Autocratic Backfire, and Movement Updates

The president, the aspiring dictator at the heart of this authoritarianism, grows more unstable by the day. We may well be seeing a phenomenon that scholar of authoritarianism, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, describes as “autocratic backfire” – “Narcissistic leaders insulate themselves from criticism by surrounding themselves with sycophants and loyalists. No one will tell them the truth, and religious collaborators tell them they are in office by divine will, and so they end up believing their own propaganda about their invincibility, genius instincts, and infallibility. Then the stage is set for them to make momentous decisions on the basis of erroneous beliefs or personal ideological obsessions.”

Many Democrats were thrilled by the filibuster speech of Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) which broke the previous record held by segregationist Strom Thurmond for the longest Senate filibuster. Yet, the Institute for Middle East Understanding, Code Pink, and many others, have pointed out that in over 25 hours of nearly continuous speaking, Sen. Booker never once mentioned the mass atrocities in Gaza, which the United States government with our tax dollars have enabled and supported. In a speech filled with references to the urgent need for people to rise up with moral courage, and religious references about love of neighbor, not a single mention of the unspeakable atrocities Israel has carried out against innocent civilians? No moral outrage about the mass murder of over 17,000 children? No denunciation of our nation’s support for Israel’s cruel total siege of the Gazan population for nearly 2 months? Not calling out the starvation of children? Last week, after his performative speech, Senator Booker voted no to Senator Sanders’ resolution to express disapproval with the continued sale of devastating offensive weapons to Israel. I’m certain his AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) bosses were pleased with him yet again. And then this week, Amer Mohamad Saada Rabee, a 14-yr. old Palestinian boy, a dual Palestinian-U.S. citizen from the state of New Jersey, which Senator Booker represents, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the Turmus Ayya area of the West Bank. When will a critical mass of his constituents connect the dots?

The Trump administration has created very dangerous conditions for those who speak up for Palestine. Individual activists, both student and faculty members, as well as community members, are being abducted, and, in some cases, imprisoned for their views, writings, and participation in protests. What has been happening is unchecked state power without any due process. It is clearly designed to chill pro-Palestine speech and action, and to instill fear in those moved to speak up for Palestine. The State Department’s swift and unfounded revocation of student visas and green cards and threatened deportation is sending the message that the state rejects speech and action on behalf of Palestinian rights. The government is falsely accusing Palestinian rights advocates of being “antisemitic,” “terrorist sympathizers”, “threats to national security,” and engaging in “unAmerican activity.” It shows the lengths to which the government will go to shut down the truth about Israel’s crimes and American complicity in apartheid and genocide.

Jewish students at Columbia University and Barnard College in New York City, wearing yarmulkes and keffiyehs, who are friends and close associates with Mahmoud Khalil, chained themselves to a university gate demanding transparency and accountability from the Columbia administration. They demanded to know who it was who collaborated with the Trump administration in turning over private information about Mahmoud Khalil which led to his unlawful abduction and detention. They made the trenchant point that these efforts on the part of Columbia’s administration are allegedly being done in order to “keep Jewish students safe,” and yet Jewish students have not been consulted in any way. The Jewish students are demanding that Columbia stop exploiting Jews to justify authoritarian repression of their fellow students. As they have repeatedly said, “not in our name.”

In addition to these critical civil rights concerns, faculty and students across the country who benefited greatly from the presence of these conscientious international students in their classrooms and in their lives have spoken about the sense of loss they feel from their sudden, forced absence. Heartless administrators may be feeling relief that they have rid themselves of these “troublemakers.” But those who knew and loved them, and were personally enriched by their friendship, are sorely missing them. It was heartening to see many communities across the nation recognizing the telltale marks of authoritarianism and picking up the chant: “Free Mahmoud” and “Free Rumeysa” and “Free Badar Khan Suri”, and carrying signs with these messages in the nationwide “Hands Off” protests.