The AFR View
Protest must not bring the poison of antisemitism
Liberal societies need protest and dissent – but not if it is accompanied by toxic racism.
The world is rightly appalled when thousands of innocent Palestinian lives are lost in Gaza as Israel seeks to destroy Hamas. The laws of war distinguish between deaths in the crossfire of an Israeli military operation to remove a brutal enemy, and the deliberate hunting down of Israeli civilians by Hamas on October 7.
That doesn’t stop a legitimate debate on whether the Israeli government’s tactics in response are excessive, counterproductive, or even immoral. But protests at the actions of a government can never justify the racist demonising of Jewish individuals and groups around the world – or the abuse of Muslims in response.
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