Rachel Corrie's memory being exploited by anti-semite on myspace

[oberliner]

Have a look at this article posted on UK Indymedia:

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/08/346758.html

Rachel Corrie's Memory Hijacked On MySpace

I think we all know of Rachel Corrie, the young International Solidarity Movement activist who was callously murdered by the Israeli Defence Force 3 years ago. I recently noticed that a MySpace account had been set up (I believed) to honour her memory At first glance the 'Rachel Corrie' page seems appropriate enough, but yesterday I watched a video (one of several hosted there) called 'The Other Israel' by one Ted Pike, which gave me considerable cause for concern.

<snip>

Most progressively minded and intelligent people, despite Israeli propaganda, are perfectly able to distinguish between Judaism and Zionism, and between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Not so, it seems the person, who has set up the MySpace Rachel Corrie Page.

I watched Ted Pike's video with mounting horror, as this right-wing Christian proceeded to blame Jews for all the ills of the world, everything from the death of Jesus Christ and Middle-Age pogroms to the 'scourge' of feminism, socialism, Marxism, 'liberalism', and communism. These 'erroneous' political positions, along with presumably anarchism, are according to Ted Pike merely some invention of cabals of evil Jews intent on bringing the world to it's knees. While Pike, the 'director' of the American 'National Prayer Network' (a "Christian Conservative watchdog organization") claims that he is not anti-Semitic, it is hard not to form an opposing view. Certainly Pike is very popular with Neo Nazis (see the US based Vanguard News Network for example), and he is a supporter of fascist Holocaust deniers such as David Irving and Ernst Zundel.

<snip>

So basically we have some scumbag here who presumably thinks that Auschwitz was a bakery, and who doesn't even CARE about Rachel Corrie's politics. Moreover, who seems to find the whole situation funny!

Now, I don't know everything about Rachel Corrie's politics, I've read her writing and I have friends who shared her last days and were there when she was killed, but I don't pretend to be party to all her views. However, I do know that she was an intelligent and compassionate young woman, and I don't think her opinions had anything in common with the right-wing, anti-feminist, anti-socialist, and anti-Jewish tub-thumping of the likes of Ted Pike. And she deserves better than this.

Sadly, with her pale skin and blond hair, Rachel's picture has appeared on Nazi websites such as the 'Combat 18 - Blood & Honour' site, but at least in this case it's obvious what these bastards believe. Zionists ruthlessly try to tar all those who oppose their subjugation of the Palestinian people with the brush of anti-Semitism, calling Jewish anti-Zionists "self-hating Jews". Morons who are unable to oppose the Israeli state without falling for every claptrap conspiracy theory that the Jew-haters trot out simply provide Israeli Zionism with a propaganda victory, and do no service to the virulently anti-racist Palestinian people. It is a disgrace that Rachel Corrie's memory should be insulted like this.

[JackNewtown]

1. You can't have it both ways

You can't complain about every thread you can reasonably argue isn't in accordance with DU's rules on the ME and I/P and then violate the very rules. So the goal was stifling views you opposed, not enforcing the rules?

I won't complain to the mods about enforcing the rules and moving this to I/P. I don't believe in calling in mods to lock threads I just happen to disagree with.

[oberliner]

2. I thought it was more about anti-semitism on the net than I/P issues

But I realize I was mistaken and understand it being moved.

[JackNewtown]

3. The implication relates to I/P

There has been a constant drumbeat from pro-Israel posters lately with respect to the idea that right-wing fascists support the Palestinians and Arabs so if you also hold that position you must be wrong, or even bigoted. Unfortunately, those who hold that position don't apply that logic universally. One could easily make a stronger argument in the other direction, given the fact that the right-wingers who back the Olmert/Netanyahu position are mainstream, influential right-wingers, including the Republican Party and virtually the entire right-wing movement in the US, not a discredited lunatic fringe.

[Lithos]

4. Locking

An anti-Semitic video by Ted Pike is not news, nor is finding it on MySpace.

Lithos
DU Moderator