1 00:00:51,230 --> 00:00:54,180 Good night and welcome to this episode of Jadal TV. 2 00:00:54,740 --> 00:00:58,760 Today, Monday, 29th of April, 2024. 3 00:00:59,620 --> 00:01:01,760 And day 205. 4 00:01:01,860 --> 00:01:06,280 We have not mistaken of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza. 5 00:01:06,281 --> 00:01:11,520 And I believe it's been about two weeks since the beginning of protests in 6 00:01:11,521 --> 00:01:18,200 American universities, which has been the headline all across the world. 7 00:01:18,540 --> 00:01:23,294 My name is Ali Alisa, and I am basically doing 8 00:01:23,295 --> 00:01:26,680 mainly news coverage in Persian language. 9 00:01:26,681 --> 00:01:30,764 And today is the 7th episode that we have started 10 00:01:30,765 --> 00:01:34,161 alongside that covering the news in English as well. 11 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:41,840 Our main point of view is through West Asia, and we look at the global 12 00:01:41,841 --> 00:01:49,260 international affairs through lens and prism of decolonize West Asia fighting 13 00:01:49,261 --> 00:01:53,060 against imperialism and neoliberalism and no colonialism. 14 00:01:53,061 --> 00:01:57,820 I'm really, really proud to say that we have a special guest today. 15 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:03,380 Momodul Taal, that many of you have seen him already in the news in Al Jazeera and 16 00:02:03,381 --> 00:02:06,900 many other outlets in the last few weeks in the last couple of days. 17 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:15,600 Momodul is a second year PhD researcher at Cornell University, and he's a lecturer in 18 00:02:15,601 --> 00:02:23,500 Cornell, and he's been suspended for his brave activities and for standing for 19 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:25,800 Palestinian people and people in Gaza. 20 00:02:28,020 --> 00:02:31,420 Good afternoon, Momodul, because I believe you are in New York and in East Asia, 21 00:02:31,460 --> 00:02:35,240 much for accepting to talk to me and to my audience. 22 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,720 Good afternoon, and thank you so much for having me. 23 00:02:40,620 --> 00:02:45,880 I believe it's been already a very busy day for you and to some extent a stressful day. 24 00:02:46,100 --> 00:02:48,840 I mean, these days are left and right. 25 00:02:48,841 --> 00:02:53,060 I mean, we are starting to be late, and I have to apologize, but I think you 26 00:02:53,061 --> 00:02:57,600 had to come meeting with your union and with other things. 27 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,111 How much we can talk about that, because at 28 00:03:00,112 --> 00:03:02,140 the moment it's like a legal aspect as well. 29 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:06,120 But before that, if it's possible, just introduce yourself and say what 30 00:03:06,121 --> 00:03:09,640 you're doing in Cornell and what happened in the 31 00:03:09,641 --> 00:03:12,901 last couple of days which led to your suspension. 32 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:15,800 Absolutely. 33 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:19,580 First and foremost, greetings to all the viewers, good afternoon, good night, 34 00:03:19,740 --> 00:03:21,060 wherever you're listening from. 35 00:03:21,860 --> 00:03:25,892 I guess, first and foremost, it is important to, I 36 00:03:25,893 --> 00:03:29,100 guess, give context to what led to my suspension. 37 00:03:31,830 --> 00:03:36,260 In solidarity with First and foremost Gaza, in following the footsteps of those 38 00:03:36,261 --> 00:03:42,440 in Colombia, Cornell University students decided to set up an encampment. 39 00:03:43,490 --> 00:03:48,960 In which we are, we want to engage in a form of civil disobedience that puts 40 00:03:48,961 --> 00:03:53,460 pressure on Cornell's campus, puts pressure on Cornell's administration. 41 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:58,760 In that we have recognized that by Cornell's business partnerships and 42 00:03:58,761 --> 00:04:04,200 academic partnerships, there is a link and a direct complicity between this 43 00:04:04,201 --> 00:04:07,780 institution and the general side of war on Gaza. 44 00:04:09,550 --> 00:04:13,800 So in doing so, we have set up an encampment which is peaceful, non-violent, 45 00:04:14,540 --> 00:04:19,260 and that we are saying declaratively that as students of color, Muslims, 46 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:25,400 Arabs, Palestinians have said we don't longer have faith in this institution. 47 00:04:26,150 --> 00:04:30,340 We no longer believe it is a place in which people of color can feel safe. 48 00:04:31,020 --> 00:04:34,135 And we are taking back the university's ability to 49 00:04:34,136 --> 00:04:36,960 educate and show that we can educate ourselves better. 50 00:04:36,961 --> 00:04:39,880 We can show the other side of the story. 51 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:43,958 And that has been met with forms of repression 52 00:04:43,959 --> 00:04:47,420 and suspension and I myself have been suspended. 53 00:04:49,070 --> 00:04:52,760 So, how many others were suspended in Cornell? 54 00:04:54,740 --> 00:04:58,720 Yeah, so myself and three other of my good friends and comrades. 55 00:04:59,140 --> 00:05:05,040 And we believe that if we were to decipher the certain pattern, what has happened is 56 00:05:06,980 --> 00:05:12,844 a deliberate targeting of people in perhaps precarious 57 00:05:12,845 --> 00:05:16,680 positions, such as visa status, international status. 58 00:05:18,260 --> 00:05:26,260 And secondly, those people who have been who they think and they believe that they 59 00:05:26,261 --> 00:05:30,820 are leaders or organizers, three out of the four people who have been suspended 60 00:05:31,395 --> 00:05:32,760 were negotiators, right? 61 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:36,980 So we were in those spaces negotiating with administration. 62 00:05:38,510 --> 00:05:42,166 So, actually, okay, you already have touched a 63 00:05:42,167 --> 00:05:44,820 lot of topics which I want to talk about that. 64 00:05:45,020 --> 00:05:49,940 So, you talk about precarity in a general sense. 65 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:52,000 And so, let's go one by one. 66 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:57,940 Let's first talk about the precarity in terms of neoliberalism and the fact that 67 00:05:57,941 --> 00:06:02,500 you yourself do not have a contract yet, I believe, as a lecturer. 68 00:06:02,501 --> 00:06:08,640 So, do you think they were picked up on purpose and how does this like economic 69 00:06:09,010 --> 00:06:14,307 precarity and precarity in regard to your labor rights 70 00:06:14,308 --> 00:06:17,861 was effective in choosing you and selecting you? 71 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:21,220 I think that's a very good question. 72 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:26,500 Right now, we have only unionized quite recently, so the union is set to bargain 73 00:06:26,700 --> 00:06:28,500 quite soon in terms of our contract. 74 00:06:28,700 --> 00:06:35,740 But, as I'm sure you're listening as aware, but as a PhD student in neoliberal 75 00:06:35,741 --> 00:06:39,260 universities, you serve a double function, right? 76 00:06:39,860 --> 00:06:43,560 You serve as a student, but you're also a worker. 77 00:06:43,860 --> 00:06:47,860 So, even the ways in which I get paid is at a bi-weekly rate. 78 00:06:48,650 --> 00:06:55,200 I get paid as an employee of the university, I have to file taxes. 79 00:06:57,615 --> 00:07:01,660 So, what has happened, I think, they've targeted people who are precarious 80 00:07:01,661 --> 00:07:05,580 in terms of job status, visa status, and among so many other things. 81 00:07:06,140 --> 00:07:09,409 So, that has been the position so far of the administration, 82 00:07:09,410 --> 00:07:11,581 and that definitely feels targeted and deliberate. 83 00:07:13,450 --> 00:07:20,100 I think, I mean, it's quite, because I was suspended from university back in 2010 in 84 00:07:20,101 --> 00:07:23,460 London, the place that I believe you're from. 85 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:25,980 And that's quite scary. 86 00:07:26,100 --> 00:07:28,660 I mean, that was like the time that my visa was running out. 87 00:07:28,661 --> 00:07:35,700 I believe a week of my visa was left, and I was also active in Iranian politics, 88 00:07:35,701 --> 00:07:39,300 and I was worried that if I get deported, I'll be going to prison in Iran. 89 00:07:39,301 --> 00:07:42,960 So, it's a very, very stressful time, and I have a lot of sympathy with your 90 00:07:42,961 --> 00:07:45,660 situation, and I can guess it's very, very stressful. 91 00:07:46,390 --> 00:07:48,120 So, what will happen? 92 00:07:48,340 --> 00:07:50,760 I mean, how much power do they have, and how 93 00:07:50,761 --> 00:07:53,681 much of it have the exercise on you so far? 94 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,980 Have they threatened you with expulsion, with not renewing your contract, 95 00:07:58,260 --> 00:07:59,260 your scholarship? 96 00:07:59,620 --> 00:08:04,180 Are you on a scholarship and just explain what you may lose? 97 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:07,300 I am on a scholarship. 98 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:13,380 Thus far, they have threatened a suspension, which means that this academic 99 00:08:13,381 --> 00:08:16,980 year spring will not mean anything towards my degree. 100 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:25,920 So, all the work I've done research papers will not mean anything, so it would mean a 101 00:08:25,921 --> 00:08:31,320 repetition of this year, and I'm not sure if they're going to pay me over the summer. 102 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:35,980 But so far, what they have said is for certain, if this suspension is upheld, 103 00:08:36,430 --> 00:08:42,761 that I will not be entitled to have any credits be counted for this spring semester. 104 00:08:44,170 --> 00:08:47,320 So, that's the first thing, but your visa would not be jeopardized? 105 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:49,960 It's unsure. 106 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:54,820 They haven't said anything about the visa, but I'm also in contact with lawyers, 107 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:55,140 right? 108 00:08:55,141 --> 00:09:01,580 Because my visa is contingent on being a student, a four-time student. 109 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:03,800 That's one thing. 110 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:06,220 Let's go back to another form of precarity. 111 00:09:06,900 --> 00:09:13,480 Do you think the racial element here had any role in selecting you? 112 00:09:13,481 --> 00:09:21,220 And I mean, you as a black Muslim male, not being from the US, a foreign citizen, 113 00:09:21,420 --> 00:09:26,420 overseas a student, do you think those elements had any part to play? 114 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,100 I mean, I guess it's difficult to tell, right? 115 00:09:32,260 --> 00:09:37,120 Because I am the only black Muslim man that they targeted, so it's difficult to tell. 116 00:09:37,220 --> 00:09:44,560 But I would not... I would give the history of this administration in terms of 117 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:49,060 even not even the long history, but since October the 7th, the way that 118 00:09:49,061 --> 00:09:52,741 their university has declared and showed its 119 00:09:52,742 --> 00:09:56,201 bias and demonstrated its bias continuously. 120 00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:00,542 So, for example, there has been a sideline of voices 121 00:10:00,543 --> 00:10:04,000 of people of color, specifically Muslim students. 122 00:10:04,001 --> 00:10:08,120 And there has been a privilege of pro -Zionist student voices. 123 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:13,060 So, given that the university has consistently demonstrated its biasness, 124 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:21,720 its racism, its Islamophobia, then I would find it difficult to say that the choices 125 00:10:21,721 --> 00:10:25,700 that they make are not informed by those biases, given the evidence that I have. 126 00:10:27,300 --> 00:10:30,960 Do you see, because I mean, it's not only you in Cornell, I mean, I'm sure as a 127 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:39,760 student activist, you are in contact with other universities as well, do you see a 128 00:10:39,810 --> 00:10:46,280 pattern of a similar pattern between how Cornell management has acted and other 129 00:10:46,281 --> 00:10:49,620 universities such as Colombia, Harvard and other places? 130 00:10:52,635 --> 00:10:56,168 I've been in contact, but again, this movement is pretty much... 131 00:10:56,169 --> 00:10:58,916 it's made up of very different factions, very 132 00:10:58,917 --> 00:11:01,701 different people and a lot of different races. 133 00:11:02,180 --> 00:11:07,900 But I do wonder what the administration's reaction would be if this wasn't a 134 00:11:07,901 --> 00:11:10,560 movement that is spearheaded by people of color. 