as part of a growing attempt to control the travel of American citizens and bar Iranian Americans in particular from maintaining connections with friends and loved ones inside Iran.</p>
  3257.  
  3258.  
  3259.  
  3260. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22right%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-right" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="right"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[0] -->“If you’re an American citizen, the government should not be controlling where you can travel.”<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[0] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[0] -->
  3261.  
  3262.  
  3263.  
  3264. <p>“This bill is very concerning because it&#8217;s the beginning of a process of criminalizing something that is very normal for many people, which is traveling to Iran,” said Ryan Costello, policy director at the National Iranian American Council. “If you’re an American citizen, the government should not be controlling where you can travel.”</p>
  3265.  
  3266.  
  3267.  
  3268. <p>Along with a flurry of other sanctions bills targeting Iran, the bill calling for the travel restrictions passed the U.S. House last week. The bill is now <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5826/all-actions">slated</a> to come before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.</p>
  3269.  
  3270.  
  3271.  
  3272.  
  3273.  
  3274.  
  3275.  
  3276. <p>Introduced last fall, the No Paydays for Hostage-Takers Act languished until tensions between Iran and Israel escalated into a <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/14/israel-iran-drag-us-war-netanyahu-biden/">series of reciprocal attacks</a> earlier this month. </p>
  3277.  
  3278.  
  3279.  
  3280. <p>Among other provisions, the bill seeks to bar U.S. passport holders from traveling to Iran by rendering their passports invalid for such travel. Though the prohibition would need to be enacted by the State Department, the legislative proposal effectively encourages the move and, as with other sanctions against Iran, waiving the authority to enact the ban could incur political costs.</p>
  3281.  
  3282.  
  3283.  
  3284. <p>If Donald Trump wins a second White House term, a distinct possibility according to polls, the invocation of the travel ban would be likely. In his first term, Trump <a href="https://theintercept.com/2017/08/08/documents-reveal-the-behind-the-scenes-chaos-of-the-muslim-ban/">imposed</a> the so-called <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/06/26/the-white-supremacy-court-upholds-the-muslim-ban/">Muslim ban</a> on travel to the U.S. for Iranians, among other nationalities, and has <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/07/11/trump-muslim-ban-gop/">promised to reimpose it if elected again</a>. </p>
  3285.  
  3286.  
  3287.  
  3288. <p>The idea of banning travel to Iran on American passports was <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/iran-on-6-billion-a-day-ransom-biden-tehran-hostage-35e43a1e">raised last September</a> by former Trump State Department official Elliott Abrams, a right-wing hawk with a <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/01/30/elliott-abrams-venezuela-coup/">controversial history</a> that includes covering up a Central American massacre and involvement in the Iran–Contra scandal.  </p>
  3289.  
  3290.  
  3291.  
  3292.  
  3293.  
  3294.  
  3295. <p>In practice, many Iranian Americans tend to travel to Iran on Iranian passports, but Americans of Iranian extraction who do not hold Islamic Republic travel documents would be unable to travel there under the ban. The measure is viewed as a potential signal of deeper isolation for the Iranian people and severing of people-to-people ties between Iran and the U.S.</p>
  3296.  
  3297.  
  3298.  
  3299. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-iran-and-north-korea">Iran and North Korea?</h2>
  3300.  
  3301.  
  3302.  
  3303. <p>The bill, originally proposed last October by Reps. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., and Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., was promoted as a measure to restrict the Iranian government’s ability to take U.S. citizens hostage as bargaining chips for bilateral negotiations. Some dual-nationals have been arrested in Iran in the past amid tensions between the two countries.</p>
  3304.  
  3305.  
  3306.  
  3307. <p>Yet hundreds of thousands of dual-nationals are believed to travel regularly to Iran from across the West. Measures barring their ability to do so would represent an unprecedented step, making it difficult or impossible for people with ties in both countries to visit family or maintain personal and professional connections.</p>
  3308.  
  3309.  
  3310.  
  3311.  
  3312.  
  3313.  
  3314.  
  3315. <p>Invalidating U.S. passports for travel to Iran would put it on par with North Korea, which had a similar ban put in place in 2017 — during Trump’s first term — when an American citizen died after 17 months of detention there.</p>
  3316.  
  3317.  
  3318.  
  3319. <p>Despite being <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/06/12/iran-sanctions-medicine/">heavily sanctioned</a> over foreign policy and human rights issues, Iran still has relations with much of the international community and large number of Iranians live throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East.</p>
  3320.  
  3321.  
  3322.  
  3323. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[4](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22left%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-left" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="left"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[4] -->“North Korea and Iran are very different countries.”<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[4] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[4] -->
  3324.  
  3325.  
  3326.  
  3327. <p>“North Korea is really the model for this policy, as it is the only country where there is such a strict prohibition for travel on the books,” said Costello. “But North Korea and Iran are very different countries. The level of isolation of North Korea is far greater, and it doesn’t have the same diaspora that Iran does.”</p>
  3328.  
  3329.  
