David Collier: Antisemitism in Ireland – an exclusive report on anti-Jewish hatred
Today I publish a 202-page report on antisemitism in Ireland. It is the result of several years of intense research that involved 1000s of hours of online swimming in extremist sewers. The examples and findings presented in the report should sicken anyone interested in combatting antisemitism. What makes it even worse is the level of ‘antisemitism denial’ coming from the Irish politicians, academics and activists.“Gaza is Palestine”: NGOs and Rep. Tlaib Push BDS
When you see what is in the report you will understand that there is no denying this – nor does it have anything to do with ‘criticism of Israel’. Personally I have been down this road before, with in-depth studies of antisemitism in anti-Israel groups in the UK and of course the Labour Party – but what I saw in Ireland – managed to shake even me.
There are almost 200 pages of evidence, and I cannot even begin to do it justice in a single blog. Perhaps it remains possible to give voice to what is inside the report in a single word – and that word is ‘horrific’. The situation is horrific at the political level, horrific at the academic level and horrific at the street level. It is almost impossible to overstate how toxic the situation in Ireland has become.
The evidence is all in the report which can now be downloaded. For those that want the story of ‘antisemitism in Ireland’ in shorthand, here are just a few nuggets:
Politicians in Ireland
Dozens of Politicians in Ireland were found to contribute towards rising antisemitism, and this occurs in a number of ways. The report covers the issue in full detail.
Here is just one example. Some of Ireland’s politicians love to share the most outrageous fake news about Israel.
This is a post about an attack on the trees of Palestinian farmers that was shared by Sean Crowe, a member of the Dail – (the Irish Parliament). Except it is fake news. The video is actually of a cull of citrus trees in Morocco in 2019, which has been repackaged as anti-Israel propaganda.
Acts such as this, spread hatred on the street. And these politicians do not seem to care about the source of their fake news. The post that Sean Crowe TD shared in order to demonise Israel, was from the FB account of Waleed Al Alami – who is a hard core antisemite and Holocaust denier:
There are lots of examples – and the Crowe shared post is far from the worst. One sitting politician even seems to have liked a post suggesting Hitler ‘may have not been too far wrong‘.
The Irish TD’s don’t hold back – they are at the forefront of the report, and dozens are included. And when it comes to antisemitism – the same old tropes are rolled out over and over again.
This blatant ‘Mossad did it‘ tweet came from Reada Cronin TD. In her world the British electorate didn’t reject Jeremy Corbyn because of his party’s extremism or illegal harrassment of Jews – the British were made to do it by Israeli spies:
The full report with the whole horrible story can be downloaded here.
On October 7, 2021, the “Gaza is Palestine” campaign will host a virtual event featuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and a number of BDS activists. These include individuals who have celebrated violence against Israelis.Video Game That Has Users Slaughter Israelis as Palestinian Militant Violates Anti-Terror Laws, Legal Group Says
The campaign seeks to halt US military assistance to Israel and is spearheaded by two pro-BDS NGOs: Adalah Justice Project (AJP) and MPower Change. This event exemplifies the deepening relationship between politicized NGOs seeking to advance BDS policy through members of Congress.
This phenomenon was manifest last month (September 2021) in attempts by US lawmakers to block funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system and the sale of $735 million worth of precision-guided Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) to Israel.
These initiatives were the result of lobbying efforts by pro-BDS NGOs, some with links to terror groups. (For more information on NGO lobbying against American security assistance to Israel, see “The NGO Congressional Campaign Against Funding for Israel’s Iron Dome”.) The Sponsors of the “Gaza is Palestine” Campaign: Adalah Justice Project:
- Originally a project of Haifa-based Adalah, AJP, based in Boston, engages in BDS and other forms of demonization. For example, then AJP Director Nadia Ben Youssef was initially listed as an “author and contributor” of the 2016 “The Movement for Black Lives” platform. The document included BDS calls, labeled Israel an “apartheid state,” argued that US military assistance makes Americans complicit in human rights abuses, and accused Israel of “genocide.”
- AJP collaborates with organizations that have ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) a US and EU-designated terrorist organization. These NGOs include Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P), Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), and Al-Haq.
- AJP is fiscally sponsored by the Tides Center, which also transfers funds to organizations such as Palestine Legal, and Dream Defenders. In June 2018, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund authorized a $160,000 grant to AJP via the Tides Center.
MPower Change:
- Established in 2016, MPower Change co-sponsored a petition demanding that Congress end military aid and sanction Israel, describing it as “apartheid.” The NGO also promoted an event open to everyone besides “cops and Zionists.”
- Executive Director of MPower Change Linda Sarsour is an anti-Israel activist with a history of making antisemitic comments. In 2019, Sarsour stepped down from her leadership role with the Women’s March, after it emerged that she had ties to notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan.
- According to its website, donations to MPower Change are processed through ActBlue Charities, “a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.”
The game is already generating fierce pushback in Israel, and a leading legal advocacy organization is petitioning Valve, Steam’s parent company, to remove the game from its store, maintaining that distribution of the title violates U.S. anti-terror laws.
"This game, with its unhinged glorification of violence and incitement to terror, may place Valve in direct violation of United States anti-terror laws and subject to potential civil litigation," the International Legal Forum, a nonprofit advocacy group that combats anti-Semitism and represents more than 3,500 lawyers and civil society activists across the globe, wrote to Valve on Monday, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
"In allowing the use of your platform for the glorification and incitement of terror, your company may be in breach of a number of U.S. anti-terrorism laws, including, but not limited to, Section 2339 of the United States Code, which prohibits the providing of ‘material support or resources’ in the ‘preparation for, or in carrying out’ a violation of certain offenses, including terrorism," the group wrote.
Valve has not yet responded to the International Legal Forum’s letter and also did not respond to a Free Beacon request for comment. While video game makers have large artistic leeway in the titles they publish, a game centering around Palestinian terrorism could be seen as a recruitment tool for jihadist militant groups that want to destroy Israel and kill Jewish people.
Arsen Ostrovsky, chairman and CEO of the International Legal Forum, told the Free Beacon that "although for some in the gaming world, this might be mere virtual reality, for Israelis, this is depiction of real life, having sustained decades of Palestinian terror, intifadas, and ongoing sprees of stabbings, vehicular ramming, and shooting attacks."
U.S. citizens, he added, "have also been killed during such attacks. In the event further attacks and loss of life arise out of this display in pure barbarism masquerading as a ‘virtual game,' not only blood, but legal liability, will be on the hands of Valve."