135 00:11:11,185 --> 00:11:14,914 I mean, this administration and several other 136 00:11:14,915 --> 00:11:19,080 administrations, I do wonder what the approach would be. 137 00:11:21,220 --> 00:11:26,195 So, let's just go back to the way that they have 138 00:11:26,196 --> 00:11:30,700 targeted these demonstrations across the US. 139 00:11:30,701 --> 00:11:33,660 And the main charge was anti-Semitism. 140 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:36,580 What's your take on that? 141 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:43,640 Have you seen any form of anti-Semitism, miniscule or grant in your own campus, 142 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:48,640 in the encampment that you and other people led in the last few weeks? 143 00:11:49,140 --> 00:11:55,260 And do you see this accusation has any reality or... it might be like a different 144 00:11:55,995 --> 00:12:03,820 quantity, but have you seen any form of anti-Semitism in the protest? 145 00:12:06,340 --> 00:12:12,380 I have seen absolutely no anti-Semitism from the pro-Palestinian voices on campus. 146 00:12:13,660 --> 00:12:18,629 I have not seen any form of anti-Semitism in the 147 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:22,710 people I am in contact with from other campuses. 148 00:12:24,285 --> 00:12:31,380 We have made it clear consistently that we condemn anti-Semitism alongside any form 149 00:12:31,381 --> 00:12:34,500 of racism because anti-Semitism is a form of racism. 150 00:12:34,501 --> 00:12:41,901 And our coalition which goes by the acronym CML is the coalition for mutual liberation. 151 00:12:42,275 --> 00:12:46,740 And neutral liberation means that we are deeply invested in anti-racist practices. 152 00:12:47,750 --> 00:12:52,800 What becomes a problem for me is, let's talk about Cornell specifically. 153 00:12:53,850 --> 00:12:57,516 We are being framed as our movement is anti-Semitism 154 00:12:57,517 --> 00:13:00,280 and the pro-Palestinian movement is anti-Semitism. 155 00:13:03,340 --> 00:13:07,698 Two weeks ago, Cornell University paid several 156 00:13:07,699 --> 00:13:12,200 dozens of thousands of dollars to invite and co-ta. 157 00:13:12,790 --> 00:13:18,880 And co-ta is a right-wing, well-known, well-established anti-Semitism, 158 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:20,800 some white supremacists. 159 00:13:21,650 --> 00:13:28,720 So it begs the question, if anti-Semitism is what the school is trying to root out 160 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:32,188 and they clamping down on Palestinian voices, 161 00:13:32,189 --> 00:13:35,760 pro-Palestinian voices on the charge of anti-Semitism? 162 00:13:36,310 --> 00:13:40,780 Why would they bring a speaker who is well -established anti-Semite? 163 00:13:41,340 --> 00:13:47,780 What it suggests to me is there is a weaponization of anti-Semitism to silence 164 00:13:47,930 --> 00:13:50,060 the pro-Palestinian voices. 165 00:13:50,710 --> 00:13:53,520 To repress pro-Palestinian advocacy. 166 00:13:54,380 --> 00:13:55,540 And so it's difficult. 167 00:13:55,780 --> 00:14:00,580 And I feel probably the most important point about anti-Semitism and the charges. 168 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:07,760 I feel it becomes such a shame that Zionism and the project of Israel has 169 00:14:07,910 --> 00:14:11,060 hollowed out the meaning of anti-Semitism. 170 00:14:11,510 --> 00:14:17,120 Because now everything you criticize in state policy is becoming anti-Semitism. 171 00:14:17,870 --> 00:14:21,660 Say a chance from the river to the sea is anti-Semitism. 172 00:14:22,340 --> 00:14:27,148 And say shame that Zionists have come and co-opted 173 00:14:27,248 --> 00:14:31,200 and hollowed out the meaning of anti -Semitism. 174 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:35,680 So unfortunately, that has been what has happened on campus. 175 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:37,360 But back to your direct question, no. 176 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:40,680 I would not tolerate any form of anti -Semitism. 177 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:43,740 And we've been clear consistently that we call it out. 178 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:45,820 If it was to ever come up. 179 00:14:48,220 --> 00:14:50,560 I think your voice is not in sync. 180 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:55,700 So I ask you to disconnect and call again. 181 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,160 Maybe there is some connection with your internet. 182 00:14:59,710 --> 00:15:02,800 But I think... Was it not always in sync? 183 00:15:03,060 --> 00:15:05,660 Or was it... From beginning, yeah, from beginning, apparently. 184 00:15:06,450 --> 00:15:08,440 So I wait for you to call again. 185 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:12,020 And I apologize to you. 186 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:16,000 The audience asked you to like the program. 187 00:15:16,220 --> 00:15:22,360 It allows from the algorithm to get activated and other people to be informed. 188 00:15:22,910 --> 00:15:25,760 I try to ask some of your questions to Momodoo. 189 00:15:26,020 --> 00:15:29,140 So please put a question at the beginning of your comment. 190 00:15:29,500 --> 00:15:30,700 And I will bring them up. 191 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:33,740 And I will mention them to our guests. 192 00:15:34,300 --> 00:15:37,281 Today we're going to talk about different 193 00:15:37,282 --> 00:15:40,740 mechanisms of repression by universities in America. 194 00:15:41,060 --> 00:15:45,220 And the ways that students are trying to resist it. 195 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:52,080 So, if you're with me for a few seconds, we're going to have Momodoo again. 196 00:15:53,150 --> 00:15:54,150 Okay, excellent. 197 00:15:55,220 --> 00:15:57,560 So, hi again. 198 00:15:58,240 --> 00:15:58,820 Hello again. 199 00:15:59,020 --> 00:15:59,380 Is that better? 200 00:16:00,020 --> 00:16:00,760 Oh, it's much better. 201 00:16:00,940 --> 00:16:01,480 Yeah, it's perfect. 202 00:16:01,930 --> 00:16:03,680 I assume it must be in my airports. 203 00:16:04,540 --> 00:16:05,320 All right, that's okay. 204 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:05,680 Perfect. 205 00:16:05,860 --> 00:16:08,760 Now I can see you and we can have a much better conversation. 206 00:16:09,135 --> 00:16:10,180 So, sorry about that. 207 00:16:10,830 --> 00:16:12,280 So, we were talking yesterday. 208 00:16:12,860 --> 00:16:15,060 And I mean, you've been active for a while. 209 00:16:15,980 --> 00:16:19,660 And I mean, I was on the streets of London for Palestine for more or less, 210 00:16:20,580 --> 00:16:21,920 all last 24 years. 211 00:16:22,500 --> 00:16:25,220 And things are going a bit crazy. 212 00:16:25,460 --> 00:16:27,404 I mean, you were... I mean, this whole like 213 00:16:27,405 --> 00:16:30,161 chant from river to the sea being antisemitic. 214 00:16:30,550 --> 00:16:31,640 But it hasn't stopped here. 215 00:16:31,940 --> 00:16:36,560 And you told me another chant has got associated with antisemitism. 216 00:16:36,860 --> 00:16:37,580 What was the one? 217 00:16:37,581 --> 00:16:38,581 Yeah. 218 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:43,720 There is only one solution into further revolution. 219 00:16:44,260 --> 00:16:50,980 I can show you what the vice president of the university, and I quote, said, 220 00:16:52,250 --> 00:16:56,900 the movement on campus at the encampment says that they are not antisemitic. 221 00:16:57,080 --> 00:17:01,020 However, this chant, and I quote, belies that claim. 222 00:17:03,060 --> 00:17:06,032 So, the university has taken a position that that phrase 223 00:17:06,033 --> 00:17:09,260 is unequivocally antisemitic, therefore being hate speech. 224 00:17:10,120 --> 00:17:13,560 But one solution revolution, one solution into further revolution. 225 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:15,800 I mean, how can it be antisemitic? 226 00:17:16,870 --> 00:17:24,220 Well, they're saying that the term one solution is reminence, is reminiscent of 227 00:17:24,570 --> 00:17:29,140 the final solution in Nazi Germany, which I think is absolutely ridiculous, 228 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:37,720 and why I think that is because I refuse any connection of European's, Europe's 229 00:17:37,745 --> 00:17:41,380 crime of antisemitism to be placed on the Palestinian struggle. 230 00:17:43,025 --> 00:17:50,900 It is Europe's crime of antisemitism and not Palestinians that are fought here. 231 00:17:51,300 --> 00:17:56,040 So, I just, a frustrate is frustrating that, and again, let us foreground and 232 00:17:56,190 --> 00:17:59,180 ground ourselves what is actually happening. 233 00:17:59,340 --> 00:18:03,887 We're talking about a genocide upwards of 34,000 234 00:18:03,888 --> 00:18:07,541 people confirm so far, 14,000 of which are children. 235 00:18:08,940 --> 00:18:12,680 Several hundred thousands, if not more displaced, millions displaced, 236 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:14,780 and 100,000 have yet to be discovered. 237 00:18:15,180 --> 00:18:18,120 And we're having to manage our words out of the 238 00:18:18,121 --> 00:18:21,281 fear someone might perceive it as antisemitism. 239 00:18:21,860 --> 00:18:26,000 That is what's happening, and that just points out to the insanity of it all. 240 00:18:28,330 --> 00:18:29,580 So, it's unbelievable. 241 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,080 I mean, it's like... 242 00:18:32,081 --> 00:18:36,320 We will have an interview tomorrow, possibly, if not on Wednesday, 243 00:18:36,460 --> 00:18:40,880 and we talk about this whole police repression in Germany. 244 00:18:41,465 --> 00:18:43,820 And in Germany, it's amazing I was doing the pre-interview. 245 00:18:44,380 --> 00:18:47,513 And in Germany, they believe that antisemitism 246 00:18:47,514 --> 00:18:50,420 in Germany is imported by Muslim immigrants. 247 00:18:52,865 --> 00:18:57,860 Because they cleanse themselves from all forms of their own antisemitism. 248 00:18:58,575 --> 00:19:03,620 So, whatever new form of antisemitism you have is imported, is imported by Syrian, 249 00:19:04,540 --> 00:19:10,860 Arab, Turk, and other forms of refugees in the last couple of years in Germany. 250 00:19:10,861 --> 00:19:15,360 So, okay, let's just take you to other aspects. 251 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:17,820 I want to know, I mean, have you... 252 00:19:18,045 --> 00:19:21,200 Because you are like a student of humanity, and I'm sure I'm asking you as 253 00:19:21,201 --> 00:19:24,940 an analyst, not as a personal... A person with like personal experience. 254 00:19:25,540 --> 00:19:29,820 How do you think they manage to weaponize antisemitism? 255 00:19:30,220 --> 00:19:32,420 Do you think... How do they work on it? 256 00:19:32,540 --> 00:19:36,380 Have you seen patterns in the last couple of years in the United States? 257 00:19:36,381 --> 00:19:39,318 And I'm sure you were part of a British politics when 258 00:19:39,319 --> 00:19:42,880 antisemitism was weaponized against Jeremy Corbin, I mean... 259 00:19:43,030 --> 00:19:44,180 Exactly. 260 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:52,380 The thing is, I think so, as an analyst, what the project of Israel does, 261 00:19:52,860 --> 00:19:57,961 being a Zionist movement, it allows Europe to absolve 262 00:19:58,011 --> 00:20:01,300 itself of Europe's crimes against the Jewish people. 263 00:20:02,100 --> 00:20:08,700 So, it becomes the pinnacle of all things bad. 264 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:10,720 So, antisemitism... 265 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:12,694 So, what we realized is now a hierarchy, and 266 00:20:12,695 --> 00:20:15,321 this is how whiteness operates as well, right? 267 00:20:15,385 --> 00:20:17,320 But there's a hierarchy of oppression. 268 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:21,640 There's a hierarchy of... Oh, sorry. 269 00:20:23,740 --> 00:20:25,140 Did I lose... Ali, can you hear me? 270 00:20:28,780 --> 00:20:30,460 I can't hear you now, sorry. 271 00:20:31,220 --> 00:20:34,300 I gave you the full platform, so you could be the only star right now. 272 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:35,680 Oh, sorry, my intrusion. 273 00:20:36,020 --> 00:20:37,020 Tell me. 274 00:20:38,380 --> 00:20:40,440 No, I was saying that, thank you. 275 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:41,600 Thank you so much. 276 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:46,860 But I was saying that we realized there's a hierarchy and privilege of oppression. 277 00:20:47,660 --> 00:20:49,620 There's a hierarchy of whose feelings matter. 278 00:20:50,220 --> 00:20:52,835 And in doing so, we realized there's a hierarchy 279 00:20:52,836 --> 00:20:55,580 that this is like antisemitism is a form of racism. 280 00:20:56,130 --> 00:21:00,860 But it's a form of racism, like every other form of racism, like several forms 281 00:21:00,861 --> 00:21:03,980 of racism which are all despicable and should all be condemned. 282 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:08,680 However, what has happened with antisemitism claims is that it's used to 283 00:21:08,681 --> 00:21:14,820 shut down discussion, debate, and people can say antisemitism and then it becomes 284 00:21:16,020 --> 00:21:17,020 the conversation stops. 