After two previous instances with rulings in favor of freedom of expression and against the criminalization of those who denounce Zionism, Chamber III of the Buenos Aires Court of Cassation, in Argentina, sentenced the leader of the Socialist Workers Movement (MST), Alejandro Bodart, to six months in prison.
Before the judicial fair, the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA) won a victory and celebrated a new episode of judicial intimidation and censorship.
The ruling was divided. Judges Ignacio Mahiques and Jorge Atilio Franza decided to convict Bodart. On the other hand, Judge Patricia Ana Larroca upheld the acquittal and .
According to reports, the judges followed the classic script of the State of “Israel”, equating anti-Zionist positions to the “new anti-Semitism” and using the definition developed by one of the most important organizations of the Zionist lobby, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
In Argentina, the one in charge of carrying out the unworthy task was the DAIA, which pressures and establishes links with different instances of the Judiciary to carry out “trainings” on the subject.
The DAIA is in charge of the training of “impartial” judges and officials, who will have to decide on the litigations of this same organization in these matters.
According to the online newspaper Prensa Obrera, in a period of intensification of “Israel’s” genocide against the Palestinian people, there are no international organizations left where the war crimes of the occupying regime have not been denounced, including the International Criminal Court.
There is a very strong interest in silencing the voices against the Israeli genocide in Palestine, he added.
Here this part got cut off at the end. It has what he actually said. (Auto translated, so, 🤷♂️)
The second part is quite literally historical fact (the word “genocide” might not be legally correct yet (as in a court hasn’t ruled). But colloquially we all know, even the deniers know, it’s true). The first part is technically subjective, but anyone educated (actually educated) on the Nazis, their rhetoric, etc. understands it to be true. Maybe some people, for personal reasons, find saying it objectionable. That should have zero bearing on if something is permissible to say or not especially with penalty of jail time. “Free speech, libertarian” bad haircut/sideburns guy strikes again.
I do find it “odd” that if he had called the United States’ genocide of indigenous people an inspiration for what the Nazis were trying to do, no one would care. Maybe a few incredibly annoying right wingers would whine. But when you continue the comparisons onward to Israel it’s suddenly, “Woah woah woah! But Bible book says! How dare you!” Protecting the apartheid state is the only important thing here. It has absolutely nothing to do with history or truth. Just make people shut up so the apartheid state remains, ethnic cleansing continues, and Israel expands further. They need “living space” after all.
Also, Zionists literally collaborated with Nazis to deport Jews from Germany into Palestine i.e. the Haavara Agreement. Like???
Its allowed because it already happened, Israel criticism is not allowed because its ongoing.
Thank you for adding that part! Right now, Argentina is being wacked by their comprador president Milei and one of the things he is doing is totally aligning Argentina to Israel. It is horrible.
Obviously this was in Argentina but I’ve noticed this same thing in the US. It is more legal to talk about our own government doing genocide, currently or in the past, than to accuse Israel of it. In many states criticizing or boycotting Israel is a crime. In no state is it a crime to criticize the US, or to boycott American products, or even specific US states or other countries. It’s only Israel.
And like, I know that Israel is a part of the US empire and the rule is actually “It’s illegal to criticize the US Department of Genocide in the Levant,” but because they nominally act like a sovereign state it’s easy to understand how people come to “Our leaders are puppets of Israel! Israel is controlling the US!” because it sure does fucking look that way.
And when you add that it’s “We’re totally a sovereign state and also we represent all Jews” it really throws a lot of fuel on the fire of actual antisemitism.
I don’t know if there’s proof or not for the original intent, but absolutely at this point that stuff is all “a feature not a bug.” Zionist Jews in Israel want American Jews to immigrate and become settlers. Zionist Christians in America want Jews to leave for racist reasons (primarily, I’d say) but also because of their insane interpretation of the Bible. So stoking antisemitism accomplishes both of their goals while reinforcing the underlying “actual goal” of destabilizing the MENA region for further exploitation by western capital.
I haven’t read it yet, but I do plan on reading Finkelstein’s book The Holocaust Industry. I have heard him and others speak about it a lot though and as unfortunate as it is… he appears to be totally correct. Even though he wrote that book like 25 years ago, we still can’t speak about or even seriously discuss the points he was making even as we see the continued weaponization of past traumas to justify ongoing atrocities. Rhetoric being deployed like “biggest mass killing of Jews since the Holocaust.” The fact that no one is allowed to question why the fuck it’s ok the Holocaust is invoked at a whim when Israelis are killed, but doing so after 40x(minimum) the number of Palestinians are killed causes accusations of antisemitism… should absolutely be something people question. Unfortunately for everyone, the ignorant will reach a false conclusion. It definitely all feels very “by design” at this point. And not in a conspiracy theory way but rather just a conspiracy as in many actors all working together towards a singular goal. It is happening; we can all see it daily. It just has absolutely nothing to do with Jews specifically. If anything it has much more to do with Christians in the west, specifically in the US. (A point always worth repeating. Forcing people to split the conflation of Jews with Israelis is critical to getting them to ever see why their views are wrong. No one in the US likes those insane Christians except their fellow insane Christians. Tying this all back to them is pretty devastating for Zionism)
There are plenty of powerful lobbies and bodies that could come out and clearly and resolutely condemn Israel and put all the conspiracies to rest. But they believe in the project of Zionism, so that ain’t happening. (And many Holocaust historians have condemned Israel, for the record. But it would be great if more and more would and distance the memory of the Holocaust and its victims as far away from Israel as possible.)