  3330.  
  3331. <p>This week, a delegation from North Korea traveled to Iran, with reported hopes of breaking North Korea’s total diplomatic isolation as conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine forge new geopolitics.</p>
  3332.  
  3333.  
  3334.  
  3335. <p>Costello said that NIAC is still hoping that the Senate will not approve the bill when it comes to its consideration. Still, the implications of it coming under consideration, alongside Trump’s promises to revive his “Muslim ban” policy, bode poorly for the future of U.S.–Iran relations.</p>
  3336.  
  3337.  
  3338.  
  3339. <p>“You are talking,” he said, “about a policy that could affect hundreds of thousands of people.”</p>
  3340. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/iran-travel-ban-passports-congress/">House Responds to Israeli-Iranian Missile Exchange by Taking Rights Away From Americans</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  3341. ]]></content:encoded>
  3342.                                <wfw:commentRss>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/iran-travel-ban-passports-congress/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  3343.                <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  3344.                <media:content url='https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP23033720593591-e1713990267347.jpg?fit=5430%2C2715' width='5430' height='2715' /><post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">467296</post-id>
  3345. <media:thumbnail url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image1-e1714760520949.jpeg?w=1200" />
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  3351.        
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  3353.                <title><![CDATA[U.S.-Trained Burkina Faso Military Executed 220 Civilians]]></title>
  3354.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/burkina-faso-military-massacre-civilians/</link>
  3355.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/burkina-faso-military-massacre-civilians/#respond</comments>
  3356.                <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 10:56:17 +0000</pubDate>
  3357.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Turse]]></dc:creator>
  3358.                                 <category><![CDATA[National Security]]></category>
  3359. <category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
  3360.  
  3361.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467111</guid>
  3362.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>A new report reveals details of the massacres by a longtime U.S. ally and counterterrorism partner.</p>
  3363. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/burkina-faso-military-massacre-civilians/">U.S.-Trained Burkina Faso Military Executed 220 Civilians</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  3364. ]]></description>
  3365.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  3366. <p><u>Burkina Faso’s military</u> summarily executed more than 220 civilians, including at least 56 children, in two villages in late February, according to a new <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/04/25/burkina-faso-army-massacres-223-villagers">report</a> by Human Rights Watch.</p>
  3367.  
  3368.  
  3369.  
  3370. <p>“We saw the bloody corpses riddled with bullets. We were able to save a 2-year-old child whose mother was killed shielding him with her body,” a 19-year-old witness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Intercept. “The attackers were soldiers from our own army. They arrived on motorbikes and in vehicles, and they were armed with Kalashnikovs and heavy weapons.”</p>
  3371.  
  3372.  
  3373.  
  3374. <!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22right%22%7D) --><blockquote class="stylized pull-right" data-shortcode-type="pullquote" data-pull="right"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[0] -->“The attackers were soldiers from our own army. They arrived on motorbikes and in vehicles, and they were armed.”<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[0] --></blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[0] -->
  3375.  
  3376.  
  3377.  
  3378. <p>The mass killings came as the U.S. counterterrorism strategy in the West African Sahel crumbled, with U.S.-trained military officers launching <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/08/30/coup-leaders-us-military-training-matt-gaetz/">a long string of coups</a>, including in Burkina Faso itself. Despite the coups and massacres, the U.S. has not cut ties with Burkina Faso, and a contingent of U.S. personnel remain in-country to “engage” with the armed forces serving the ruling junta.</p>
  3379.  
  3380.  
  3381.  
  3382. <p>Burkinabè soldiers killed 44 people, including 20 children, in Nondin village, and 179 people, including 36 children and four pregnant women, in nearby Soro village in the north of the country on February 25, according to HRW. The mass killings are part of a long-running counterterrorism campaign aimed at civilians accused of collaborating with Islamist militants.</p>
  3383.  
  3384.  
  3385.  
  3386. <p>“The massacres in Nondin and Soro villages are just the latest mass killings of civilians by the Burkina Faso military in their counterinsurgency operations,” said Tirana Hassan, executive director at Human Rights Watch. “The repeated failure of the Burkinabè authorities to prevent and investigate such atrocities underlines why international assistance is critical to support a credible investigation into abuses that may amount to crimes against humanity.”</p>
  3387.  
  3388.  
  3389.  
  3390.  
  3391.  
  3392.  
  3393. <p>The West African Sahel was once touted as an American foreign-policy success story, but <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/04/02/us-military-counterterrorism-niger/">persistent violence over the last decade intensified</a> as the U.S. implemented its counterterror strategy.</p>
  3394.  
  3395.  
  3396.  
  3397. <p>Putsches by U.S.-linked military officers, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/29/niger-cycle-of-deadly-violence-raises-questions-over-us-counter-terror-role">prompted by spiking militant attacks, </a>have brought with them seismic geopolitical changes. Niger, for example, the site of the most recent <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/10/25/niger-military-rand-paul/">coup by U.S.-trained</a> officers in the Sahel, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/03/19/niger-junta-throws-us-troops-drone-base/">severed its lon-gstanding ties</a> with the American military and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/niger-russia-military-trainers-18d6435d00e7790de9ee53e24bfca7ba">welcomed in Russian trainers</a>.</p>
  3398.  
