Social Justice Warriors Link Palestinian Plight to Black Lives Matter
Social Justice Warriors Link Palestinian Plight to Black Lives Matter
"No justice is true justice without the liberation of all."
7.4.2016 News Trey Sanchez
AUSA Today opinion piece written by Dynamic Education Foundation's Imani Jackson argues that there is an inextricable link between the plight of Palestinians and the liberation of African-Americans sought under the Black Lives Matter movement.
The two factions a world apart share parallel themes of liberation, Jackson surmises, seeing the similarities between tear gas in the streets fired on the uprising against authority in Ferguson and "Palestinians who had also resisted state violence."
The pairing of BLM activists and Palestinian sympathizers is gaining ground. This year, a meeting took place between BLM members and a liberation organization known as Dream Defenders which seeks to "end wars of aggression all over the world." This particular meeting happened in Ramallah, Jerusalem and Haifa "to develop a deeper understanding of the Palestinian struggle and to figure out how their fight parallels that of blacks in the U.S."
Palestinian-American journalist/activist Mariam Barghouti is quoted in the piece, his words noting how the connection between the two must be made, as it is "essential for human rights":
"It reminds us all that oppression has no boundaries and despite the differences our struggles are united. No justice is true justice without the liberation of all."
Jackson sees the parallel between the events surrounding the Ferguson riots in 2014 with operations by Israel that same summer:
[C]ivil unrest and police brutality in Ferguson reached a crescendo. Officers wore riot gear. Area residents were placed under a curfew. Police shot tear gas into crowds. Protesters were arrested.
That summer, Palestinians suffered violent exchanges under Operation Protective Edge, during which Israel launched attacks on the Gaza Strip in an attempt to end Palestinian rocket fire, according to reports.
Many of their homes and businesses were obliterated. It was against this backdrop that Palestinians shared advice with people in Ferguson.
It's law enforcement "abuse[s] and intimidation to bring order" that links BLM with Palestine, argues Jackson, noting how the scenes broadcast on the news resembled that so typical in the Middle East.
Jackson gave Barghouti the last word:
"Oppression is perpetuated by the divide-and-conquer strategy, so the ... union between the African-American community and the Palestinian struggle breaks this sinister eneavor and brings us closer to justice."
This is yet another example of social justice warriors gleefully finding solidarity with "Palestine."
Social Justice Warriors Link Palestinian Plight to Black Lives Matter