285 00:21:18,530 --> 00:21:23,320 And then, until when people are saying things like these chants are antisemitic, 286 00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:27,140 or when people are saying things like a free Palestine movement is antisemitic, 287 00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:30,040 we're not even allowed to say, OK, so let's talk about this, right? 288 00:21:30,180 --> 00:21:31,180 Let's talk about this. 289 00:21:32,830 --> 00:21:40,580 But that's it, which I think is a shame, because what has happened as a result is 290 00:21:41,105 --> 00:21:46,720 any pro-Palestinian speech, any advocacy for Palestine, is now viewed as 291 00:21:46,721 --> 00:21:52,040 antisemitic, which is a used form of not talking about Palestine. 292 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:59,020 So when we're talking about freedom of speech, we can't just say freedom of 293 00:21:59,021 --> 00:22:03,700 speech in the abstract, we have to say freedom of speech as it pertains to pro 294 00:22:03,850 --> 00:22:05,060 -Palestinian voices. 295 00:22:05,895 --> 00:22:09,161 So, it's not any speech that's being suppressed 296 00:22:09,162 --> 00:22:12,060 and repressed, it is pro -Palestinian speech. 297 00:22:12,460 --> 00:22:16,195 However, the claims, and then you saw in the New York who 298 00:22:16,196 --> 00:22:19,620 say that antisemitism has run a mock on college campuses. 299 00:22:20,300 --> 00:22:24,680 I would like to say where, because what I can tell you about Cornell's campus is we 300 00:22:24,681 --> 00:22:31,080 had in the immediacy of October the 7th, a student called Patrick Die, who was 301 00:22:31,081 --> 00:22:36,480 unfamiliar to anybody, he put some statements online on a kind of forum, 302 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:41,100 Greek rank, in which were antisemitic and calling for violence against Jewish people. 303 00:22:41,650 --> 00:22:44,200 As a result, the school acted decisively. 304 00:22:44,660 --> 00:22:46,820 They had the FBI turned to campus. 305 00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:49,820 We had the government of the state turned to campus. 306 00:22:52,710 --> 00:22:58,131 We had Kamala Harris's husband turn up to campus, Doug, 307 00:22:58,132 --> 00:23:02,400 to reassure the safety of Jewish students rightfully so. 308 00:23:02,401 --> 00:23:04,600 It was a scary time for them. 309 00:23:04,860 --> 00:23:05,860 I'm a sure. 310 00:23:06,940 --> 00:23:12,115 On the same website, we had deaths calling for Muslims, 311 00:23:12,116 --> 00:23:15,500 sexual assault threats at Muslim women who wear hijab. 312 00:23:15,945 --> 00:23:17,640 I have been spat out at campus. 313 00:23:18,060 --> 00:23:22,740 We've had Muslim women have their hijabs ripped off from Cornell students. 314 00:23:22,741 --> 00:23:27,720 Again, it's like when we bring this up, the university has been refusing to engage 315 00:23:27,845 --> 00:23:28,580 with these things. 316 00:23:28,860 --> 00:23:33,449 But I said that the feelings of the safety of pro Zionist 317 00:23:33,450 --> 00:23:38,460 students is paramount and will be protected at all costs. 318 00:23:39,940 --> 00:23:43,180 But we're just saying that this should be spread across the board. 319 00:23:43,700 --> 00:23:46,660 But in now, what unfortunately happens when it comes to antisemitism, 320 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:51,340 everything and anything is now called antisemitic, as a means of silence in our 321 00:23:51,490 --> 00:23:52,490 repressing voices. 322 00:23:54,100 --> 00:23:58,300 So actually, one question which was interesting was, I mean, do you see 323 00:23:58,301 --> 00:24:02,520 actually the police and the state and university have been antisemitic because 324 00:24:02,521 --> 00:24:07,040 they've been targeting a lot of Jewish anti Zionist people as well. 325 00:24:09,870 --> 00:24:11,220 No, but this is the point, right? 326 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:13,080 This is the point. 327 00:24:13,260 --> 00:24:14,260 It's not even... 328 00:24:15,660 --> 00:24:19,700 This is what I have to... I've struggled to understand the claims of antisemitism 329 00:24:20,300 --> 00:24:28,341 because we have so many anti Zionist Jewish comrades and friends in our movement. 330 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:33,480 But they're called... by the Zionist students, token Jews, they're called 331 00:24:33,481 --> 00:24:36,840 sellouts and what... but how is that not antisemitism? 332 00:24:38,740 --> 00:24:42,397 Shouldn't antisemitism, which is a form of 333 00:24:42,398 --> 00:24:46,361 racism, that seeks to homogenize a population? 334 00:24:46,775 --> 00:24:50,920 When you seek to homogenize the Jewish population, I will say, all Jewish people 335 00:24:50,921 --> 00:24:54,281 must be pro Zionist or all Jewish students must be in 336 00:24:54,282 --> 00:24:57,061 defense of Israel, how is that not a form of racism? 337 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:00,820 That's very interesting actually. 338 00:25:00,980 --> 00:25:04,640 That was going to be my next question because... I mean, you are... I'm sure 339 00:25:04,641 --> 00:25:11,620 you've been part of a different form of anti-racism movements and activism as well. 340 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,760 And this is exactly... I mean, how this thing about Palestine brings all 341 00:25:15,761 --> 00:25:20,480 of them together and this very, like, really, 342 00:25:20,481 --> 00:25:23,840 unsmart use of antisemitism as a weapon. 343 00:25:23,841 --> 00:25:26,140 I mean, it would be very easy for people. 344 00:25:26,260 --> 00:25:29,440 I mean, it is for a generation which has gone through Black Lives Matter, 345 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,700 a generation which is reading a lot of anti-colonial, like literature, 346 00:25:34,300 --> 00:25:38,260 a generation which is familiar with the question of racism. 347 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:42,940 How do they... how do they think that this generation fall for it again? 348 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:45,560 I mean, are they falling for it? 349 00:25:45,580 --> 00:25:47,274 I mean, in the campus in that large, do you think any of 350 00:25:47,275 --> 00:25:53,280 the kind of people would buy antisemitism as a weapon? 351 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:59,863 Pro-Zionist students, yes, everyone... again, I don't know how everyone else can. 352 00:25:59,864 --> 00:25:59,880 .. 353 00:25:59,881 --> 00:26:01,483 I don't want to speak for people, but as far 354 00:26:01,484 --> 00:26:03,641 as movement, let's just all give it one more. 355 00:26:04,140 --> 00:26:07,083 So we had a referendum last week and we 356 00:26:07,084 --> 00:26:09,980 presented the undergrad population two things. 357 00:26:10,420 --> 00:26:11,420 Two problems. 358 00:26:12,310 --> 00:26:16,320 Question one, should Cornell call for a permanent ceasefire? 359 00:26:17,290 --> 00:26:20,940 Question two, should Cornell divest from weapons manufacturers? 360 00:26:21,690 --> 00:26:25,110 Nine of which are American defense contracts, weapon 361 00:26:25,210 --> 00:26:28,340 manufacturers, and one of which is an Israeli company. 362 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:33,900 This was the first referendum in more than 25 years, historic referendum, 363 00:26:34,540 --> 00:26:35,680 historic participation. 364 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:38,540 Over 7,000 students participated. 365 00:26:38,820 --> 00:26:43,640 Cornell is a campus of 24, 25,000 people, 7,000 people participated. 366 00:26:44,340 --> 00:26:45,540 The referendum won. 367 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:47,040 We won. 368 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:48,760 Two to one. 369 00:26:49,810 --> 00:26:53,720 5,000 and the other side reconversed, right? 370 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:58,300 The other side who was conversing said that this referendum is antisemitic 371 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:00,600 because it targets Israel and other places. 372 00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:02,840 It makes Jewish students feel unsafe. 373 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:04,560 It's antisemitic. 374 00:27:05,900 --> 00:27:12,300 5,500 students said yes to divestment and yes to a ceasefire. 375 00:27:13,300 --> 00:27:15,622 Does Cornell University administration really 376 00:27:15,623 --> 00:27:18,481 want to say all these people are antisemitic? 377 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:20,140 Does that even hold any weight? 378 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:21,660 Does that even make any sense? 379 00:27:22,180 --> 00:27:23,180 Of course not. 380 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:26,620 Clearly, we can see that Zionism has nothing to do with Judaism. 381 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,580 Zionism is a colonial settler colonial project. 382 00:27:31,220 --> 00:27:33,300 Israel is a settler colony. 383 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:37,460 And again, as you rightly said, it's like what do people with now you 384 00:27:37,685 --> 00:27:42,880 understand why the right wing is so having a heart attack about decolonial studies 385 00:27:42,881 --> 00:27:47,580 and critical race theories and reading fun on and all these other thinkers because 386 00:27:48,180 --> 00:27:52,380 this is a generation in which fun on is becoming a house is more increasingly 387 00:27:52,381 --> 00:27:56,380 becoming a household name for so many people on their critical journey. 388 00:27:56,930 --> 00:28:00,460 Ratchet of the earth is like a staple in so many young people's lives. 389 00:28:01,390 --> 00:28:02,390 What did they expect? 390 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:04,940 They see this as a settler colony. 391 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:06,320 They see this as colonialism. 392 00:28:06,580 --> 00:28:07,580 People are reading. 393 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:11,300 People have... why is it that the lawmakers of this 394 00:28:11,301 --> 00:28:13,900 country are now calling for the banning of TikTok? 395 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:20,700 Hey, Jonathan will say green black explicitly said in recording that they're 396 00:28:20,701 --> 00:28:25,040 losing the battle because Israel relies on propaganda. 397 00:28:25,590 --> 00:28:29,140 Hasbara has been historically strong in propaganda. 398 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:31,740 And this is why Zionism is in crisis. 399 00:28:32,220 --> 00:28:35,046 And this is why Israel is in crisis because majority 400 00:28:35,047 --> 00:28:37,480 of young American Jews don't even support Israel. 401 00:28:37,481 --> 00:28:39,580 All right. 402 00:28:40,570 --> 00:28:42,579 It's getting very interesting as you have a lot 403 00:28:42,580 --> 00:28:45,061 of questions just coming up and boiling my head. 404 00:28:45,650 --> 00:28:50,540 But first of all, you don't have a meeting after this. 405 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:52,960 So we have a bit of half an overtime to go. 406 00:28:54,660 --> 00:28:55,100 Yes. 407 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:55,840 Okay. 408 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:57,956 Still, I mean, you are a bit out of sync and it 409 00:28:57,957 --> 00:29:00,541 might be because of your internet connection. 410 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:01,800 Do you think we can use Skype? 411 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:03,080 Do you have a Skype? 412 00:29:04,660 --> 00:29:05,120 Yeah. 413 00:29:05,300 --> 00:29:06,840 Oh, let me download it. 414 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:07,880 I can download it. 415 00:29:08,260 --> 00:29:09,860 It's going to take a while, I think, now. 416 00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:13,261 So... Yeah. 417 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:14,860 Am I still out of sync now? 418 00:29:17,630 --> 00:29:20,493 You can change your connection or go to a 419 00:29:20,494 --> 00:29:23,120 different wifi or different for you or something. 420 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:24,680 Let me. 421 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:31,188 We usually like double check before, but I mean, momo 422 00:29:31,189 --> 00:29:35,600 do was writing the middle of encampment and others. 423 00:29:38,380 --> 00:29:40,240 Let me... Let me restart. 424 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:41,640 Let me restart it. 425 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:43,160 Okay. 426 00:29:43,161 --> 00:29:43,600 Yeah. 427 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:45,440 I can ask the audience as well. 428 00:29:45,940 --> 00:29:50,081 If it does bother them or not, because we're going to use the clips as well later. 429 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:56,041 So, if people just keep in the comments, what is... Let me know in the comments. 430 00:29:56,540 --> 00:29:57,540 Let me start. 