  3399.  
  3400.  
  3401. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-they-showed-no-mercy">“They Showed No Mercy”</h2>
  3402.  
  3403.  
  3404.  
  3405. <p>The February massacres followed several attacks by Islamist militants which killed scores of soldiers and civilians, including an assault on a military base almost 15 miles from Nondin.</p>
  3406.  
  3407.  
  3408.  
  3409. <p>Witnesses in Nondin told HRW that a military convoy with over 100 Burkinabè soldiers arrived on motorbikes, pickup trucks, and armored cars about 30 minutes after a group of Islamist fighters on motorcycles passed near the village yelling “Allah Akbar!” The eyewitnesses said the soldiers went door to door, rounding up locals before gunning&nbsp;them down. Villagers said a similar sequence played out in Soro.</p>
  3410.  
  3411.  
  3412.  
  3413. <p>“Before the soldiers started shooting at us, they accused us of being complicit with the jihadists,” a 32-year-old survivor from Soro, who was shot in the leg, told HRW. “They showed no mercy. They shot at everything that moved, they killed men, women, and children alike,” said a 60-year-old farmer who witnessed the murders.</p>
  3414.  
  3415.  
  3416.  
  3417. <p>The Burkinabè Embassy in Washington did not respond to repeated requests from The Intercept to speak with the defense attaché or other officials.</p>
  3418.  
  3419.  
  3420.  
  3421.  
  3422.  
  3423.  
  3424.  
  3425. <p>The United States has assisted Burkina Faso with counterterrorism aid since the 2000s, providing funds, weapons, equipment, and American advisers, as well as deploying commandos on <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/revealed-the-us-militarys-36-codenamed-operations-in-africa-090000841.html">low-profile combat missions</a>.</p>
  3426.  
  3427.  
  3428.  
  3429. <p>In 2018 and 2019, alone, the U.S. pumped a total of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/magazine/burkina-faso-terrorism-united-states.html">$100 million in “security cooperation” funding</a> into Burkina Faso, making it one of the largest recipients of U.S. military aid in West Africa.&nbsp;U.S.-trained Burkinabè military officers have also repeatedly overthrown their government, in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/west-africa-coup-american-trained-soldier-1234657139/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2014, 2015, and 2022</a>.</p>
  3430.  
  3431.  
  3432.  
  3433.  <div class="promote-related-post">
  3434.    <a      class="promo-related-post__link"
  3435.            href="https://theintercept.com/2024/01/25/burkina-faso-civilian-drone-strikes-hrw/"
  3436.      data-ga-track="in_article-body"
  3437.      data-ga-track-action="related post embed: burkina-faso-civilian-drone-strikes-hrw"
  3438.      data-ga-track-label="burkina-faso-civilian-drone-strikes-hrw"
  3439.          >
  3440.              <img decoding="async" width="440" height="440" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GettyImages-1189027346-Bayraktar-TB2-drone.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" loading="lazy" />            <span class="promo-related-post__text">
  3441.      <h2 class="promote-related-post__eyebrow">
  3442.        Related      </h2>
  3443.      <h3 class="promote-related-post__title">Drone Strikes in Burkina Faso Killed Scores of Civilians</h3>
  3444.    </span>
  3445.    </a>
  3446.  </div>
  3447.  
  3448.  
  3449.  
  3450. <p>At the same time, militant Islamist violence skyrocketed. Across all of Africa, the State Department counted just 23 casualties from terrorist attacks in 2002 and 2003, combined. Burkina Faso alone suffered 7,762 fatalities from militant Islamist attacks last year, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, a Pentagon research institution. That represents an almost 34,000 percent spike.</p>
  3451.  
  3452.  
  3453.  
  3454. <p>In 2020, Simon Compaoré, who previously served as Burkina Faso’s interior minister and was then president of the ruling political party, admitted to me that the Burkinabè government was conducting targeted executions of terrorist suspects. “We’re doing this, but we’re not shouting it from the rooftops,” he said.</p>
  3455.  
  3456.  
  3457.  
  3458. <p>The democratically elected government of that time was overthrown in 2022 by the U.S.-trained <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/01/26/burkina-faso-coup-us-military/">Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba</a>, who himself was ousted months later by Capt. Ibrahim Traoré. The extrajudicial killings continued.</p>
  3459.  
  3460.  
  3461.  
  3462. <p>“Significant human rights issues included credible reports of unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings by security forces,” reads the most recent <a href="https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/burkina-faso/">U.S. State Department report</a> on human rights in Burkina Faso, adding that “impunity for human rights abuses and corruption remained widespread.”</p>
  3463.  
  3464.  
  3465.  
