Political Campaign against the Surveillance of Scholars and Activists
Palestine advocates (scholarly, activists, or otherwise) have a long tradition of being sidelined or being targets of public misinformation campaigns in Germany, Europe, and beyond: this usually happens along tropes of alleged terrorism, Antisemitism, and/or Islamism (or Islamist sexism/ Islamist Antisemitism). Ever since the War on Terror started (2001), the War on Antisemitism - as I call it - intensified, as well. This latter war targets predominantly Palestinians and their supporters as well as an anti-imperialist Left in their attempts to draw attention to the deteriorating situation of Palestinians in under Israeli settler colonialism and beyond.
The cases detailed here are some of the many misinformation campaigns that others or me I have gone through. Many people have been attacked over the past decades. This is not a single story, but a story about the many. However, as legal campaigns go, we are often forced into single-story narratives to defend ourselves "in front of the law". Furthermore, it is also a common tactic to attack us as individuals, single us out, in order to ruin our reputation in public, and to make society distance themselves from us. All that has the broader goal of destroying collective or mass resistance to illegitmate politics of exclusion, settler colonialism, and political violence. Destroying individuals thus destroys movements and popular resistance. It is safe to say that these political campaigns that misrepresent us as Antisemites, Islamists, or Sexists is the work of political and public intimidation to scare people into submission and silence.
On this website, I am trying to give a better overview of what my case - in particular - is about (see below). On the side column, I also highlight the story of others: Some of the many who decided to resist the urge to remain silent and decided to go public with their cases to draw awareness to the "inversion" of democratic and anti-racist principles in Germany and Europe (note: some people - me included - would however argue that these politics of silence and intimidation are in line with a longer and older history of European/Western colonialism and attitudes, teachings, etc. ...).
The cases detailed here are predominantly from the ELSC archive. The ELSC - The European Legal Support Center - defends Palestinian rights advocates in different European countries and is so far the only pan-European legal advocacy organization within its domain. Me as well as many others are more than indebted to their help. The ELSC generally and my crowdfunding campaing are always looking for funding for our legal cases in order to maintain and advance our fight for the defence of democracy and more racial justice between Palestine and Europe. Please consider donating either to individual cases of your choice, or else to the ELSC in general. You can also still sign my Letter of Support, see below.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.
Political Campaign in support of Anna-E. Younes and against the Surveillance of Scholars and Activists
Legal Campaign
Sign the Letter of Support
Support Letter from Academia for Equality
In the Media:
Interview with Dr. Anna-Esther Younes, The Left Berlin, 07/04/2022
The War on Anti-Semitism with Anna-Esther Younes - 99 ZU EINS - Ep. 54
Is Germany paying for the surveillance of Palestinians and their supporters?
German authority says dossier compiled on German-Palestinian smear target was lawful
German-Palestinian academic at centre of smear campaign wins crucial legal victory
The dangers of advocating for Palestine in Germany
PALÄSTINA SOLIDARITÄT IN DEUTSCHLAND: ZENSUR UND REPRESSIONEN HABEN TRADITION
Germany puts artists, academics in its anti-Palestinian crosshairs
Dr. Anna Younes qui a fait face à la surveillance numérique et à la censure, a finalement obtenu justice après deux ans
How German guilt is being used to silence Palestinians
Palestine advocates (scholarly, activists, or otherwise) have a long tradition of being sidelined or being targets of public misinformation campaigns in Germany, Europe, and beyond: this usually happens along tropes of alleged terrorism, Antisemitism, and/or Islamism (or Islamist sexism/ Islamist Antisemitism). Ever since the War on Terror started (2001), the War on Antisemitism - as I call it - intensified, as well. This latter war targets predominantly Palestinians and their supporters as well as an anti-imperialist Left in their attempts to draw attention to the deteriorating situation of Palestinians in under Israeli settler colonialism and beyond.
The cases detailed here are some of the many misinformation campaigns that others or me I have gone through. Many people have been attacked over the past decades. This is not a single story, but a story about the many. However, as legal campaigns go, we are often forced into single-story narratives to defend ourselves "in front of the law". Furthermore, it is also a common tactic to attack us as individuals, single us out, in order to ruin our reputation in public, and to make society distance themselves from us. All that has the broader goal of destroying collective or mass resistance to illegitmate politics of exclusion, settler colonialism, and political violence. Destroying individuals thus destroys movements and popular resistance. It is safe to say that these political campaigns that misrepresent us as Antisemites, Islamists, or Sexists is the work of political and public intimidation to scare people into submission and silence.
On this website, I am trying to give a better overview of what my case - in particular - is about (see below). On the side column, I also highlight the story of others: Some of the many who decided to resist the urge to remain silent and decided to go public with their cases to draw awareness to the "inversion" of democratic and anti-racist principles in Germany and Europe (note: some people - me included - would however argue that these politics of silence and intimidation are in line with a longer and older history of European/Western colonialism and attitudes, teachings, etc. ...).