431 00:29:58,420 --> 00:29:58,420 Okay. 432 00:29:59,180 --> 00:29:59,300 Okay. 433 00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:00,920 We're going to wait for momo do. 434 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:07,482 And meanwhile, I'm going to introduce the programs 435 00:30:07,483 --> 00:30:11,041 we had recently and made a comment on this. 436 00:30:11,660 --> 00:30:16,700 So, we had six episodes so far, and I would be... 437 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:23,520 One of them, the previous one was with one of the activists in front of Israeli 438 00:30:23,521 --> 00:30:28,600 Embassy in Washington, which I recommend you to go and watch. 439 00:30:28,820 --> 00:30:32,180 The previous one was with Alem McLeod from Mintpress. 440 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:34,300 Okay. 441 00:30:34,540 --> 00:30:35,540 Let's see. 442 00:30:37,900 --> 00:30:40,260 And I'm very proud to say next week we're 443 00:30:40,261 --> 00:30:43,501 going to have an interview with Max Blumenthal. 444 00:30:43,900 --> 00:30:45,720 And so, okay. 445 00:30:46,550 --> 00:30:50,620 Let me just bring momo to up and we continue. 446 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:51,800 Here we go. 447 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:52,920 Okay. 448 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:54,480 I hope that is okay. 449 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:56,160 How is that now? 450 00:30:56,500 --> 00:30:57,300 It's much better, yeah. 451 00:30:57,400 --> 00:30:58,520 It's over the start as well. 452 00:30:59,300 --> 00:31:00,300 I don't know why. 453 00:31:00,820 --> 00:31:01,360 So, okay. 454 00:31:01,660 --> 00:31:04,620 I think this is very, very interesting, because... 455 00:31:04,970 --> 00:31:09,720 So, has it been any attempt, or maybe I'm getting old and it shows my age? 456 00:31:10,045 --> 00:31:15,421 Has it been any attempt to connect you with Islamic fundamentalism, with terrorism? 457 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:23,680 Because in 2000, 2001, 2003, in the war on terror, if there was proper radical or 458 00:31:23,681 --> 00:31:30,320 meaningful form of resistance against imperialistic wars of the UK and America 459 00:31:30,321 --> 00:31:34,760 in Afghanistan or Iraq or trying to continue their wars in Middle East, 460 00:31:35,010 --> 00:31:41,120 one of the things that we try was like to connect you to Islamic organization and to 461 00:31:41,121 --> 00:31:45,580 use that label in the last few weeks here in American campuses. 462 00:31:45,820 --> 00:31:48,960 Has it been... because a lot of the students have been Muslim, even though 463 00:31:49,310 --> 00:31:51,380 Jewish students have been around... A.C. 464 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:56,860 students have been around Christian, it's very interface and it's multi -faceted. 465 00:31:57,160 --> 00:32:02,861 But has it been any try of using the reminiscent of the language of war on terror? 466 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:04,200 Absolutely. 467 00:32:04,580 --> 00:32:08,600 I mean, not directly from Cornell's administration, but we've heard from law 468 00:32:08,601 --> 00:32:11,850 enforcement law makers in Congress how many times 469 00:32:11,851 --> 00:32:15,480 we've heard that these are pro -Hamas rallies, right? 470 00:32:16,140 --> 00:32:19,660 That, you know, some kind of foreign aid, we've heard people say, China, 471 00:32:20,100 --> 00:32:25,580 we've heard this pro-Hamas rallies or pro -Hamas as designers say. 472 00:32:27,010 --> 00:32:30,740 We've had two weeks ago a Jewish unity rally, which was a Zionist rally, 473 00:32:30,860 --> 00:32:36,160 say that this is a pro-Hamas people on campus and Hamas has taken over and we've 474 00:32:36,161 --> 00:32:38,440 had faculty say things like these are terrorists. 475 00:32:39,060 --> 00:32:41,200 So yeah, the language is still there. 476 00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:45,440 China, how can China be connected to Hamas? 477 00:32:47,370 --> 00:32:48,400 I wish I could have that. 478 00:32:48,460 --> 00:32:54,320 I don't have the answer, but, you know, typically people will never ascribe agency 479 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:57,320 to people of color when they rise up. 480 00:32:57,500 --> 00:32:59,120 This is a colonial tactic. 481 00:32:59,690 --> 00:33:00,940 Think of Cold War rhetoric. 482 00:33:01,525 --> 00:33:06,460 It's always some foreign entity that has got into their minds and brainwashed the 483 00:33:06,461 --> 00:33:10,500 colonized people who are actively resisting their oppression. 484 00:33:11,020 --> 00:33:12,020 It's the same thing. 485 00:33:13,420 --> 00:33:18,060 So, you're like working with a lot of young, you're from London, aren't you? 486 00:33:18,820 --> 00:33:19,820 Yeah. 487 00:33:20,050 --> 00:33:26,260 But you are working with a lot of American students and you're like PhD, you're 488 00:33:26,261 --> 00:33:29,740 slightly older than them, I think, you're around 30 and these are students, 489 00:33:29,741 --> 00:33:32,020 some of them are very young, 18, 19, 20. 490 00:33:33,820 --> 00:33:37,720 Are there any of them coming out of like Black Lives Matter or what's the 491 00:33:37,721 --> 00:33:41,680 relationship with the recent racial awakening in England? 492 00:33:41,681 --> 00:33:43,300 In the United States and across Europe? 493 00:33:44,650 --> 00:33:47,340 Yeah, a lot of them have lived through Black Lives Matter. 494 00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:49,420 A lot of them were in the pandemic, right? 495 00:33:49,580 --> 00:33:54,200 They were at home, they had time to read, decolonization has become a thing, 496 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:59,660 defund, the police has become rhetoric, abolition has become the rhetoric. 497 00:33:59,661 --> 00:34:04,020 We had Bernie Sanders campaign and whilst we can critique so many things and 498 00:34:04,021 --> 00:34:08,960 rightfully so and actually condemn Bernie Sanders for, what we can say is that this 499 00:34:09,110 --> 00:34:10,740 aspect of what is socialism. 500 00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:13,900 People are thinking of social, a social democrat. 501 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:19,420 All these questions and all these young people are growing up in a milieu that has 502 00:34:19,421 --> 00:34:23,760 that this rhetoric and this language is becoming commonplace. 503 00:34:25,140 --> 00:34:29,260 The young people in general consider themselves a leftist, right? 504 00:34:29,580 --> 00:34:32,896 Wherever by different persuasions, anarchism, Marxism, 505 00:34:32,897 --> 00:34:35,260 they no longer believe in what they've been told. 506 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:39,580 And I think at the fundamental level, they have the material conditions have 507 00:34:39,730 --> 00:34:42,560 proven that capitalism is a failure. 508 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:46,600 Capitalism has been a lie and a lot of young people are understanding that. 509 00:34:53,940 --> 00:34:55,440 Sorry Ali, I can't hear you at the moment. 510 00:34:55,441 --> 00:34:58,760 Sorry, I turn off the thing for the ambient noise. 511 00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:03,340 But so actually, I was going to ask you about this whole question of capitalism 512 00:35:03,341 --> 00:35:09,080 and how far, how much deeper, how much more radical this movement you think it will go. 513 00:35:09,530 --> 00:35:14,100 But before that, I want to bring some of the accusations against this movement and 514 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:15,400 not accusation. 515 00:35:15,870 --> 00:35:21,080 But Wall Street Journal, if I can just quickly grab the thing and show the thing 516 00:35:21,081 --> 00:35:23,560 to the audience, you might have seen it yourself. 517 00:35:23,561 --> 00:35:29,740 Wall Street Journal, in order to diminish and belittle the movement, said the 518 00:35:29,741 --> 00:35:35,500 entered college in isolation and live in protest, the class that missed out on fun. 519 00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:40,920 I don't know whether it was discussed among your friends or not, among your comrades. 520 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:46,920 But Wall Street, I mean, his analysis was because of pandemic, because they didn't 521 00:35:46,921 --> 00:35:51,641 have much normal student demos, that's what they're discussing or happening. 522 00:35:55,900 --> 00:35:57,860 What your answer would be to that? 523 00:36:00,460 --> 00:36:03,820 I just have to laugh, because I've also read another statement. 524 00:36:05,180 --> 00:36:09,860 I think it was New Yorker, the New York Post, the New Yorker, I don't ever read 525 00:36:09,861 --> 00:36:13,324 that paper, that said that students are not having 526 00:36:13,325 --> 00:36:15,981 enough sex, so therefore they're becoming pro-Palestine. 527 00:36:17,220 --> 00:36:19,200 That has been the rhetoric I've heard. 528 00:36:19,780 --> 00:36:26,120 Because again, once again, a refusal to... it's just a red herring, it's a 529 00:36:26,121 --> 00:36:30,600 distraction, it obfuscates, but fundamentally, it's a refusal to recognize 530 00:36:30,601 --> 00:36:34,500 the intelligence and the moral capacity of young people. 531 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:35,840 That's why it is. 532 00:36:35,940 --> 00:36:41,120 It's straight up the refusal to recognize the moral capacity of young people who 533 00:36:41,121 --> 00:36:43,647 have found an issue that they feel so strongly 534 00:36:43,648 --> 00:36:45,760 about, that they are willing to be arrested. 535 00:36:46,210 --> 00:36:47,531 They are willing to be suspended. 536 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:51,560 They are willing to bear the consequences of being the right side of history, 537 00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:57,180 which isn't that strange, because we have examples of the Vietnam War. 538 00:36:57,580 --> 00:36:59,920 We have examples of the anti-apartheid movement. 539 00:37:00,580 --> 00:37:04,460 And we have examples of the Black Spring VLM. 540 00:37:05,020 --> 00:37:09,640 So once again, it's a shame that this is the rhetoric, and it's a shame that anyone 541 00:37:09,641 --> 00:37:12,704 even takes it seriously, because one of the things 542 00:37:12,705 --> 00:37:15,041 I have is quite telling, I'll be honest with you. 543 00:37:15,185 --> 00:37:19,570 I've done a lot of press from October the 7th, 544 00:37:19,571 --> 00:37:23,401 but most particularly since my suspension. 545 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:28,420 And journalists will say that, oh, there's somehow a bit shocked, 546 00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:32,860 especially right wing journalists, are a bit shocked at how measured they 547 00:37:32,861 --> 00:37:37,460 say, quote, measured I am, or how calm and collected I am. 548 00:37:38,255 --> 00:37:40,180 And again, it's just quite telling, right? 549 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:43,140 Because what would lead you to have an assumption otherwise? 550 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:51,800 So actually, you took us to, probably you said, these students find something that 551 00:37:51,801 --> 00:37:56,820 they are on the right side of history and think, actually, one question would be 552 00:37:57,020 --> 00:37:58,020 like, why so late? 553 00:37:58,580 --> 00:38:01,060 Why waiting 190 days, if anything? 554 00:38:01,860 --> 00:38:07,000 And the answer is, because you can tell us, my question is, at the beginning, 555 00:38:07,001 --> 00:38:12,360 back in October, they use a lot of tactics, and many of them were hidden. 556 00:38:12,980 --> 00:38:20,980 And they were covered, covered tactics of intimidation, and threats of expulsion, 557 00:38:21,495 --> 00:38:23,300 and not renewing many countries. 558 00:38:23,580 --> 00:38:28,260 So, can you tell us why this thing is erupted so late, actually, because a 559 00:38:28,261 --> 00:38:33,920 genocide, even what was named, a genocide by ICJ, and many, like, 560 00:38:34,120 --> 00:38:38,100 counter mainstream organizations, about two months ago. 561 00:38:38,101 --> 00:38:43,780 And a student who should be the front line, the avant-garde, and the vanguard of 562 00:38:43,781 --> 00:38:46,500 the movement have come out quite late, why? 563 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:49,201 No, thank you for that question. 564 00:38:49,240 --> 00:38:54,209 I would say, on campus, we have been trying to 565 00:38:54,210 --> 00:38:58,241 escalate, but as we had a phrase on campus, right? 566 00:38:58,805 --> 00:39:03,180 Like, any escalation must come with education, right? 567 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:08,881 So, yes, people are seeing the horrific images, yes, people are seeing the genocide. 568 00:39:09,550 --> 00:39:12,660 At the same time, and I think this is, again, this can be a critique, 569 00:39:12,900 --> 00:39:16,860 a valid critique, at the same time, in short that we can pull off what we are 570 00:39:16,985 --> 00:39:19,760 pulling off, we need the bodies, we need the numbers. 571 00:39:20,205 --> 00:39:23,240 And that can only come from an informed student population. 572 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:27,380 And whilst, yes, people are seeing the images, we have to keep constantly... 573 00:39:27,381 --> 00:39:30,000 We had teachings non-stop. 574 00:39:30,720 --> 00:39:35,720 I served on a teaching, several teachings about Israel and Congo to show the 575 00:39:35,721 --> 00:39:40,650 intersections, Israel's telecolonialism, you know, is what is Zionism constantly. 