  3466. <p>Earlier this year, The Intercept reported on <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/01/25/burkina-faso-civilian-drone-strikes-hrw/">three 2023 drone strikes</a> by Burkina Faso’s government — targeting Islamist militants in crowded marketplaces and at a funeral — that killed at least 60 civilians and left dozens more injured.</p>
  3467.  
  3468.  
  3469.  
  3470. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-u-s-risking-complicity">U.S. Risking Complicity</h2>
  3471.  
  3472.  
  3473.  
  3474. <p>The “Leahy laws” prohibit U.S. funding for foreign security forces implicated in gross violations of human rights. U.S. law also generally restricts countries from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/west-africa/complexities-calling-coup-coup" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">receiving military aid</a> following military coups. The United States, however,&nbsp;has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.socom.mil/TipOfTheSpear/USSOCOM%20Tip%20of%20the%20Spear%20April%202023%20(Web).pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">continued to provide training</a>&nbsp;to Burkinabè forces, <a href="https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/Transcripts/Article/3340646/house-armed-services-committee-hearing-us-military-posture-and-national-securit/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gen. Michael Langley</a>, the chief of Africa Command, or AFRICOM, told the House Armed Services Committee last year.</p>
  3475.  
  3476.  
  3477.  
  3478. <p>The U.S. provided millions of dollars in counterterrorism assistance to Burkina Faso in 2023, according to State Department data.&nbsp;Last month, a State Department press release touted the fact that the U.S. has given Burkina Faso “hundreds of millions of dollars in development and humanitarian assistance, as well as <a href="https://www.state.gov/statement-on-the-escalation-of-violence-against-civilians-in-burkina-faso/#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20remains%20a,security%20and%20law%20enforcement%20actors.">counterterrorism support</a> to civilian security and law enforcement actors.”</p>
  3479.  
  3480.  
  3481.  
  3482. <p>Burkinabè soldiers also took part in Flintlock 2023, an annual exercise sponsored by U.S. Special Operations Command Africa. (Past Flintlock attendees, including&nbsp;Damiba, have <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/01/26/burkina-faso-coup-us-military/">overthrown the government</a>.)&nbsp;</p>
  3483.  
  3484.  
  3485.  
  3486. <p>“The United States should stop all military cooperation with Burkina Faso, otherwise they risk becoming complicit in the abuses,” a civil society activist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of government retaliation, told The Intercept.</p>
  3487.  
  3488.  
  3489.  
  3490.  
  3491.  
  3492.  
  3493.  
  3494. <p>Last October, senior White House, Pentagon, and State Department officials told Traoré, now Burkinabè president, that working with <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/25/west-africa-sahel-military-junta/">Russia-linked Wagner Group mercenaries</a> would irreparably damage his relationship with the U.S. In January, Russia’s Africa Corps — described by Russian officials as the successor to the Wagner Group following the death of its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin — deployed troops to Burkina Faso to, according to their <a href="https://t.me/KorpusAfrica/210">post on Telegram</a>, protect Traoré and battle terrorists.</p>
  3495.  
  3496.  
  3497.  
  3498. <p>Even with the raft of atrocities, coups, and transgressions against the Russian red line, a small contingent of U.S. military personnel are nonetheless deployed to Burkina Faso to, according to AFRICOM spokesperson Kelly Cahalan, “engage and interact” with the Burkinabè military and “keep lines of communication and dialogue open.”</p>
  3499.  
  3500.  
  3501.  
  3502. <p>On March 1, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller <a href="https://www.state.gov/statement-on-the-escalation-of-violence-against-civilians-in-burkina-faso/">called on the junta</a> to conduct “complete investigations” of the massacres “with integrity and transparency and hold those responsible to account.” (The State Department failed to provide on-the-record responses to questions by The Intercept.)</p>
  3503.  
  3504.  
  3505.  
  3506. <p>The Burkinabè activist scoffed at the suggestion that the Burkinabè military could investigate itself and said that the junta would “erase” evidence of the massacres.</p>
  3507.  
  3508.  
  3509.  
  3510. <p>“The United States and the international community must demand concrete actions,” the activist told The Intercept. “Real repercussions are needed, such as sanctions against the perpetrators of the crimes, in order to deter them.”</p>
  3511.  
  3512.  
  3513.  
  3514. <p><strong>Update: April 25, 2024</strong><br><em>This story was republished after being removed following an inadvertent early publication.</em></p>
  3515. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/25/burkina-faso-military-massacre-civilians/">U.S.-Trained Burkina Faso Military Executed 220 Civilians</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
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  3527.        
  3528.            <item>
  3529.                <title><![CDATA[“Kill All Arabs”: The Feds Are Investigating UMass Amherst for Anti-Palestinian Bias]]></title>
  3530.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/24/umass-amherst-palestine-protests-harassment/</link>
  3531.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/24/umass-amherst-palestine-protests-harassment/#respond</comments>
  3532.                <pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 18:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  3533.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Prem Thakker]]></dc:creator>
  3534.                                 <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  3535.  
