They Are Lying to You About 'Antisemitism'. Here Is the Truth.

They have stolen a word. They have taken a term that described one of history’s most vile and persistent hatreds, emptied it of its meaning, and refashioned it into a bludgeon. They now swing this bludgeon at anyone who dares to speak out: students, artists, academics, and even elected officials. The word is “antisemitism,” and its cynical, calculated weaponization is the single greatest threat to free speech and the pursuit of justice in the West today. We are being told a lie, a vicious and self-serving lie, that to oppose the political actions of a state is to hate a people. It is a lie designed to purchase our silence, and we must not sell it to them for any price.

The Anatomy of a Smear

Let’s be brutally clear about the deception being perpetrated. When a crowd of young people at the Glastonbury festival, a historic home of counter-culture and protest, chant against the actions of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)—a military force currently under investigation for war crimes by the world’s highest courts—we are told this is “antisemitism.” The festival’s organizers, in an act of staggering institutional cowardice, have even condemned it as such, providing a progressive cover for this insidious lie. They have betrayed their own legacy, trading principle for the quiet life.

This is not a mistake or a misunderstanding; it is a deliberate strategy of conflation. A military is not a race. A government is not a religion. The IDF is a state institution, like the U.S. Army or the British police. To critique its actions, to express rage at its violence, is a fundamental political right. To label this dissent “antisemitism” is a fraudulent, intellectually bankrupt smear designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to immunize the state of Israel from any and all criticism. It is a shield built from the memory of historic suffering, cynically deployed to protect modern-day abuses of power.

Look at how this lie spreads. New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani stands on national television and refuses to play the media’s sick game. Asked to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada,” he correctly states that it is not his role as a lawmaker to police the language of protest. For this, he is branded an extremist. The slogan, a call for a popular uprising against occupation and for liberation, is maliciously reframed as a call for anti-Jewish violence. This isn't journalism; it's a public interrogation designed to enforce a single, acceptable political opinion. His refusal was not cowardice; it was a courageous defense of the very principles of free expression that his inquisitors pretended to uphold.

The Truth They Are Trying to Bury

For years, we hoped the world would see the truth on its own. The truth is that the fight for Palestinian rights is an anti-racist struggle. It is a fight for human dignity, for international law, and against ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation. It stands in a long tradition of movements against apartheid, colonialism, and state violence. To support this cause is not antisemitic; it is, in fact, the moral imperative of anyone who claims to oppose racism in all its forms.

This campaign to redefine antisemitism is a desperate attempt to sever the Palestinian cause from the global movement for justice. They want to isolate it, to make it toxic, to frighten away good people who would otherwise lend their voices. They do this by presenting a false choice: you can either support Jewish people or you can support Palestinian people. This is a disgusting and manipulative binary.

Our position has always been clear: our fight is against the policies of the Israeli state, not the Jewish people. Many of our most passionate and dedicated comrades in this struggle are Jewish activists who refuse to allow their identity to be hijacked by a nationalist project. They understand the danger of weaponizing a trauma to justify an injustice. They see, with horrifying clarity, how this tactic not only silences Palestinians but also endangers Jewish people everywhere by tying their safety to the actions of a controversial and often brutal state.

The Moral Chasm: Courage vs. Control

Look at the two sides in this battle and ask yourself where the moral high ground lies. On one side, we have artists like Bob Vylan, now facing potential scrutiny from the U.S. State Department for his speech at a music festival. We have tenured professors at MIT, facing down multi-million dollar lawsuits funded by billionaires, for the “crime” of allowing their students to protest for human rights. We have activists and organizers who risk their careers, their reputations, and their safety to speak a difficult truth.

And on the other side? We have festival organizers who buckle under pressure. We have university administrators who betray their commitment to academic freedom. We have governments, both in the UK and the US, deploying law enforcement and security task forces to investigate political chants. They are not arguing with us on the merits; they are trying to criminalize our speech. They are not winning a debate; they are trying to cancel it entirely. Theirs is the strategy of the fearful, of those whose arguments cannot withstand the light of day. They use power, money, and intimidation. We use our voices, our principles, and the truth. The contrast could not be more stark.

The Price of Our Silence

If this redefinition of “antisemitism” is allowed to stand, the consequences will be catastrophic, and they will extend far beyond the borders of Palestine. We are witnessing the construction of a blueprint for the total suppression of political dissent. If criticism of Israeli policy can be classified as criminal hate speech, what comes next? Will criticizing American foreign policy be deemed “anti-American”? Will protesting police brutality be labeled an “incitement to violence”?

The Glastonbury incident is the canary in the coal mine. The moment a government security agency is tasked with reviewing a protest song is the moment we lose our democracy. It is a chilling message sent to every artist, every activist, every citizen: stay in line, or you will be treated as a security threat. This is not about protecting a vulnerable community; it is about protecting a powerful state from accountability.

We are at a crossroads. We can either accept this poisoned definition and surrender our right to speak, or we can fight back.

The choice is clear. So what must you do?

• Reject the lie. When you hear criticism of Israel called “antisemitic,” call it out for the smear that it is. Do not let it stand unchallenged in conversations, online, or in the media.
• Defend the dissenters. Support the artists, academics, and activists who are being targeted. Follow them, share their work, and donate to their legal defense funds. They are on the front lines of the battle for free speech.
• Amplify the truth. Share the stories and voices of Palestinians. Educate yourself and others on the difference between the actions of the Israeli state and the Jewish faith. Your voice is a weapon against their censorship. Use it now, before it’s too late.