silvana

Since @KyleKulinski follows me, I can explain why this isn’t astroturfed or some fringe faction of sectarian leftists. I know the people who led those chants. They’re Arab and Muslim youth who understand the difference between personal culpability and political responsibility. We’ve used these same chants against previous mayors. Eric Adams wasn’t personally sending bombs to Israel either, but he oversaw the NYPD, which maintains ties to the Israeli military and an office in Tel Aviv. Unless Mamdani has severed those ties, the underlying criticism remains valid. I might not have used that particular chant myself, only because I know how quickly bad-faith actors, liberals included, will seize on the wording to distract from the substance. But I’m not going to condemn people for using it, or pretend their criticism is any less legitimate. There’s always a problem with Palestinian chants. “Globalize the Intifada,” “From the river to the sea,” “Long live the resistance.” No matter what we say, the conversation gets redirected from what we’re protesting to how we’re protesting it. Stop joining the chorus policing Palestinian speech and start engaging with the actual policies and demands.