  3536.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467249</guid>
  3537.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>The Department of Education is probing claims that the school discriminated against Palestinian and Arab students amid Israel’s war on Gaza.</p>
  3538. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/24/umass-amherst-palestine-protests-harassment/">“Kill All Arabs”: The Feds Are Investigating UMass Amherst for Anti-Palestinian Bias</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  3539. ]]></description>
  3540.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  3541. <p><span class="has-underline">The Department of</span> Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened an investigation into the University of Massachusetts Amherst in response to a complaint that alleges that the school took months to address the harassment of Palestinian and Arab students.</p>
  3542.  
  3543.  
  3544.  
  3545. <p>In the previously unreported <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24602894-palestine-legal-umass-title-vi-complaint">civil rights complaint</a>, 18 students said that they have “been the target of extreme anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab harassment and discrimination by fellow UMass students, including receiving racial slurs, death threats and in one instance, actually being assaulted.” The result, the students said, was a hostile environment for all Arab and Palestinian students, those perceived to be Palestinian, and their allies on campus. Among the most chilling allegations involves a student yelling<strong> </strong>“kill all Arabs” at fellow students protesting Israel’s war on Gaza.&nbsp;</p>
  3546.  
  3547.  
  3548.  
  3549. <p>The complaint, which was filed under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, charges that despite repeated communication to over a dozen administrators and Title IX officials, the school “was extremely slow to take action” and that its stonewalling exacerbated the hostile environment.</p>
  3550.  
  3551.  
  3552.  
  3553. <p>The Education Department’s civil rights division, known as OCR, opened its inquiry on April 16, less than two weeks after the legal advocacy group Palestine Legal filed the complaint on behalf of the students. The office will ultimately determine whether or not the school’s handling of the harassment complaints and disciplining of students involved in on-campus protests violated federal civil rights law. </p>
  3554.  
  3555.  
  3556.  
  3557. <p>“When you have a complaint that so clearly, and in such detail, lays out the severity of the hostile environment … I think that led OCR to really swiftly open it,” said Radhika Sainath, senior staff attorney at Palestine Legal. “It&#8217;s an ongoing environment too.”</p>
  3558.  
  3559.  
  3560.  
  3561. <p>The Department of Education declined to comment on the pending investigation, and the university did not respond to a request for comment on the probe or the allegations.</p>
  3562.  
  3563.  
  3564.  
  3565. <!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22israel-palestine%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class="promote-banner">
  3566.    <a class="promote-banner__link" href="https://theintercept.com/collections/israel-palestine/">
  3567.              <span class="promote-banner__image">
  3568.          <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="150" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=5760 5760w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=3600 3600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />        </span>
  3569.            <div class="promote-banner__text">
  3570.                  <p class="promote-banner__eyebrow">
  3571.            Read our complete coverage          </p>
  3572.        
  3573.        <h2 class="promote-banner__title">Israel’s War on Gaza</h2>
  3574.      </div>
  3575.    </a>
  3576.  </aside>
  3577. <!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[0] -->
  3578.  
  3579.  
  3580.  
  3581. <p>Over the past six months, students across the country have conducted protests, sit-ins, and other demonstrations calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza and for their institutions to divest from Israel’s occupation of Palestine. While universities have largely responded with an iron fist, the Department of Education has been increasingly brought in to investigate civil rights claims. Since October 7, Palestine Legal has filed five complaints with the OCR, including against <a href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/2024/4/17/palestine-legal-to-dept-of-ed-investigate-anti-palestinian-racism-at-northwestern-law#:~:text=Palestine%20Legal's%20complaint%20asks%20OCR,Palestinian%20and%20associated%20students'%20reports">Northwestern Law</a> and the <a href="https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2024/04/university-sjp-title-vi-complaint">University of North Carolina</a>. Conversely, pro-Israel groups have <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/11/16/israel-palestine-gaza-student-protests/">used the civil rights law to target students</a> speaking out in support of Palestinian rights.</p>
  3582.  
  3583.  
  3584.  
  3585. <p>Tariq Habash, a former political appointee in the Department of Education who <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24356505-tariq-habash-resignation-letter">resigned</a> in January in protest of President Joe Biden’s policies on the Gaza war, said that universities’ widespread crackdowns against anti-war protests is connected to the discrimination students have complained of. </p>
  3586.  
  3587.  
  3588.  
  3589. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right"><blockquote><p>“This is not how you prevent discrimination. This is how you enable it and how you make it normalized.”</p></blockquote></figure>
  3590.  
  3591.  
  3592.  
  3593. <p>“The condemnation has been so swift against largely peaceful, non-violent anti-war protests that are calling for an end to an ongoing genocide of Palestinians,” Habash said. “They&#8217;re arresting faculty who are trying to protect students who are in the middle of prayers. They are suspending students. They are kicking them out of their dorms and throwing their belongings into alleyways — this is not how you create safe, inclusive environments. This is not how you prevent discrimination. This is how you enable it and how you make it normalized.”</p>
  3594.  
  3595.  
  3596.  
