more than 500 people have been killed in the bombing of a hospital in gaza, where thousands were taking shelter or being treated. this is a nauseating war crime. people describe apocalyptic scenes: headless bodies, charred remains, human fragments everywhere. in a hospital full of children, women, men. old and young. sick people, the wounded, doctors and hospital staff. their collective murder is incomprehensible. heinous.
so is israel’s arrogance. the hubris of committing genocide in full view of the world, with the powerful justifying and aiding their bloodlust.
then there is the vertiginous inversion of reality. the frightful corruption of language. the orwellian dictums that we are hearing are surreal: ethnic cleansing is self defense, genocide is some kind of justice, the killers are victims whose feelings take precedence.
after whining about free speech and ‘je suis charlie’ for a lifetime, france has banned pro-palestinian protests. so has germany. the UK says palestinian flags & slogans are illegal, msnbc has suspended all three of its muslim anchors, and US immigration is harassing palestinians in the diaspora.
in rochester, the palestinian film festival, which had been going on for more than a decade, has been postponed due to pressure from the jewish federation and security concerns.
it’s morally repugnant, violent, unreal.
we can only understand what’s happening around us if we look at it thru the lens of racism and colonialism.
think india’s independence war in 1857 and how spectacular the punishment. a common punishment was to tie so-called mutineers to the mouth of a cannon and then fire the cannon.
think the mau mau rebellion (1952-1960) in kenya and its aftermath. the british colonizers used concentration camps, unspeakable torture, and rape as punishment.
think the algerian war of independence (1954-1962) which lasted 8 years, and in which the french butchered 1.5 million algerians, because how dare they.
closer to home, think of all the indian wars (as they were called) and how indigenous people were subjected to campaigns of terror while their land was being stolen.
as the hampton institute said:
oppressed people who fight back against their sadistic oppressors are ALWAYS demonized, dehumanized & labeled “terrorists/animals” by the oppressor nation. nat turner, mandela, assata shakur & the black liberation army, george jackson & the black guerilla family… the list is endless.
good old colonialism never left us. it’s always been in our face.
enough is enough.