The cases detailed here are predominantly from the ELSC archive. The ELSC - The European Legal Support Center - defends Palestinian rights advocates in different European countries and is so far the only pan-European legal advocacy organization within its domain. Me as well as many others are more than indebted to their help. The ELSC generally and my crowdfunding campaing are always looking for funding for our legal cases in order to maintain and advance our fight for the defence of democracy and more racial justice between Palestine and Europe. Please consider donating either to individual cases of your choice, or else to the ELSC in general. You can also still sign my Letter of Support, see below.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.
Political Campaign in support of Anna-E. Younes and against the Surveillance of Scholars and Activists
Legal Campaign
Sign the Letter of Support
Support Letter from Academia for Equality
In the Media:
Interview with Dr. Anna-Esther Younes, The Left Berlin, 07/04/2022
The War on Anti-Semitism with Anna-Esther Younes - 99 ZU EINS - Ep. 54
Is Germany paying for the surveillance of Palestinians and their supporters?
German authority says dossier compiled on German-Palestinian smear target was lawful
German-Palestinian academic at centre of smear campaign wins crucial legal victory
The dangers of advocating for Palestine in Germany
PALÄSTINA SOLIDARITÄT IN DEUTSCHLAND: ZENSUR UND REPRESSIONEN HABEN TRADITION
Germany puts artists, academics in its anti-Palestinian crosshairs
Dr. Anna Younes qui a fait face à la surveillance numérique et à la censure, a finalement obtenu justice après deux ans
How German guilt is being used to silence Palestinians
In the Media
Some Cases Germany (since 2019 only, ELSC database)
Disclaimer: there has been a whole range of attacks on people, civilians, and public intellectuals over the past 20 years. Most prominent are cases against, for instance, Judith Butler, Achille Mbembe, or Jasbir Puar - to name just a few.
This is by far not an illustrative list, but rather one of more recent – already prominent cases. Unfortunately, the vast majority of cases is not covered by mainstream media.
The Bundestag 3 have sued the German Parliament against the 2019 BDS resolution – for more pls click here.
Prof Brenna Bhandar (Columbia University, USA), also on Mondoweiss.
Journalist Farah Maraqa in court against Deutsche Welle after the media fired her and 6 other Arab journalists based on allegations of antisemitism:
1. Aljazeera
2. The Left Berlin
3. Middle East Eye
The DW case more broadly:
1. 972mag
2. Novara Media
3. Jewish Currents
Palestinian artists participating in Documenta fifteen exhibition attacked and threatened: attacked
3 pro-Palestine organisations excluded from a cultural festival in Bonn
Other cases of academics censored in Germany.
More academics, activists and artists cencored in Germany. (this one includes the case of M. Al Kurd and the Goethe Institute)
Nakba demo ban and police violence (2022).
Elsewhere in Europe (some selections):
2 women sue Lloyds bank in the UK, ELSC crowdfunding page and AJ+
Shahd Abusalama.
Students investigated in UK universities.
Prof. Somdeep Sen preemptively pushed to endorse IHRA definition and respect antiterrorism law before speaking at a conference in Glasgow university.
Dr Dina Zbeidy censored for not being a neutral chair for a conference organized by Students for Palestine in Leiden University, and other cases in The Netherlands described in this report
Dr Walaa Alqaisiya smeared and disinvited from an art program in Vienna Fine Arts Academy (see more on updates about the case here)
BDS Austria activist sued for a social media post.
Some Cases Germany (since 2019 only, ELSC database)
Disclaimer: there has been a whole range of attacks on people, civilians, and public intellectuals over the past 20 years. Most prominent are cases against, for instance, Judith Butler, Achille Mbembe, or Jasbir Puar - to name just a few.
This is by far not an illustrative list, but rather one of more recent – already prominent cases. Unfortunately, the vast majority of cases is not covered by mainstream media.
The Bundestag 3 have sued the German Parliament against the 2019 BDS resolution – for more pls click here.
Prof Brenna Bhandar (Columbia University, USA), also on Mondoweiss.
Journalist Farah Maraqa in court against Deutsche Welle after the media fired her and 6 other Arab journalists based on allegations of antisemitism:
1. Aljazeera
2. The Left Berlin
3. Middle East Eye
The DW case more broadly:
1. 972mag
2. Novara Media
3. Jewish Currents
Palestinian artists participating in Documenta fifteen exhibition attacked and threatened: attacked
3 pro-Palestine organisations excluded from a cultural festival in Bonn
Other cases of academics censored in Germany.
More academics, activists and artists cencored in Germany. (this one includes the case of M. Al Kurd and the Goethe Institute)
Nakba demo ban and police violence (2022).
Elsewhere in Europe (some selections):
2 women sue Lloyds bank in the UK, ELSC crowdfunding page and AJ+
Shahd Abusalama.
Students investigated in UK universities.
Prof. Somdeep Sen preemptively pushed to endorse IHRA definition and respect antiterrorism law before speaking at a conference in Glasgow university.
Dr Dina Zbeidy censored for not being a neutral chair for a conference organized by Students for Palestine in Leiden University, and other cases in The Netherlands described in this report
Dr Walaa Alqaisiya smeared and disinvited from an art program in Vienna Fine Arts Academy (see more on updates about the case here)
BDS Austria activist sued for a social media post.