  3597. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-targeted-harassment-nbsp">Targeted Harassment&nbsp;</h2>
  3598.  
  3599.  
  3600.  
  3601. <p>The 49-page complaint lays out allegations of harassment going as far back as the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. The complaint alleges that a student began appearing at Students for Justice in Palestine and other related off-campus protests, “shouting threats such as ‘Kill all Arabs,’ playing a speaker with a recording of the sounds of bombs and other explosions and attempting to ram student protestors with an electric scooter.”&nbsp;</p>
  3602.  
  3603.  
  3604.  
  3605. <p>The student, whose name is redacted in the copy of the complaint reviewed by The Intercept, also allegedly attempted to intimidate an elderly woman among other people, “while also being extremely racist towards Arabs and Palestinians, stating ‘level Gaza’ and ‘Kill all Arabs.’”</p>
  3606.  
  3607.  
  3608.  
  3609. <p>The complainants also report receiving vicious messages and threats online, also allegedly by a student and student-run accounts with names like “@amherstzionwarroom, @UMass_amherst_sjp_watch, @UMass_amherst_zionists and @UMass_zionists.”</p>
  3610.  
  3611.  
  3612.  
  3613. <p>Some of the posts called the students “classic Islamic barbarism supporters [who] love raping and killing,” and “genocidal barbarian baby decapitator supporters.” One account, named “palisranimals,” reportedly targeted two students, making comments like “where is the best beach in Gaza to build a house next to?! I’ve heard Pali bones make great foundation!” and “every ‘Palestinian’ child in Gaza is actually a terrorist.”</p>
  3614.  
  3615.  
  3616.  
  3617. <p>“These accounts would target SJP students and comment on their meeting times, eventually bragged about the doxing on Canary Mission,” reads the complaint, referring to a <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/world/canary-mission-israel-covert-operations/">website</a> that <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/10/04/israel-palestine-blacklists-canary-mission/">targets and doxxes</a> students and professors who <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/11/22/israel-boycott-canary-mission-blacklist/">criticize </a>the Israeli government.</p>
  3618.  
  3619.  
  3620.  
  3621. <p>The school’s Equal Opportunity and Access Office determined in February that a student was running the accounts, according to the complaint.</p>
  3622.  
  3623.  
  3624.  
  3625. <p>Over a matter of weeks, into months, the targeted students and their parents would email administrators asking for support, at the very least a public expression from the university that it cared for its Arab and Palestinian students and would not accept hate toward them. Sometimes they would not hear back for days, sometimes not at all.&nbsp;</p>
  3626.  
  3627.  
  3628.  
  3629. <p>As administrators began to engage with individual complaints, the complaint states, they did not enact broader measures to “effectively put an end to the hostile environment as a whole,” nor issue any statement explicitly condemning anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab behavior.</p>
  3630.  
  3631.  
  3632.  
  3633. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote><p>“We spent our senior year just compiling evidence against our own school.”</p></blockquote></figure>
  3634.  
  3635.  
  3636.  
  3637. <p>“We spent our senior year just compiling evidence against our own school,” said Emmanuelle Sussman, one of the student complainants. “OCR was like a second full-time job. … It&#8217;s insane the degree to which this has been our time spent, plus everything else that&#8217;s going on.”</p>
  3638.  
  3639.  
  3640.  
  3641. <p>Meanwhile, university leadership took strides to express solidarity with Israel. In October, UMass President Marty Meehan co-founded a broad coalition of more than 100 institutions of higher education standing “with Israel and against Hamas.” And in November, according to the complaint, university administrators “appear to have participated in at least two events” with the Anti-Defamation League — an organization that has been criticized for<a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/11/11/palestine-israel-protests-ceasefire-antisemitic/"> conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism</a> and that has given the school an <a href="https://www.adl.org/campus-antisemitism-report-card/university-massachusetts-amherst">“F” rating</a> in its “Campus Antisemitism Report Card.” The complaint cites an email sent to members of the administration, including Meehan, that states that one of those events would be focused on “making it clear that Anti-Zionism is in fact antisemitism.”</p>
  3642.  
  3643.  
  3644.  
  3645. <figure class="wp-block-ft-photo is-style-default">
  3646.  <img decoding="async"
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  3650.    alt="Amherst, MA - October 25: A member of the University of Massachusetts Police Department asks a protester to stand up and walk with him out of the building as students who staged a sit-in outside of the Chancellor&#039;s office are arrested at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students demanded that the Chancellor to end what they called, &quot;UMass Amherst&#039;s ties with war profiteers and call for a ceasefire and end of the blockade on Gaza&quot;. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)"
  3651.    width=""
  3652.    height=""
  3653.    loading="lazy"
  3654.  data-recalc-dims="1" />
  3655.      <figcaption class="photo__figcaption">
  3656.              <span class="photo__caption">A member of the University of Massachusetts Police Department asks a protester to stand up and walk with him out of the building as students who staged a sit-in outside of the chancellor’s office are arrested on Oct. 25, 2023.</span>
  3657.                    <span class="photo__credit">Photo: Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images</span>
  3658.          </figcaption>
  3659.  </figure>
  3660.  