576 00:39:41,220 --> 00:39:45,505 So, we had to keep informing the student population 577 00:39:45,506 --> 00:39:48,160 to pull off an escalation of this magnitude. 578 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:49,630 But again, that's just one escalation. 579 00:39:49,631 --> 00:39:53,973 About a month ago, 24 students on Cornell's campus 580 00:39:53,974 --> 00:39:57,270 were arrested for an occupation of a building. 581 00:39:57,710 --> 00:40:00,050 In December, we occupied another building. 582 00:40:00,590 --> 00:40:00,650 Right? 583 00:40:01,090 --> 00:40:05,590 People might not have heard these things on the outside, but there were escalations. 584 00:40:05,930 --> 00:40:13,930 And I think fundamentally, we have to do, in our localities, what is feasible for us 585 00:40:13,931 --> 00:40:16,210 to do, and what will have the most meaningful impact. 586 00:40:16,410 --> 00:40:20,763 So now, we are obviously glad that Colombia did what they 587 00:40:20,764 --> 00:40:24,910 did, and so many followed still afterwards, which is... 588 00:40:24,911 --> 00:40:27,310 But I agree, I think that's a critique of the movement. 589 00:40:28,090 --> 00:40:30,770 But I just think from... I can only speak... I can't speak again. 590 00:40:31,050 --> 00:40:34,250 We're speaking about a nationwide campus protest. 591 00:40:34,625 --> 00:40:39,050 I could only speak about the issues at Cornell, and what we did and why we did it. 592 00:40:39,725 --> 00:40:44,830 So, basically, you say, at least in Cornell, the movement has been alive from 593 00:40:44,831 --> 00:40:51,310 day one after 7th of October, and only after Colombia, it became newsworthy. 594 00:40:51,750 --> 00:40:54,050 And somehow, by the way, they started covering it. 595 00:40:55,730 --> 00:40:57,750 So, we had a few press. 596 00:40:58,030 --> 00:41:02,117 I had been interviewed in October, about CNN, 597 00:41:02,118 --> 00:41:04,891 NBC, and several other mainstream outlets. 598 00:41:05,650 --> 00:41:11,470 But in terms of press coverage, nationally, internationally, it died down. 599 00:41:13,060 --> 00:41:14,470 It did die down. 600 00:41:15,420 --> 00:41:18,470 But in terms of where we're at... 601 00:41:18,471 --> 00:41:20,566 Now, obviously, it's picked back up in terms of the press. 602 00:41:20,590 --> 00:41:21,270 Am I still in sync? 603 00:41:21,570 --> 00:41:21,990 Am I okay? 604 00:41:21,991 --> 00:41:22,890 Yeah, yeah, perfect. 605 00:41:22,990 --> 00:41:23,990 They're gone. 606 00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:26,041 Yeah, that's what I was going to say. 607 00:41:26,460 --> 00:41:28,686 So, we've still been carrying on, but it has 608 00:41:28,687 --> 00:41:31,310 definitely taken the national nationwide thing. 609 00:41:31,710 --> 00:41:37,170 And to be fair, whilst I agree the steps could have... 610 00:41:37,171 --> 00:41:40,390 Like, it could have became a national... I mean, to be fair, to be fair. 611 00:41:40,975 --> 00:41:42,216 I think it has been nationwide. 612 00:41:42,670 --> 00:41:44,270 It just hasn't been reported nationwide. 613 00:41:44,450 --> 00:41:49,491 Maybe because the actions have not been coordinated, and they've not been the same. 614 00:41:49,570 --> 00:41:52,460 But at the same time, what's unfortunate about it now, 615 00:41:52,461 --> 00:41:55,170 is that we are taking away from talking about Palestine. 616 00:41:55,750 --> 00:41:59,016 So now, the nationwide news is talking about the 617 00:41:59,017 --> 00:42:02,590 encampments and not the discovery of mass graves in Gaza. 618 00:42:03,790 --> 00:42:09,950 Now, the mainstream press are talking about students and encampments, 619 00:42:10,425 --> 00:42:14,430 and not about the attack on Rafa recently. 620 00:42:14,431 --> 00:42:17,710 So, yeah, so that's my point. 621 00:42:18,350 --> 00:42:20,910 Unfortunately, that has been the talking point in many ways. 622 00:42:21,450 --> 00:42:22,546 And I don't think it should be. 623 00:42:22,570 --> 00:42:24,730 Students should not add the forefront of this movement. 624 00:42:25,070 --> 00:42:26,070 Palestinian resistance. 625 00:42:27,445 --> 00:42:31,410 So actually, that's a very nice point that you kind of touched. 626 00:42:31,830 --> 00:42:38,270 Because I had this discussion with a comrade that saying that we do narrate 627 00:42:38,271 --> 00:42:44,130 things from the point of view of global north, from the white man, whatever. 628 00:42:44,131 --> 00:42:51,830 And even 68, our memory of 68 is memory of students, memory of Vanessa Redgrave 629 00:42:51,831 --> 00:42:57,610 students, the radicals in New York, in London, even like Tariq Ali. 630 00:42:58,050 --> 00:43:02,310 Whereas, it should be the story of Vietcongs pushing the imperialist back. 631 00:43:02,750 --> 00:43:09,030 It should be the history of 4 million Vietnamese killed unjustly by B-52. 632 00:43:09,350 --> 00:43:10,010 And I say it's fine. 633 00:43:10,130 --> 00:43:14,070 But at the same time, we shouldn't put these students in an opposition. 634 00:43:14,071 --> 00:43:14,550 To Gaza. 635 00:43:14,830 --> 00:43:17,770 Because I mean, they're helping Gaza to be heard. 636 00:43:17,930 --> 00:43:19,970 And I think two things confirm what I said. 637 00:43:20,370 --> 00:43:25,182 One, the statement by Columbia University was so conscious 638 00:43:25,183 --> 00:43:28,510 that we don't want to draw attention to ourselves. 639 00:43:28,990 --> 00:43:31,670 We want the attention to stay on Palestine. 640 00:43:32,070 --> 00:43:39,990 And second thing was this beautiful images emerging from Gaza by Palestinians. 641 00:43:39,991 --> 00:43:42,630 Thank you very much Columbia University students. 642 00:43:43,525 --> 00:43:47,613 So, I think that was like more harmony rather than one 643 00:43:47,614 --> 00:43:50,490 trying to get the pull attention away from the other one. 644 00:43:50,610 --> 00:43:51,610 What do you think? 645 00:43:51,970 --> 00:43:52,970 No, no, I agree. 646 00:43:53,210 --> 00:43:57,190 And I think I've been contacted personally from people from Palestine who are afraid 647 00:43:57,191 --> 00:44:01,390 about my suspension and said, we hope a lot of mutual suspension and we are with you. 648 00:44:01,670 --> 00:44:02,670 And we thank you so much. 649 00:44:03,050 --> 00:44:07,410 And whilst I brought me to tears at the time, I'm just... 650 00:44:07,411 --> 00:44:08,531 So, they're not in conflict. 651 00:44:09,250 --> 00:44:12,570 And we... But we did not take the movement. 652 00:44:12,850 --> 00:44:17,430 For me, I say I take my cue and mandate from the dozens in Palestinians. 653 00:44:17,970 --> 00:44:18,970 We sent to those voices. 654 00:44:19,170 --> 00:44:24,011 And I just... I'm just very mindful knowing how movements can become cooperative. 655 00:44:24,290 --> 00:44:27,430 Knowing how movements can narratives can be changed. 656 00:44:28,110 --> 00:44:28,110 Right? 657 00:44:28,890 --> 00:44:32,130 You mentioned BLM several times in this conversation. 658 00:44:32,730 --> 00:44:37,285 We saw what movements under capitalism, under 659 00:44:37,286 --> 00:44:41,230 neoliberalism can... how they can be co -opted. 660 00:44:41,510 --> 00:44:42,510 We witnessed that. 661 00:44:42,830 --> 00:44:47,710 We witnessed one of the biggest uprisings of a generation become funneled into DEI 662 00:44:47,860 --> 00:44:50,550 practices and funneled into neoliberalism. 663 00:44:50,910 --> 00:44:52,210 So, given that is the case. 664 00:44:52,410 --> 00:44:55,562 And given that we've all witnessed that, we are very careful 665 00:44:55,563 --> 00:44:58,530 of how movements can be co-opted and narratives can be shifted. 666 00:44:58,955 --> 00:45:01,655 So, for example, when we're speaking about a lot of the 667 00:45:01,656 --> 00:45:04,930 mainstream media has talking about freedom of speech. 668 00:45:05,480 --> 00:45:12,950 My response is freedom of speech should be constantly rooted back to... 669 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:15,030 It's not freedom of speech in the abstract. 670 00:45:15,535 --> 00:45:18,010 It's freedom of pro-Palestinian speech. 671 00:45:18,250 --> 00:45:18,330 Right? 672 00:45:18,810 --> 00:45:20,570 And so, again, I'm not making the opposition. 673 00:45:20,870 --> 00:45:24,148 I'm just saying that loudly and clearly, 674 00:45:24,149 --> 00:45:27,190 that for me, the movement is about Palestine. 675 00:45:27,470 --> 00:45:30,950 And anything that happens just needs to be constantly rooted back to Palestine. 676 00:45:32,310 --> 00:45:32,850 Excellent. 677 00:45:33,130 --> 00:45:34,390 Okay, it's very, very, very interesting. 678 00:45:34,391 --> 00:45:38,070 So, I'm very happy that you said that because we're going to go towards the end 679 00:45:38,270 --> 00:45:41,830 to the question that we had from beginning 68. 680 00:45:42,080 --> 00:45:46,170 From New York Times to Washington Post, they are all like equine 68. 681 00:45:46,510 --> 00:45:48,610 This is a new 68, the student 68. 682 00:45:49,130 --> 00:45:57,010 First of all, is this consciousness of... is this like connection to 68 present in 683 00:45:57,011 --> 00:46:00,510 the collective consciousness of the students in the protest? 684 00:46:01,910 --> 00:46:02,910 Absolutely. 685 00:46:03,190 --> 00:46:04,190 And it's very telling. 686 00:46:04,640 --> 00:46:08,950 It's very telling that the students are invoking 68. 687 00:46:09,125 --> 00:46:10,530 That is deliberate. 688 00:46:11,370 --> 00:46:20,350 Because 68 was when the Viet Cong, a resistance movement, overcame imperialism. 689 00:46:21,090 --> 00:46:21,090 Right? 690 00:46:21,990 --> 00:46:23,550 And we're not... yes, we are... 691 00:46:23,551 --> 00:46:26,990 We're as remnants of anti-apartheid struggle, but for all intents and 692 00:46:26,991 --> 00:46:31,230 purposes, anti-apartheid did not uproot the colonial equation. 693 00:46:31,830 --> 00:46:36,190 Whilst you had a national black bourgeoisie emerge, whilst you had some 694 00:46:36,191 --> 00:46:38,818 set, let's leave some set, let's remain, the 695 00:46:38,819 --> 00:46:41,971 economics of apartheid remained in South Africa. 696 00:46:42,110 --> 00:46:45,843 So, the invocation of 1968 is a deliberate invocation we're 697 00:46:45,844 --> 00:46:48,770 saying this was a resistance against imperialism that won. 698 00:46:49,430 --> 00:46:51,270 And that's why we're invoking that memory more. 699 00:46:52,390 --> 00:46:53,390 OK, all right. 700 00:46:54,230 --> 00:46:58,570 So, and then at this stage, I mean, so you think 68 would not be enough, 701 00:46:59,050 --> 00:47:01,650 but the question is even so far. 702 00:47:01,770 --> 00:47:05,650 I mean, this movement is capable of becoming as big as 68. 703 00:47:06,290 --> 00:47:10,430 So before going to the limitation of 68, let's just see the limitation of this one. 704 00:47:10,490 --> 00:47:17,150 Do you think that the material conditions are enough to allow this movement to grow 705 00:47:17,151 --> 00:47:22,330 nationwide and also globally to other European countries, to become as 68 first? 706 00:47:24,370 --> 00:47:25,370 No, absolutely. 707 00:47:25,430 --> 00:47:28,265 I'm not diminishing 68, so I'm saying us invoking 708 00:47:28,266 --> 00:47:31,031 68 would want to invoke that legacy more. 709 00:47:31,910 --> 00:47:35,430 And I think where things are going now, it does not seem like it's slowing down. 710 00:47:35,990 --> 00:47:39,030 And we already know the dialectic, right? 711 00:47:39,150 --> 00:47:45,710 We spoke before yesterday about Hegel briefly, the meaning that when you have 712 00:47:45,711 --> 00:47:47,910 repression, you're going to produce resistance. 713 00:47:48,635 --> 00:47:53,079 And the images in which we have seen faculty, students, 714 00:47:53,129 --> 00:47:58,330 staff, pummel to the ground, arrested, brutalized by police. 715 00:47:58,810 --> 00:47:59,810 This isn't going away. 716 00:48:00,470 --> 00:48:01,470 This isn't going away. 717 00:48:01,810 --> 00:48:04,650 It's a watershed moment and I don't think history will ever be the same. 718 00:48:05,340 --> 00:48:10,430 And if the other side gets more clever and like, I don't know, calibrate the police 719 00:48:10,431 --> 00:48:13,071 repression and also because, I mean, there 720 00:48:13,072 --> 00:48:15,270 are mechanisms, technologies of repression. 721 00:48:15,271 --> 00:48:20,994 So far, I've been a bit careless, ruthless and brutal, 722 00:48:20,995 --> 00:48:24,510 so you don't think there are capable of containing it. 723 00:48:26,210 --> 00:48:27,210 No. 724 00:48:28,490 --> 00:48:32,930 Again, I mean, again, this is not to say that they don't have the mean technology 725 00:48:32,931 --> 00:48:36,970 of being violent and oppressed, and of course they do. 726 00:48:38,010 --> 00:48:42,428 But again, the way the equation is set up, the 727 00:48:42,429 --> 00:48:47,011 more you repress, the more you produce resistance. 728 00:48:50,090 --> 00:48:54,970 So now, we're going to have a line and we're going to continue with that line. 729 00:48:55,480 --> 00:48:57,650 How the other side responds is up to them. 730 00:48:58,140 --> 00:49:02,430 But I can assure you if you continue to repress, then of course, we're going to 731 00:49:03,180 --> 00:49:04,650 resist. 732 00:49:04,651 --> 00:49:07,310 And the resistance will continue to grow. 733 00:49:07,910 --> 00:49:09,050 And it is growing. 734 00:49:09,990 --> 00:49:13,150 Why do you think they use such a level of violence? 735 00:49:13,990 --> 00:49:15,030 I mean, was it necessary? 