harry rakowski: free speech does not include the right to destroy property and harass jews
if we continue to confuse reasonable free speech with hate speech and tolerate radical and destructive actions, no speech is ultimately free
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israel’s ongoing war against hamas is fuelling a rise in antisemitism far greater than any rise in islamophobia. the war was started by the brutal murder of innocent men, women and children by a terrorist organization that’s comfortable using the war crimes of torture and rape against its victims. hamas has never been motivated by the best interests of the palestinian people. rather, it subjugates palestinians by stealing their aid, poisoning their minds with hate and recklessly putting them in harm’s way. hamas could end this war at any time by releasing the hostages and surrendering.
no army, however well meaning, is without fault in wartime. during the second world war, the allies firebombed dresden. the united states committed the my lai massacre during the vietnam war.
the israel defence forces, while trying to minimize casualties, have had to bomb targets in residential areas that housed terrorists, or were used as bases for rocket and other terrorist infrastructure.
now, far too many civilians are suffering without adequate shelter and medical care. a humanitarian solution needs to be found quickly. yet hamas has to be destroyed and palestinians have to accept that the goal of the destruction of israel is futile and will only lead to despair.
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russia has killed thousands of civilians. it has ruthlessly kidnapped thousands of ukrainian children. it has targeted infrastructure, as well as food and energy supplies to purposely create an environment of fear and hunger among the ukrainian people.
many former soviet republics, which were subjugated by russia, have now thrown off their yoke of oppression and joined nato. russia is a true colonial power; israel is not. so why are there no protests by progressives encircling russian embassies? because they are not jews.
for centuries, antisemitism has been a curse that has caused jews to be demonized. it has led to blood libels, massacres, pogroms, religious crusades and finally the holocaust.
remarkably, a yougov/the economist poll released in december found that one-fifth of americans between the ages of 18 and 29 believe that the holocaust is a myth. it is part of a narrative driven by antisemitism that is always beneath the surface and amplified by the misinformation circulated on social media.
antisemitism and islamophobia are equal in abhorrence but unequal in scope. palestinian supporters have specifically targeted jews, not simply israel, for their radical protests. their goal is to intimidate jews at their places of worship, the communities they live in and the businesses they own or work at.
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such demonstrations would not be tolerated if they targeted muslims or people of colour. micro-aggression against most people is unacceptable in today’s environment. macro-aggression against jews, on the other hand, is increasingly accepted as an expression of free speech.
protesting for greater aid to gaza or denouncing israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu’s policies are acceptable forms of speech. as is advocating for an ultimate two-state solution. but the right to free speech does not include the right to trample on the rights of others who are also expressing their views.
sharon knafelman is a political science student at berkeley, where one of her professors, ron hassner, spent two weeks eating, sleeping and working from his office without going home, as a protest against the radical antisemitism that is going unchecked on campus.
in an interview with the free press, knafelman explained that anti-israel protests exploded on berkeley’s campus after oct. 7, making the environment “uncomfortable, ostracizing and isolating” for jewish students.
during a protest on feb. 26, she saw a friend get spat on and called a “dirty jew.” the protesters shouted at jews, calling them pigs. “they were violent with some of us: two girls got assaulted, they ended up shattering the windows,” she said. her experience is unfortunately all too common.
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free speech doesn’t give anyone the right to maliciously deface or destroy property. chanting “from the river to the sea, palestine will be free” is not simply a protest — it is a chant that calls for the destruction of israel.
we wouldn’t tolerate hate speech against muslims, or attacks against islamic institutions, in response to actions perpetrated by radical islamists. so why is it simply an expression of free speech if jews are racially targeted?
martin goldfarb recently wrote a piece for policy magazine lauding brian mulroney as a great prime minister because he was able to think of big ideas that would advance canadian interests and properly execute them. even after he left office, he continued to provide important advice to anyone smart enough to listen. he spoke to the world jewish congress after the horrific oct. 7 terrorist attack by hamas on israel.
“contemporary antisemitism has added the state of israel to its list of targets. israel has become the new jew. stripped of its intellectual pretensions, of the cloak of human rights, these ritual denunciations of israel with which we have become all too familiar are a pernicious form of racism,” he said.
“in the final analysis, jews are our fellow citizens; they are our friends; they are our neighbours. and this is their home. but until they feel safe and accepted, it will never, in any complete sense, be home for anyone.”
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if we continue to confuse reasonable free speech with hate speech and tolerate radical and destructive actions, no speech is ultimately free.
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