  3661.  
  3662.  
  3663. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mass-arrests">Mass Arrests</h2>
  3664.  
  3665.  
  3666.  
  3667. <p>In October, the university <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/01/21/university-student-sit-ins-palestine/">arrested</a> 57 demonstrators conducting a sit-in protest on campus, calling on the school to cut ties with weapons manufacturers involved in Israel’s occupation of Palestine.</p>
  3668.  
  3669.  
  3670.  
  3671. <p>The complaint notes that the day after the October protest, Chancellor Javier Reyes and his assistant Mike Malone met with four student protesters to discuss the arrests and their demands. At the meeting, according to the complaint, the chancellor assured the students that&nbsp;the school would not press disciplinary charges against them and that they would not suffer any consequences other than those stemming from the criminal trespassing charges brought by the UMass Police Department.&nbsp;</p>
  3672.  
  3673.  
  3674.  
  3675. <p>Two weeks later, however, all 57 arrested students received notice that the university was in fact pursuing disciplinary charges against them for trespassing. The students went through code of conduct hearings amid final exams, right before the winter holiday, and none of them succeeded in appealing their sanctions, regardless of their records or references from professors and employers. The rush with which the school arrested and disciplined the students was a departure from its handling of previous protests, according to the complaint.&nbsp;</p>
  3676.  
  3677.  
  3678.  
  3679.  
  3680.  
  3681.  
  3682.  
  3683. <p>Meanwhile, three students were barred from studying abroad the following semester because of the disciplinary sanctions. The complaint notes that when parents and students attempted to appeal that decision, they were informed that it came from Kalpen Trivedi, vice provost for global affairs and International Programs Office director. The complaint includes a purported screenshot of Trivedi’s Facebook page, in which he suggests doctors at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the media were complicit with Hamas. (At the time, the Israeli military had laid siege to the hospital while claiming,<a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/11/21/al-shifa-hospital-hamas-israel/"> without credible evidence</a>, that it was a command and control center for Hamas.)&nbsp;</p>
  3684.  
  3685.  
  3686.  
  3687. <p>“They are all Hamas. All grotesquely evil,” reads the screenshot. Trivedi could not be reached for comment.</p>
  3688.  
  3689.  
  3690.  
  3691. <p>The complaint also charges that the UMass Police Department published the home addresses of the arrested students, many of whom were already facing harassment. In response to repeated requests by parents to remove the addresses from its website, according to the complaint, the police department claimed it was required to publish the addresses by state law. In fact, state law requires the agency only to make addresses available as a public record, not to post them online.</p>
  3692.  
  3693.  
  3694.  
  3695. <p>The police department eventually removed the students&#8217; home addresses from its website several weeks later, on December 5. The department did not respond to a request for comment.&nbsp;</p>
  3696.  
  3697.  
  3698.  
  3699. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>“We were fighting like tooth and nail to get them to remove our private addresses off the internet.”&nbsp;</p></blockquote></figure>
  3700.  
  3701.  
  3702.  
  3703. <p>“While we were experiencing this crazy level of harassment and deeply, deeply concerning threats of violence, we also were fighting our own police department that we were reporting these incidents to,” Maysoun Batley, one of the students who filed the complaint, told The Intercept. “We were fighting like tooth and nail to get them to remove our private addresses off the internet.”</p>
  3704.  
  3705.  
  3706.  
  3707. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hundreds-of-emails">“Hundreds of Emails”</h2>
  3708.  
  3709.  
  3710.  
  3711. <p>The complaint also lays out various interactions the students or their parents had with university administrators that left the complainants frustrated by what they felt was an inept response.</p>
  3712.  
  3713.  
  3714.  
  3715. <p>In late November, when three Palestinian college students were shot in nearby Vermont, one frustrated parent wrote to Reyes, Meehan, and Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Police Tyrone Parham.</p>
  3716.  
  3717.  
  3718.  
  3719. <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
  3720. <p>“Three Palestinian undergraduate students were shot in Vermont last night!! Three young men were shot! Instead of protecting our children in this current political climate, you are exposing them to risk. This is dangerous and irresponsible. You need to take ACTIVE STEPS to protect our children. I expect a call. I expect an email to the &#8216;UMass community.&#8217; I expect action beyond the empty words that you have offered so far!”</p>
  3721. </blockquote>
  3722.  
  3723.  
  3724.  
  3725. <p>The university brass did not respond, according to the complaint.</p>
  3726.  
  3727.  
  3728.  
  3729.  
  3730.  
  3731.  
  3732.  
  3733. <p>In December, the students said, they were invited to two Zoom meetings with administrators and faculty who apparently were seeking to understand how to make the students feel safer. Instead, the students told The Intercept that they walked away feeling less than fully embraced, citing one professor who apparently criticized their protests.</p>
  3734.  
  3735.  
  3736.  