736 00:49:15,270 --> 00:49:19,750 I mean, where you like the movement was so strong they wouldn't be broken away? 737 00:49:20,130 --> 00:49:25,770 Wasn't it any other ways and other means of crushing you down or dispersing you 738 00:49:25,771 --> 00:49:30,459 through softer means of intimidation, like, I don't 739 00:49:30,460 --> 00:49:33,710 know, threats, cutting of the funding and other things. 740 00:49:34,085 --> 00:49:38,630 Why this state, why the police went all the way? 741 00:49:38,910 --> 00:49:43,670 I mean, to be fair, has been, they haven't violently repressed us. 742 00:49:43,790 --> 00:49:47,830 But what I've seen from other places and talking to other students is very clear, 743 00:49:48,030 --> 00:49:49,030 two couple things. 744 00:49:49,650 --> 00:49:51,810 They're afraid of it growing, right? 745 00:49:52,330 --> 00:49:55,950 If you crack down, hopefully you produce enough fear and people not to get involved. 746 00:49:56,300 --> 00:49:57,870 That's one of the equations they're making. 747 00:49:57,871 --> 00:50:00,690 Also, this is a, Israel is in crisis. 748 00:50:01,210 --> 00:50:02,350 Zionism is in crisis. 749 00:50:02,570 --> 00:50:05,816 This is the probably, in my understanding, the 750 00:50:05,817 --> 00:50:08,871 weakest Zionism has ever been ideologically. 751 00:50:08,950 --> 00:50:11,050 It doesn't have the same hold on people anymore. 752 00:50:11,470 --> 00:50:15,490 So, you have to crush it down in such a way that to hopefully extinguish it. 753 00:50:15,890 --> 00:50:20,890 So, and I think the show of force doesn't come from, ironically, might sound a bit 754 00:50:21,715 --> 00:50:22,715 contradictory. 755 00:50:23,150 --> 00:50:25,311 But for me, the show of force isn't a sign of strength. 756 00:50:26,580 --> 00:50:27,930 It's a sign of weakness for me. 757 00:50:28,130 --> 00:50:32,630 But you think this, it's like, you know, the famous for non-text, 758 00:50:32,950 --> 00:50:33,950 a dying colonialism. 759 00:50:34,890 --> 00:50:39,290 A dying colonialism will always produce this kind of last-minute existential 760 00:50:39,291 --> 00:50:43,550 violence against the people they think are trying to do away with them. 761 00:50:43,775 --> 00:50:45,136 And I think that's what we see it. 762 00:50:46,230 --> 00:50:47,751 So, you think it's a sign of weakness. 763 00:50:48,920 --> 00:50:55,430 But then this police violence has galvanized people beyond the question of Palestine. 764 00:50:55,950 --> 00:51:01,770 So, now we have the liberals joining in because of freedom of speech, for example. 765 00:51:02,150 --> 00:51:05,251 Have you had like new people, new layers of people coming 766 00:51:05,252 --> 00:51:07,750 to join in who were not worried about Palestine before? 767 00:51:09,250 --> 00:51:10,250 And they're still not. 768 00:51:11,055 --> 00:51:13,310 We have people who are still not worried about Palestine. 769 00:51:13,980 --> 00:51:16,290 But they would say, this is ridiculous. 770 00:51:17,150 --> 00:51:20,290 This is what we're seeing across campuses are peaceful. 771 00:51:23,390 --> 00:51:30,390 Under what...why would you call in the police, the state trooper? 772 00:51:30,610 --> 00:51:35,159 Why would you have snipers in university buildings and offices 773 00:51:35,160 --> 00:51:37,730 and on top of university buildings pointing at students? 774 00:51:37,731 --> 00:51:42,110 Under what...for what are overwhelmingly peaceful protests? 775 00:51:43,710 --> 00:51:46,512 So, even like... I mean, you've probably seen the videos 776 00:51:46,513 --> 00:51:49,350 of like departments or chair departments being arrested. 777 00:51:50,230 --> 00:51:51,570 White women being arrested. 778 00:51:52,170 --> 00:51:53,910 White women being promoted to the ground. 779 00:51:54,270 --> 00:51:57,169 Not to say I know their position on Palestine, but 780 00:51:57,170 --> 00:51:59,631 we're seeing every day these encounters with the police. 781 00:52:00,430 --> 00:52:04,390 And people must think to themselves, this is insanity. 782 00:52:04,810 --> 00:52:06,450 And we're seeing that day in and day out. 783 00:52:09,350 --> 00:52:13,931 Again, as someone who's like... I mean, you're...sorry, sorry, but just one second. 784 00:52:15,170 --> 00:52:16,170 No one's. 785 00:52:21,830 --> 00:52:26,050 So, as someone, I mean, you study control by history of the colonialism. 786 00:52:26,870 --> 00:52:30,750 And you've written a book which I try to show soon to come to the audience as well. 787 00:52:31,170 --> 00:52:33,864 But, I'm sure there are lots of discussion 788 00:52:33,865 --> 00:52:36,530 between you, your kind of comrades in the camps. 789 00:52:36,770 --> 00:52:38,263 I mean, when you're reading books, you're 790 00:52:38,264 --> 00:52:40,410 discussing, you're like having theoretical sessions. 791 00:52:40,411 --> 00:52:46,230 What is like the main understanding among you and how a student said Cornell? 792 00:52:46,770 --> 00:52:48,570 Why United States is doing it? 793 00:52:48,690 --> 00:52:54,410 Is it because, as Mir Shai Mir says, the Israeli lobby has gone deep to every 794 00:52:54,560 --> 00:52:58,057 corner and every part of American, fabric 795 00:52:58,058 --> 00:53:00,850 and American political life and institution? 796 00:53:01,130 --> 00:53:07,750 Or is it because Israel is a very important device for American imperialism 797 00:53:07,751 --> 00:53:14,090 and is such an important asset that losing it would be detrimental and existential 798 00:53:14,091 --> 00:53:16,950 threat to the overall life of American imperialism? 799 00:53:19,720 --> 00:53:22,455 I don't think those things are necessarily in conflict, 800 00:53:22,456 --> 00:53:25,230 but I think there's so much more than the even that. 801 00:53:25,830 --> 00:53:29,767 There's, of course, the strategic nature and 802 00:53:29,768 --> 00:53:32,930 positionality of Israel within the region. 803 00:53:33,350 --> 00:53:35,070 There's, of course, US imperialism. 804 00:53:35,095 --> 00:53:36,930 US imperialism is driving this. 805 00:53:37,390 --> 00:53:40,386 There's, of course, the Zionist lobby in the 806 00:53:40,387 --> 00:53:44,231 West and the strength of the Zionist lobby. 807 00:53:44,855 --> 00:53:48,670 I also want to bring in, maybe, there's a pathological understanding and a 808 00:53:48,671 --> 00:53:53,210 theological understanding, even that people in who are evangelical Christians, 809 00:53:53,211 --> 00:53:59,950 and that's also a very strong lobby in this country, sincerely believe that in 810 00:53:59,951 --> 00:54:05,083 order for creating the conditions of the Messiah to combat, 811 00:54:05,084 --> 00:54:08,630 that Jewish people must return to the land of Israel. 812 00:54:09,030 --> 00:54:12,550 That is, I would not be surprised if that is also guiding some decisions. 813 00:54:13,190 --> 00:54:14,964 So, I don't think it's just one thing, and also we 814 00:54:14,965 --> 00:54:17,190 can talk about the political economy of capitalism. 815 00:54:17,970 --> 00:54:20,306 And Alicadria has written about Alicadria material 816 00:54:20,307 --> 00:54:22,910 capacity of written about accumulation by waste. 817 00:54:23,530 --> 00:54:29,310 Insofar as that, you need to waste people's life by killing them in the 818 00:54:29,311 --> 00:54:33,670 global south by, in short, extraction and accumulation for capital. 819 00:54:35,690 --> 00:54:40,250 I mean, this is, I mean, you're in America, you've in much better composition 820 00:54:40,251 --> 00:54:45,810 to understand that, but this whole like Christian evangelical Zionist, 821 00:54:46,590 --> 00:54:52,550 are they really ever present and are they going to only present in American life? 822 00:54:52,750 --> 00:54:54,310 Do you see them a lot or are they real? 823 00:54:54,470 --> 00:54:56,110 I mean, because it's a bit difficult too. 824 00:54:56,290 --> 00:54:57,790 I imagine them from outside. 825 00:54:58,430 --> 00:55:00,490 I mean, I didn't teach them for a bit, I mean, 826 00:55:00,491 --> 00:55:02,090 as you yell, but still I don't understand. 827 00:55:02,091 --> 00:55:06,190 And other real, is it an invention because America needs them? 828 00:55:06,350 --> 00:55:11,030 It's an ideological invention because they have to explain the necessity of Israel, 829 00:55:11,270 --> 00:55:13,524 defending Israel and pumping all its taxpayers' 830 00:55:13,525 --> 00:55:16,510 money, and so they come up with this narrative. 831 00:55:18,440 --> 00:55:20,690 That's a fair take, but it exists. 832 00:55:20,910 --> 00:55:27,610 For example, look at Manuch's suffix, Congress hearing, and then the congressman 833 00:55:27,611 --> 00:55:32,110 said to Manuch, this is Congress, by the way, of a, you know, of a quote of 834 00:55:32,111 --> 00:55:34,530 course secular nation, which means not right. 835 00:55:35,390 --> 00:55:40,430 But the congressman asked Manuch, do you know 836 00:55:40,431 --> 00:55:44,210 Genesis, and I don't know the verse myself, number? 837 00:55:45,310 --> 00:55:46,310 She said, I don't know. 838 00:55:46,940 --> 00:55:49,950 He said, let me read it out to you, and it was essentially 839 00:55:49,951 --> 00:55:54,610 talking about the Jews being in Israel and getting a curse. 840 00:55:55,825 --> 00:55:59,470 And then he said, do you want Colombia to be cursed by God? 841 00:56:01,140 --> 00:56:03,294 This was a very serious congressional hearing 842 00:56:03,295 --> 00:56:06,231 in which the whole nation had eyes on, right? 843 00:56:06,450 --> 00:56:10,870 And the question was, do you want Colombia to be cursed by God? 844 00:56:11,470 --> 00:56:15,930 So I think there's some way you can, we can talk about why they deployed that, 845 00:56:16,185 --> 00:56:17,490 but it definitely exists. 846 00:56:19,190 --> 00:56:23,150 That's the, that's the, I mean, it wasn't, it wasn't for himself, 847 00:56:23,350 --> 00:56:24,350 he was a Christian. 848 00:56:25,950 --> 00:56:30,090 Okay, so, so if that's the case, I mean, so getting rid of this is not 849 00:56:30,091 --> 00:56:33,290 going to be easy, but for me, I mean, what I'm really like surprise, 850 00:56:33,291 --> 00:56:36,710 and I really doesn't go with me, it's like the price America is paying. 851 00:56:37,310 --> 00:56:40,650 And as you know better than me, I mean, like right now in China, 852 00:56:40,651 --> 00:56:46,250 for example, I think, like it's from tomorrow, they're going to talk about like 853 00:56:46,400 --> 00:56:48,650 Uyghurs, yeah? 854 00:56:50,310 --> 00:56:55,330 It's like no one would buy America's like shot about helping Uyghurs, no one would 855 00:56:55,331 --> 00:56:59,830 buy their shot about helping like an Iranian women about like the question of 856 00:56:59,831 --> 00:57:02,668 human writing Venezuela in Nicaragua and saying, 857 00:57:02,669 --> 00:57:05,130 how much, how much damage do you think to them? 858 00:57:05,480 --> 00:57:11,650 And soft power apparatus of American imperialism, the last 202 days has done. 859 00:57:13,860 --> 00:57:18,190 It's done for me in irreparable damage in America's standing and also irreparable 860 00:57:18,191 --> 00:57:23,010 damage in the institutions of the world, because again, how is it like, 861 00:57:23,510 --> 00:57:25,650 and I think we have to situate this, right? 862 00:57:26,100 --> 00:57:29,250 So close to Ukraine. 863 00:57:30,480 --> 00:57:31,710 So close to Ukraine. 864 00:57:31,870 --> 00:57:32,870 Ukraine is lower. 865 00:57:32,950 --> 00:57:36,990 Two years in now, we're talking about a time where the whole world had Ukrainian 866 00:57:36,991 --> 00:57:41,290 flags all over, we're not permitting Ukrainian refugees, they were talking 867 00:57:41,291 --> 00:57:43,330 about Ukraine has a right to defend itself. 868 00:57:43,990 --> 00:57:47,736 mainstream media was showing the making of multiple 869 00:57:47,737 --> 00:57:50,910 bottles, weapons, and supporting Ukrainian resistance. 870 00:57:51,850 --> 00:57:57,310 And we had all this rhetoric, we had, oh, these are not immigrants, these are 871 00:57:57,311 --> 00:58:00,870 blonde hair and blue eyes on mainstream media people were saying this. 872 00:58:01,350 --> 00:58:03,112 We talked, we had universities come out in 873 00:58:03,113 --> 00:58:05,871 support of Ukraine against Russian aggression. 874 00:58:06,130 --> 00:58:09,290 This is only like, this is only an air shot of what is happening today. 875 00:58:09,690 --> 00:58:14,970 So we have like, we can just juxtapose the headlines so easily, we can juxtapose the 876 00:58:15,095 --> 00:58:17,810 reporting so easily of these cases. 877 00:58:18,710 --> 00:58:21,812 And again, Putin has not bombed the single 878 00:58:21,813 --> 00:58:26,271 hospital, but Israel has a right to defend itself. 879 00:58:26,370 --> 00:58:29,710 But while by international law, the whole basis of the condemnation of 880 00:58:29,760 --> 00:58:34,440 Putin and the swiftness in which the ICC issued a 881 00:58:34,441 --> 00:58:38,130 arrest warrant was the violation of international law. 882 00:58:38,840 --> 00:58:42,790 But hospitals have been bombed in Gaza, universities have been bombed in Gaza, 883 00:58:43,610 --> 00:58:47,930 the civilian toll is immense in Gaza, and that is not being condemned. 884 00:58:48,210 --> 00:58:51,590 So the whole, and again, we just look at the voting patterns between these issues. 885 00:58:51,990 --> 00:58:54,465 There is clearly a heightened contradiction 886 00:58:54,466 --> 00:58:57,091 between the global North and the global South. 887 00:58:57,310 --> 00:59:03,090 And I think America's response and Joe Biden's willingness to lose their election 888 00:59:03,540 --> 00:59:07,010 has proven, it's going to be costly. 