Radhika Sainath is a senior staff attorney at Palestine Legal. She's appeared on MSNBC, Al Jazeera English, Democracy Now!, and in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times discussing Israel/Palestine, social movements, and the crackdown on protesters.
If you’re a Palestinian in the US speaking out for Palestinian rights, you can expect to be censored and slandered. This isn’t just an affront to free speech — it’s often a manifestation of anti-Palestinian racism.
A frightening wave of firings, threats, and retaliation against pro-Palestinian writers and activists has chilled the political climate. Now, more than ever, the “Palestine exception” to free speech standards is being challenged.
Pro-Israel groups claim that the First Amendment doesn’t protect the boycott, divest, and sanctions movement. A Kansas court just ruled against them.
The most successful recent attacks on free speech have come from Zionist organizations seeking to suppress any criticism of Israel.