  3737. <p>“This reminds me less of what my dad told me about sit-ins in 1962 in Kentucky, and sounds more like Nazi students shouting down Jewish professors in 1932 in Berlin,” a professor said, according to the students. The professor reportedly suggested that the students “turn down the volume.”</p>
  3738.  
  3739.  
  3740.  
  3741. <p>In face of lackluster institutional support, the students took it upon themselves to seek out protections like anti-harassment or no-contact orders.</p>
  3742.  
  3743.  
  3744.  
  3745. <p>While the school’s Title IX coordinator granted a mutual no-contact directive to one student against another student accused of harassment on November 29, according to the complaint, it was not until January 30 that other students received similar protections. And it was not until March 28 that the complainants received court-sanctioned harassment prevention orders against other students harassing them, which went into effect the next day.</p>
  3746.  
  3747.  
  3748.  
  3749. <p>“Hundreds of emails toward them proving all the harassment since mid-October, and it took them until March 29,” said Ruya Hazeyen, another one of the students who filed the complaint. “And all of them are still allowed on campus, even though we have proof of some of them assaulting our members, threatening our members, doxxing our members. They&#8217;re still all right now on campus.”</p>
  3750. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/24/umass-amherst-palestine-protests-harassment/">“Kill All Arabs”: The Feds Are Investigating UMass Amherst for Anti-Palestinian Bias</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  3751. ]]></content:encoded>
  3752.                                <wfw:commentRss>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/24/umass-amherst-palestine-protests-harassment/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  3753.                <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  3754.                <media:content url='https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1745626125-e1713973120220.jpg?fit=4000%2C2000' width='4000' height='2000' /><post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">467249</post-id>
  3755. <media:thumbnail url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" />
  3756. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150" medium="image">
  3757. <media:title type="html">DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)</media:title>
  3758. </media:content>
  3759. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1745628456.jpg?fit=4000%2C2637&#038;w=1200" medium="image">
  3760. <media:title type="html">Amherst, MA - October 25: A member of the University of Massachusetts Police Department asks a protester to stand up and walk with him out of the building as students who staged a sit-in outside of the Chancellor&#039;s office are arrested at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students demanded that the Chancellor to end what they called, &#34;UMass Amherst&#039;s ties with war profiteers and call for a ceasefire and end of the blockade on Gaza&#34;. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)</media:title>
  3761. </media:content>
  3762. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image1-e1714760520949.jpeg?w=1200" medium="image" />
  3763. <media:content url="https://theintercept.com/theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/df78dec7-b519-413a-b646-e1ef2ddbe3f5-e1714757834188.jpeg?w=1200" medium="image" />
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  3766.        
  3767.            <item>
  3768.                <title><![CDATA[Biden’s Indifference to Palestinian Lives Is Sending the Middle East Into the Abyss]]></title>
  3769.                <link>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/24/intercepted-biden-israel-middle-east-war/</link>
  3770.                <comments>https://theintercept.com/2024/04/24/intercepted-biden-israel-middle-east-war/#respond</comments>
  3771.                <pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  3772.                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[Intercepted]]></dc:creator>
  3773.                                 <category><![CDATA[Intercepted Podcast]]></category>
  3774.  
  3775.                <guid isPermaLink="false">https://theintercept.com/?p=467164</guid>
  3776.                                    <description><![CDATA[<p>The U.S. dedication to Israel’s war of annihilation has created a tornado of instability and danger.</p>
  3777. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/24/intercepted-biden-israel-middle-east-war/">Biden’s Indifference to Palestinian Lives Is Sending the Middle East Into the Abyss</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  3778. ]]></description>
  3779.                                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
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  3781. <div class="acast-player">
  3782.  <iframe src="https://embed.acast.com/intercepted-with-jeremy-scahill/bidens-indifference-to-palestinian-lives-is-sending-the-midd?accentColor=111111&#038;bgColor=f5f6f7&#038;logo=false" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" class="acast-player__embed"></iframe>
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  3785.  
  3786.  
  3787.  
  3788. <p><span class="has-underline">In the face</span> of growing international pressure, the Biden administration has continued to double down on a policy of blanket support for Israel, even as it presses ahead with a possible military offensive against the town of Rafah that many observers have warned could trigger the largest humanitarian crisis of the war so far. This week on Intercepted, co-hosts Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain discuss the Biden administration&#8217;s approach to the conflict with Thanassis Cambanis, director of the foreign policy think tank Century International. Cambanis explains how Biden’s policy toward Israel is pushing the entire Middle East to the brink of a regional war that could inflict far greater suffering than we have seen to date, in an area which U.S. policymakers claim to be trying to exit.</p>
  3789.  
  3790.  
  3791.  
  3792. <p><em>Transcript coming soon.</em></p>
  3793. <p>The post <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/24/intercepted-biden-israel-middle-east-war/">Biden’s Indifference to Palestinian Lives Is Sending the Middle East Into the Abyss</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theintercept.com">The Intercept</a>.</p>
  3794. ]]></content:encoded>
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  3796.                <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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