889 00:59:07,170 --> 00:59:11,230 And I think there is irreparable damage done to the moral standing if there ever 890 00:59:11,231 --> 00:59:15,590 was, I mean there never was, but at least the facade of moral standing of the West. 891 00:59:24,090 --> 00:59:25,480 Sorry Alaykhan, hey you. 892 00:59:26,040 --> 00:59:29,640 I said, I know that you have a bit of a stressful day, so at least let's watch 893 00:59:29,641 --> 00:59:32,460 this video to give you a bit of entertaining. 894 00:59:33,300 --> 00:59:33,500 Clear. 895 00:59:33,740 --> 00:59:37,720 It was the covenant that God made with Abraham. 896 00:59:39,690 --> 00:59:42,080 And that covenant was real clear. 897 00:59:43,880 --> 00:59:46,180 If you bless Israel, I will bless you. 898 00:59:46,570 --> 00:59:49,000 If you curse Israel, I will curse you. 899 00:59:49,550 --> 00:59:52,821 And then in the New Testament, it was confirmed 900 00:59:52,822 --> 00:59:57,000 that all nations would be blessed through you. 901 00:59:58,170 --> 01:00:01,300 So, you do not know about that. 902 01:00:02,710 --> 01:00:04,700 I have heard that now that you've explained it. 903 01:00:04,820 --> 01:00:05,540 Yes, I have heard about that. 904 01:00:05,541 --> 01:00:06,541 It's now familiar. 905 01:00:07,320 --> 01:00:09,440 You consider that a serious issue? 906 01:00:10,720 --> 01:00:15,340 I mean, do you want Columbia University to be cursed by God of the Bible? 907 01:00:16,820 --> 01:00:17,820 Definitely not. 908 01:00:19,650 --> 01:00:25,240 I mean, I'm brought up by watching V.O.A., Voice of America and BBC, like bringing 909 01:00:25,241 --> 01:00:29,620 one Friday prayer in Iran and who mentions Quran. 910 01:00:30,440 --> 01:00:34,901 And this direct immediate relation between Quran and current 911 01:00:34,902 --> 01:00:38,540 affair and the law for them as these socratic crazy people. 912 01:00:38,720 --> 01:00:42,198 And just like you have this socratical attempt 913 01:00:42,199 --> 01:00:44,660 in writing the congress is unbelievable. 914 01:00:44,661 --> 01:00:49,540 So, how do you like normal students, not the proper scene and not the leftist, 915 01:00:49,640 --> 01:00:53,400 not the anti-imperialist, how do normal students in Quran? 916 01:00:53,500 --> 01:00:54,940 It's quite a part of Ivy League. 917 01:00:55,140 --> 01:00:56,680 It's a very prestigious place. 918 01:00:57,260 --> 01:00:58,260 Kids are like clever. 919 01:00:58,360 --> 01:01:00,200 They've read many books, I mean, right or left. 920 01:01:00,470 --> 01:01:01,671 But they are intelligent kids. 921 01:01:02,060 --> 01:01:06,540 How do they react into this level of political madness? 922 01:01:09,760 --> 01:01:15,721 It's hard to say because Quranal has a deeply, unfortunately, it's quite apolitical. 923 01:01:16,020 --> 01:01:19,066 But at the same time, my feeling, if we go on 924 01:01:19,067 --> 01:01:21,901 certain forums, people think this is insanity. 925 01:01:22,020 --> 01:01:23,020 They think it's madness. 926 01:01:23,260 --> 01:01:27,040 They think that a foreign government is now dictating state and university policy. 927 01:01:28,720 --> 01:01:33,660 So, the scene literally, the foreign government having so much sway over even 928 01:01:33,661 --> 01:01:37,700 those who might be quote unquote patriotic are like, how does a foreign government 929 01:01:38,150 --> 01:01:41,324 have been able to interfere in such a way of campus 930 01:01:41,325 --> 01:01:44,261 life and also at national level of this country? 931 01:01:44,695 --> 01:01:49,380 So, I always thought, I mean, this level of support for Israel would bring people 932 01:01:49,381 --> 01:01:53,140 of not only from the left, from different kinds of part of politics, from like 933 01:01:53,600 --> 01:02:01,600 Libertari and like Rampol and also from like, as I said, patriotic, even like part 934 01:02:01,601 --> 01:02:06,220 of Trump is nationalist because the question of American sovereignty also as a 935 01:02:06,395 --> 01:02:08,900 country in a little empire is on the question now. 936 01:02:09,280 --> 01:02:11,320 But we don't see enough of that yet, have we? 937 01:02:13,050 --> 01:02:14,580 No, not enough of that yet. 938 01:02:14,960 --> 01:02:18,480 But I think it's only a matter of time personally. 939 01:02:19,220 --> 01:02:20,240 Okay, all right. 940 01:02:20,660 --> 01:02:25,080 I want to take it to this little thing I found on BBC today, sorry, if I could find 941 01:02:25,081 --> 01:02:29,440 this one here, we go on BBC and it's like really surprising. 942 01:02:29,441 --> 01:02:33,900 I mean, again, it's a kind of normal picture, I'm sure, if it's someone like 943 01:02:33,901 --> 01:02:38,827 you, like me, a brown man, but then the image is 944 01:02:38,828 --> 01:02:43,160 the angry Arab man, the angry black man, yeah. 945 01:02:43,545 --> 01:02:48,960 So, it's not sympathizable, so for the BBC audience possibly. 946 01:02:49,520 --> 01:02:54,313 Have you seen this kind of subliminal demonization 947 01:02:54,314 --> 01:02:57,821 in media against the student protests a lot? 948 01:02:59,650 --> 01:03:07,500 Of course, but that's, but I think the war, I don't think I was adequately 949 01:03:07,501 --> 01:03:13,040 prepared to live in the United States as a Muslim because the logics of the, 950 01:03:13,041 --> 01:03:20,920 or the on logics of the war on terror has done such damage to Muslims and even non 951 01:03:20,921 --> 01:03:25,860 -Muslims, I have my black friends who are non-Muslim and they have great politics. 952 01:03:25,910 --> 01:03:30,580 And they're people who I love daily, but even they are having to have to 953 01:03:30,581 --> 01:03:33,380 unlearn the Islam, not they're not Islamophobic, 954 01:03:33,381 --> 01:03:35,960 but they're having to unlearn the Islamophobia. 955 01:03:36,650 --> 01:03:40,973 We have very deep and very meaningful conversations 956 01:03:40,974 --> 01:03:44,120 about their perceptions of Islam, these are my friends. 957 01:03:44,760 --> 01:03:50,340 So, the psyche of, especially in the United States has just been deeply Islamophobic. 958 01:03:50,341 --> 01:03:54,560 And the war on terror has the afterlife of the war on terror, I don't know if I can 959 01:03:54,710 --> 01:03:56,401 call it the afterlife if it's still going on, 960 01:03:56,402 --> 01:03:59,261 not the war on terror, but the war on Muslims. 961 01:03:59,400 --> 01:04:03,820 But the image of the Arab, the image of the Muslim, the image, the sounding of 962 01:04:03,821 --> 01:04:08,420 Arabic words are all tainted and painted as inherent threats. 963 01:04:09,400 --> 01:04:14,380 So, people are having to unlearn that and anytime you see mainstream media diving 964 01:04:14,381 --> 01:04:17,660 into that, it is a continuation of that clearly. 965 01:04:19,320 --> 01:04:23,180 So, you think like Britain, I mean someone who's brought up in London, you think in 966 01:04:23,181 --> 01:04:26,131 London you experience less of Islamophobia than 967 01:04:26,132 --> 01:04:29,381 you've had in the States in the last couple of years. 968 01:04:30,040 --> 01:04:32,580 Absolutely, so much less. 969 01:04:33,550 --> 01:04:34,550 So much less. 970 01:04:35,020 --> 01:04:38,140 And in terms of police violence, how do you compare British police 971 01:04:38,141 --> 01:04:44,080 violence, especially if you were here during the protests of last year in 2020, 972 01:04:44,620 --> 01:04:45,820 with American police violence? 973 01:04:49,940 --> 01:04:57,540 I guess my experience with British police, I mean they don't normally have guns, 974 01:04:57,700 --> 01:05:00,460 like every day Bobby's on the beat, so I was always a positive sign. 975 01:05:00,830 --> 01:05:06,360 It's very like, nerving when you're on campus and police have guns. 976 01:05:06,840 --> 01:05:10,028 I've been in a rally where my friend went to look for 977 01:05:10,029 --> 01:05:12,860 his phone and the police went to draw for his weapon. 978 01:05:13,700 --> 01:05:17,220 So, there is that way in the UK, there isn't that. 979 01:05:17,640 --> 01:05:18,880 Again, that's on campus, right? 980 01:05:19,420 --> 01:05:21,020 So in the UK we don't have that. 981 01:05:21,500 --> 01:05:25,560 I'm again by again, that's not to diminish or undermine the brutality in which the 982 01:05:25,561 --> 01:05:31,221 Metropolitan Police and several other police forces in the United Kingdom operate. 983 01:05:31,600 --> 01:05:33,920 No, no, no, no, I've experienced it firsthand. 984 01:05:34,440 --> 01:05:36,571 So, all right, I'm going to ask a few of the questions, 985 01:05:36,572 --> 01:05:38,460 I'm going to ask a few of the questions from the audience. 986 01:05:38,461 --> 01:05:43,781 But before that, you mentioned Fanon, you mentioned your opposition to capitalism. 987 01:05:44,300 --> 01:05:49,900 So, if you just give us two things, one, the class dynamic of their protest movement. 988 01:05:50,080 --> 01:05:53,400 I mean, because these universities are usually really rich universities, 989 01:05:53,725 --> 01:05:57,184 also filled with rich kids as well, but they're very 990 01:05:57,185 --> 01:05:59,661 prestigious places and they're normal people as well. 991 01:05:59,760 --> 01:06:02,140 So, who are on the front line? 992 01:06:02,620 --> 01:06:07,780 Rich kids, people coming from like the American equivalent of aristocracy or 993 01:06:07,781 --> 01:06:11,221 bourgeois classes or no, these are like kids who have 994 01:06:11,222 --> 01:06:13,661 gone with difficulty in order to make a better life. 995 01:06:14,225 --> 01:06:17,327 So, if you just open a bit the class dynamic of the 996 01:06:17,328 --> 01:06:19,521 movement, not only in Cornell, but other places. 997 01:06:22,840 --> 01:06:25,720 It's independent on where they are, right? 998 01:06:25,960 --> 01:06:30,920 If you look at the stuff in Northern California, they're definitely working 999 01:06:30,921 --> 01:06:35,620 class kids who are drenched in poverty, who have impoverty imposed imposed on them. 1000 01:06:36,160 --> 01:06:38,920 In Colombia and a lot of these Ivy leagues, of course, they're going to be of 1001 01:06:38,921 --> 01:06:43,360 a certain class position, even that they own scholarships or that their parents are 1002 01:06:43,361 --> 01:06:45,620 middle class or part of the managerial class. 1003 01:06:45,995 --> 01:06:48,400 So, that's what I've seen, especially Ivy leagues anyway. 1004 01:06:48,760 --> 01:06:49,760 But again, it's a mix. 1005 01:06:50,680 --> 01:06:51,260 Okay, it's a mix. 1006 01:06:51,700 --> 01:06:52,700 That's one thing. 1007 01:06:53,100 --> 01:06:55,252 And the second thing is you mentioned Fanon, you mentioned 1008 01:06:55,253 --> 01:06:58,740 your opposition to capitalism, liberalism and things. 1009 01:06:59,160 --> 01:07:03,360 But also, you seem to define yourself as a Muslim. 1010 01:07:03,820 --> 01:07:05,520 How would you bring these things together? 1011 01:07:05,521 --> 01:07:12,120 Because again, comparing with like 68, 68 was like more like things were simpler. 1012 01:07:12,340 --> 01:07:16,280 You had like the Marxist, socialist tradition in a very kind of a 1013 01:07:16,605 --> 01:07:18,180 straightforward way. 1014 01:07:18,540 --> 01:07:24,140 Leading the movement of different kind from Maoist, Leninist, trotist and things. 1015 01:07:24,560 --> 01:07:26,620 But not things seems to be different. 1016 01:07:27,045 --> 01:07:30,980 And how would you reconcile these two parts of your identity? 1017 01:07:31,400 --> 01:07:34,500 And also, what about the other people in your encampment? 1018 01:07:34,501 --> 01:07:37,600 And then at large in American protest movement? 1019 01:07:41,800 --> 01:07:43,020 It's very difficult to tell. 1020 01:07:43,240 --> 01:07:47,740 I think what the BLM movement did is bring back... I'm not bring back sorry, 1021 01:07:47,980 --> 01:07:52,880 but spotlight, highlight abolition once again as a political orientation. 1022 01:07:53,740 --> 01:07:56,760 I think anarchism is quite strong amongst a lot of young people. 1023 01:07:57,390 --> 01:08:01,020 I think communism is stronger amongst a lot of young people. 1024 01:08:02,460 --> 01:08:03,700 Marxist Leninism is strong. 1025 01:08:03,840 --> 01:08:06,000 All kind of sections, fractions of the left, right? 1026 01:08:06,330 --> 01:08:09,222 A broad... If you take a broad stroke of the left, you'll 1027 01:08:09,223 --> 01:08:12,220 find a lot of young people subscribing to those ideologies. 1028 01:08:12,680 --> 01:08:17,000 How do I reconcile the true phase I'm still working through it? 1029 01:08:17,100 --> 01:08:23,620 But I don't see a contradiction between my adopting a Marxist analysis of material 1030 01:08:23,795 --> 01:08:25,700 conditions and believing in Allah. 1031 01:08:25,900 --> 01:08:31,620 I don't see... If anything, I think a politic of anti-capitalism is deeply 1032 01:08:31,621 --> 01:08:35,080 rooted in the Quran and the Quranic injunctions. 1033 01:08:35,560 --> 01:08:39,900 And I just find that Marxism and Leninism helps me explain that a lot. 1034 01:08:40,770 --> 01:08:44,551 Okay, I'm finally going to handle my promise 1035 01:08:44,552 --> 01:08:48,181 to my audience and bring some of the questions. 1036 01:08:48,340 --> 01:08:51,860 First question is a bit like, sorry about that. 1037 01:08:53,720 --> 01:08:54,300 Okay. 1038 01:08:54,301 --> 01:08:55,301 All right. 1039 01:08:55,640 --> 01:08:59,591 So first question, I think I need to do one little 1040 01:08:59,666 --> 01:09:03,400 thing and this start has to change so we can read it. 1041 01:09:06,860 --> 01:09:07,300 Okay. 1042 01:09:07,550 --> 01:09:08,550 Sorry about that moment. 