Sacking, censorship, threats: Pro-Palestine supporters face growing global backlash

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) – Since the start of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, pro-Palestine supporters across the globe have been facing a growing wave of repercussions, ranging from harassment and threats to being fired from their jobs.

Prominent cases of sackings include journalist Zahraa Al-Akhrass, who was fired from Canadian television news outlet Global News for social media posts in support of Palestine.

In Germany, Kasem Raad, a 20-year-old apprentice, was sacked by Welt TV for questioning the company’s internal policies favoring Israel.

In the UK, politicians have also come under fire, such as Conservative MP Paul Bristow, who was dismissed from his government role after calling on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.

Over in the US, the staunchest supporter of Israel’s deadly war, the impact has been just as forceful.

Expressing pro-Palestine opinions is costing people, particularly Muslims and Arab Americans, their jobs, as well as endangering their academic future, with universities across the US also cracking down on student activism.

Speaking to Anadolu, Farah Afify, research and advocacy coordinator at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said there has been a staggering surge in anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian discrimination.

A recent CAIR report found over 2,100 such cases between Oct. 7 and Dec. 2, she said.

“We have seen 2,171 complaints come into our offices. Now that encompasses everything from employees expressing that they have experienced repercussions because of their pro-Palestinian social media posts or for expressing support for Palestinian human rights,” she said.

The cases also include students facing bullying and harassment in schools or on college campuses, as well as other attacks on Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians in the US.

This figure represents a huge jump of 172% from the previous year, with the biggest increase in complaints registered in areas like Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Florida and Maryland.

Among these, over 20% were cases of people being sacked or facing discrimination at workplaces, according to Afify.

- ‘Spiraling out of control’

“People across the board, in terms of whether it’s students or employees in a particular sector, they are being targeted for their support of Palestinian human rights,” she said.

The attacks have directly been toward employees who might identify as Muslim, Arab or Palestinians, she added.

Citing specific incidents, Afify narrated a case where a death threat was slipped under the door of a staff member at American University in Washington.

In another instance, an employee was told not to speak about Palestinian issues on her social media.

Later, her supervisor posted a very anti-Palestinian speech, saying things like “You deserve everything that’s coming for you,” and referring to Palestinians as “sick animals.”

There were no repercussions for that official, according to the CAIR report.

“So, what we’re also seeing is a double standard in which people who are proponents for Palestinian human rights … might be having their speech suppressed, might be experiencing consequences due to their decision to post about Palestinian human rights online,” said Afify.

She said the number of complaints, including reported incidents of discrimination, have been “spiraling out of control.”

“We will not see an end to these types of situations until we see an end to the violence in Gaza,” she added.

- ‘Absolute fear’

According to Afify, the current atmosphere for Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians in the US is “one of absolute fear.”

“We see not only these incidents coming into our offices but also being publicized across the country,” she said, referring to videos being circulated on social media showing Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians being attacked “for seemingly no reason other than the fact that what they are.”

She said CAIR is working to raise awareness among employees and “make them aware of their legal rights.”

“It’s really important for employees to understand what is protected and … what might not be protected in places of work,” she said.

CAIR is also giving them practical resources in the sense of what to do if they want to post about Palestinian human rights on their social media, how to do that effectively and safely, she added.

“We also issue guidance to employers as well. Sometimes we will, especially if we’re attempting strategic advocacy around a particular complaint, we might speak with the employer directly,” said Afify.

They also give general guidance to employers to make them aware of the legal rights of employees and encourage them to make sure that Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians in their places of work feel supported, she added.