1043 01:09:08,800 --> 01:09:15,960 I'm not supposed to go back to London yesterday and then... for... 1044 01:09:15,961 --> 01:09:16,961 No, where is the tool? 1045 01:09:20,440 --> 01:09:23,793 Okay, so... It's a bit messy and unprofessional of me, but all right, let's just. 1046 01:09:23,852 --> 01:09:28,660 .. If you can read this one, if you cannot, I have to... Now, I can see this. 1047 01:09:28,760 --> 01:09:29,760 I can see this. 1048 01:09:30,160 --> 01:09:30,400 And you? 1049 01:09:30,720 --> 01:09:31,720 Okay, let's see. 1050 01:09:32,500 --> 01:09:33,140 Yeah, okay. 1051 01:09:33,360 --> 01:09:34,060 I can read it. 1052 01:09:34,100 --> 01:09:34,500 I can read it. 1053 01:09:34,880 --> 01:09:35,220 All right. 1054 01:09:35,340 --> 01:09:35,540 Okay. 1055 01:09:36,030 --> 01:09:37,600 He's Hanir Ali Mardani. 1056 01:09:37,820 --> 01:09:41,920 He says, how does he see the 2024 elections among university graduates? 1057 01:09:42,460 --> 01:09:45,046 After years of competition between Republicans and 1058 01:09:45,047 --> 01:09:47,980 Democrats, is it a new option not to vote for any of them? 1059 01:09:50,740 --> 01:09:55,180 Yeah, and again, I can only speak about the people I'm in contact with and what 1060 01:09:55,181 --> 01:09:58,722 has been the pretty much feeling and mood is that 1061 01:09:58,723 --> 01:10:01,961 even for third party candidate or not voting at all. 1062 01:10:02,500 --> 01:10:06,191 But again, Biden has willing to... Biden is willing 1063 01:10:06,192 --> 01:10:08,821 to lose this election to support a genocide. 1064 01:10:09,620 --> 01:10:10,080 Oh, that's amazing. 1065 01:10:10,500 --> 01:10:10,500 Yeah. 1066 01:10:10,980 --> 01:10:15,120 So it's not much like party politics at the moment in the campus now. 1067 01:10:16,760 --> 01:10:17,760 No. 1068 01:10:18,700 --> 01:10:21,760 Okay, let's go to the next question. 1069 01:10:22,100 --> 01:10:26,000 And that's... was there any Iranian students in the campus? 1070 01:10:26,760 --> 01:10:28,280 I can't find these movements with you. 1071 01:10:28,600 --> 01:10:29,600 Yeah. 1072 01:10:30,200 --> 01:10:31,200 Yeah. 1073 01:10:32,060 --> 01:10:35,420 Okay, so I mean, you say all different nationalities, because second generation, 1074 01:10:35,880 --> 01:10:38,140 Iranians are a little bit different from... 1075 01:10:38,141 --> 01:10:45,980 And then Helia says, sorry if it's a little off the topic, but I want to know, 1076 01:10:46,370 --> 01:10:49,156 what did American students in the university think and what 1077 01:10:49,157 --> 01:10:53,600 things they said about Iran's retaliatory attack on Israel? 1078 01:10:56,575 --> 01:11:00,280 Yeah, I can never speak for American students in the universities. 1079 01:11:00,281 --> 01:11:03,980 I can speak about the people I'm in contact with and who I talk to. 1080 01:11:04,520 --> 01:11:08,080 And again, like any political movement, they're not going to have... 1081 01:11:08,330 --> 01:11:12,120 You know, they're not going to be consensus on how they feel. 1082 01:11:12,465 --> 01:11:15,128 However, I would say I have been impressed with 1083 01:11:15,129 --> 01:11:17,320 many people who are directly in contact with. 1084 01:11:17,420 --> 01:11:20,865 When everyone understood it, it was a retaliatory 1085 01:11:20,866 --> 01:11:25,360 attack, which was meaningful to restore a deterrent. 1086 01:11:25,970 --> 01:11:28,226 And that's been the kind of theme and mood 1087 01:11:28,227 --> 01:11:31,701 and feeling which of people that I've heard. 1088 01:11:32,180 --> 01:11:33,960 Okay, another question. 1089 01:11:36,900 --> 01:11:43,060 All right, again, Hania Ali Mardani says, how does he see the impact of these recent 1090 01:11:43,061 --> 01:11:46,860 events on American values and liberalism in the American society itself? 1091 01:11:49,560 --> 01:11:51,201 Thank you so much for the question, honey. 1092 01:11:51,700 --> 01:11:51,920 Absolutely. 1093 01:11:52,680 --> 01:11:55,726 Again, liberalism has been exposed to why it's 1094 01:11:55,727 --> 01:11:58,340 always been a racist and a societal project. 1095 01:11:58,520 --> 01:11:59,840 And people are seeing that now. 1096 01:11:59,841 --> 01:12:03,960 People are definitely seeing the lives of liberalism, the lives of neo-liberalism 1097 01:12:04,210 --> 01:12:05,400 and the lives of capitalism. 1098 01:12:07,120 --> 01:12:12,460 Okay, Henry Jackson says, is there any other suggested legal way for students to 1099 01:12:12,461 --> 01:12:14,920 object on the American government in regards to Israel? 1100 01:12:17,800 --> 01:12:21,275 I mean, yeah, people ask people are doing protests, people 1101 01:12:21,276 --> 01:12:24,400 are doing petitions, people are pursuing legal avenues. 1102 01:12:24,401 --> 01:12:29,440 I guess through, but again, I can only speak about what I'm doing. 1103 01:12:29,760 --> 01:12:32,600 So I'm at Cornell, and I know that Cornell had direct investment. 1104 01:12:33,040 --> 01:12:35,320 I don't think calling for divestment is illegal. 1105 01:12:35,540 --> 01:12:36,040 It's actually not. 1106 01:12:36,350 --> 01:12:39,960 If anything, we are asking for Cornell to follow their own guidelines. 1107 01:12:40,540 --> 01:12:44,380 In Cornell in 2016 issued a set of guidelines for divestment. 1108 01:12:44,680 --> 01:12:48,860 They said we must consider divestment from morally reprehensible investments, 1109 01:12:49,240 --> 01:12:50,400 from genocide and apartheid. 1110 01:12:51,460 --> 01:12:53,497 Which we believe that this genocide will 1111 01:12:53,498 --> 01:12:56,641 warn the Palestinians fulfills that criteria. 1112 01:12:57,680 --> 01:13:03,220 All right, and then finally, Ben Am, which is like, I don't know, anonymous, 1113 01:13:03,810 --> 01:13:07,600 says, what's the reaction of the university lectures who are not Zionists 1114 01:13:07,950 --> 01:13:09,740 about the militarization of university? 1115 01:13:11,850 --> 01:13:13,760 It has been overwhelmingly positive in the 1116 01:13:13,761 --> 01:13:15,780 sense that they are thinking this is ridiculous. 1117 01:13:15,781 --> 01:13:22,420 This is a flies in the face of what a university is supposed to be, and they 1118 01:13:22,421 --> 01:13:24,680 have come out in solidarity in support of us. 1119 01:13:26,100 --> 01:13:28,460 Okay, all right, so that's interesting. 1120 01:13:28,660 --> 01:13:32,920 In a sense, we see a bit of weakness of liberalism as well. 1121 01:13:33,505 --> 01:13:38,120 If it's really, as they say, liberalism and liberal values are strong in America, 1122 01:13:38,300 --> 01:13:43,220 we should have seen a much wider concept of protest. 1123 01:13:43,445 --> 01:13:49,600 And anger against what's happening here, and that's one of the final question. 1124 01:13:50,040 --> 01:13:54,740 Do you think the students can take the movement outside the geographical and 1125 01:13:54,741 --> 01:13:58,900 physical boundaries of the university campuses and to the city at large? 1126 01:13:59,080 --> 01:14:04,780 As 68 students took it to, at least in Paris, they took it to the factories and 1127 01:14:04,781 --> 01:14:11,080 they tried to get workers involved and to connect it to other forms of struggle. 1128 01:14:11,430 --> 01:14:15,380 Do you see that's possible here, or is it going to be limited to campus? 1129 01:14:15,700 --> 01:14:16,700 Absolutely. 1130 01:14:17,720 --> 01:14:23,100 No, no, no, these encampments are only the beginning, and this will be the test of 1131 01:14:23,375 --> 01:14:26,887 our organizational capacity will be the moment, 1132 01:14:26,937 --> 01:14:29,640 not if, but when we bring it to union workers. 1133 01:14:29,940 --> 01:14:33,120 But when we bring it to traditional people, there have been traditional parts 1134 01:14:33,121 --> 01:14:38,541 of society that have been anti-war and anti-US imperialism and anti-US militarism. 1135 01:14:38,720 --> 01:14:41,680 And I have high hopes that that is going to be the case. 1136 01:14:42,165 --> 01:14:45,880 We have seen the way the general public has supported the Colombian government, 1137 01:14:46,040 --> 01:14:48,880 it hasn't just been students, it hasn't just been students. 1138 01:14:49,220 --> 01:14:53,320 And we can argue that it's not growing as fast as it should be, or the numbers 1139 01:14:53,321 --> 01:14:57,670 aren't where we want them to be, but I have high confidence that it's growing fast. 1140 01:14:57,900 --> 01:14:58,900 Okay. 1141 01:14:59,280 --> 01:15:03,407 And finally, you are like from Global South, originally, 1142 01:15:03,408 --> 01:15:05,801 and you are like part of the South in the North. 1143 01:15:06,340 --> 01:15:09,207 And there's a lot of going to talk about what can 1144 01:15:09,208 --> 01:15:12,001 finally help Palestinian to get their rights back. 1145 01:15:12,400 --> 01:15:17,334 Of the movement in America, the help of South Africa and 1146 01:15:17,335 --> 01:15:20,980 ICJ, or the resistance of different forms inside Palestine. 1147 01:15:21,000 --> 01:15:22,963 And one of these kinds of resistance, the question 1148 01:15:22,964 --> 01:15:25,041 goes to other countries who are willing to help them. 1149 01:15:25,350 --> 01:15:31,020 And I mean Iran, for better or worse, has been on front line of helping Palestine. 1150 01:15:31,260 --> 01:15:35,260 Many people say it's for its own selfish nationalistic reasons. 1151 01:15:35,520 --> 01:15:40,380 Many people say Iran has shown principle support for the last 45 years. 1152 01:15:40,980 --> 01:15:44,200 And I want to know what you think, I mean, as someone who is coming from 1153 01:15:44,201 --> 01:15:48,180 Sunni Islam background, and are, at least in the last 10 years, 1154 01:15:48,460 --> 01:15:51,727 the region and the Muslim community at large has 1155 01:15:51,728 --> 01:15:54,861 been filled with different forms of sectarianism. 1156 01:15:55,000 --> 01:15:58,640 Let us fight against each other right and working towards a more pan Islamic, 1157 01:15:59,250 --> 01:16:03,320 a more united anti-colonial unity. 1158 01:16:03,840 --> 01:16:06,180 We've been fighting against Iran among ourselves. 1159 01:16:06,620 --> 01:16:10,563 What's your opinion about Iran and its support for different 1160 01:16:10,564 --> 01:16:14,040 resistance movements in the region, especially in Palestine? 1161 01:16:17,170 --> 01:16:18,170 Two things. 1162 01:16:19,130 --> 01:16:21,670 I won't be able to give the topic justice right now. 1163 01:16:22,190 --> 01:16:26,590 But what I will say is, I believe Iran is the most important country in the region. 1164 01:16:27,350 --> 01:16:33,290 And I believe that Iran's strategic patience, and Iran has understood US 1165 01:16:33,291 --> 01:16:35,810 imperialism better than many in the region. 1166 01:16:40,025 --> 01:16:44,949 And I think that... I mean, I'm personally in support of Iran's 1167 01:16:44,950 --> 01:16:49,870 positionality vis-a -vis its stance on Zionism and Israel. 1168 01:16:52,225 --> 01:16:56,230 And then I would say, secondly, if people want to hear my views longer, 1169 01:16:56,665 --> 01:16:58,910 I have a whole podcast called The Markham Effect, 1170 01:16:58,911 --> 01:17:01,691 which I had a one-and-a-half-hour discussion. 1171 01:17:01,765 --> 01:17:03,552 And which I had a whole one-and-a-half -hour 1172 01:17:03,553 --> 01:17:06,710 discussion on this question of Iran and their attack. 1173 01:17:07,640 --> 01:17:09,830 Okay, I'm really glad actually you mentioned that. 1174 01:17:10,110 --> 01:17:13,445 So I will put the address to The Markham Effect 1175 01:17:13,446 --> 01:17:16,490 underneath, and so people can go and listen to you. 1176 01:17:16,491 --> 01:17:22,070 And also, before going, I would like to show your book, which is also called The 1177 01:17:22,071 --> 01:17:26,350 Markham Effect, and that's the book that you published yourself. 1178 01:17:27,460 --> 01:17:32,699 And I hope that you deal with these people in university 1179 01:17:32,700 --> 01:17:35,950 and your suspension is removed as soon as possible. 1180 01:17:37,240 --> 01:17:41,810 But otherwise, any help, I'm sure, situations like this, people should come and help. 1181 01:17:41,970 --> 01:17:44,247 If you need legal help, it should be like a 1182 01:17:44,248 --> 01:17:46,210 crowdfunding, and we injured that as well. 1183 01:17:46,370 --> 01:17:49,196 We will work towards your crowdfunding, and we will 1184 01:17:49,197 --> 01:17:51,590 ask people to are viewers to help towards that. 1185 01:17:51,591 --> 01:17:55,622 But make sure that if you stood for people in Palestine, there 1186 01:17:55,623 --> 01:17:58,590 are many people in the world who will stand with you as well. 1187 01:17:58,690 --> 01:18:05,170 And this is like a movement, which starts from gas all the way to LA, to Raqqornel, 1188 01:18:05,605 --> 01:18:10,850 to Iran, to all other places, because the world would not be a free place until 1189 01:18:10,851 --> 01:18:15,590 Palestine is free, and Palestine cannot become liberated on its own. 1190 01:18:15,591 --> 01:18:17,890 It needs the whole global awakening for that. 1191 01:18:18,330 --> 01:18:20,210 Thank you very much for being with us until now. 1192 01:18:20,690 --> 01:18:23,750 Tomorrow, we will be possibly with you again. 1193 01:18:24,430 --> 01:18:26,110 I'm not going to announce the program yet. 1194 01:18:26,690 --> 01:18:28,183 And if this is anything else you want to add, 1195 01:18:28,184 --> 01:18:30,831 please, the voice I'm going to close the show. 1196 01:18:31,780 --> 01:18:33,310 Thank you very much. 1197 01:18:33,390 --> 01:18:33,830 Take care. 1198 01:18:34,250 --> 01:18:35,250 Are wonderful. 1199 01:18:35,310 --> 01:18:36,950 See you later, and best of luck. 1200 01:18:37,130 --> 01:18:38,130 Bye-bye.