In 2016, Sweden distinguished itself among European states by affirming that the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign is a legitimate political movement that should be protected from repression.
By Ali Abunimah
Published on the Electronic Intifada, Oct 13, 2021
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In 2016, Sweden distinguished itself among European states by affirming that the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign is a legitimate political movement that should be protected from repression.
But now, the government of Prime Minister Stefan Löfven is moving towards criminalizing criticism of Israel and its racist state ideology Zionism under the guise of combating anti-Jewish bigotry.
This week, Sweden is hosting the Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism.
It is being attended by Israel lobbyists and EU officials committed to muzzling criticism of Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights.
High-profile speakers include UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Isaac Herzog, Israel’s new president who has long dehumanized Palestinians and Muslims and promoted violence against them.
Herzog was also involved in the ongoing defamation campaign to paint Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters in the UK Labour Party as anti-Jewish because of their support for Palestinian rights.
One of the Malmö gathering’s main purposes is to further entrench the so-called IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, a document heavily promoted by Israel and its lobby.
This definition notoriously conflates criticism of Israel and Zionism, on the one hand, with anti-Jewish bigotry, on the other. (Watch The Electronic Intifada’s new mini-documentary on how the IHRA definition is being used to smear and silence supporters of Palestinian rights).
@EmmanuelMacron was right on target in his historic speech stating clearly that #antisemitism is hiding behind anti-Zionism. His firm reaction to hate crimes in France & his promise to adopt the internatl definition of antisemitism are urgent steps every European leader must take https://t.co/m7Ml97qkw9
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) February 21, 2019
“Stark warning”
As host, Sweden has pledged to introduce its own “action program” against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of bigotry.
This will include “enhanced efforts by the police to counter racism and hate crime” as well as assigning a “research agency” working under Sweden’s defense ministry to “continuously monitor anti-Semitism and other forms of racism.”
“Organized racism and support for organized racism will be criminalized,” the Swedish government asserts.
What should raise particular alarm about these pledges is that Sweden’s approach to anti-Semitism will be based on the IHRA definition – opening the way to criminalization of support for Palestinian rights by falsely defining it as “hate.”
While that may sound extreme, dozens of international anti-Semitism scholars, many of them Jewish or Israeli, have issued what they call a “stark warning against the political instrumentalization of the fight against anti-Semitism.”
They are calling on leaders attending the Malmö meeting to “reject and counter this instrumentalization.”
“We notice coordination with and reliance on lobby organizations shielding the Israeli government,” the scholars state.
Their statement has been published in Swedish and other European media.
The scholars say that the IHRA definition is being “weaponized against human rights organizations and solidarity activists who denounce Israel’s occupation and human rights violations” and is used to “legitimize wrongful accusations of anti-Semitism.”
Among the signatories are Amos Goldberg, chair in Holocaust studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Alon Confino, director of the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Michael Rothberg, professor of comparative literature and Holocaust studies at UCLA; Lila Corwin Berman, professor of American Jewish history at Temple University and Leora Auslander, professor of history at the University of Chicago.
The scholars are particularly scathing about recent moves by the European Union, including its recently issued “handbook” for applying the IHRA definition and its new “strategy” to combat anti-Semitism.
As The Electronic Intifada has reported, the handbook contains outright lies about the boycott movement, while the strategy against anti-Semitism is a thinly disguised blueprint for muzzling supporters of Palestinian rights.
Both initiatives have been led by Katharina von Schnurbein, the EU’s anti-Semitism chief who will also be present in Malmö.
Von Schnurbein publicly endorsed Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque earlier this year.
On my way to the #Malmö International Forum where States will make fresh commitments for #Holocaust remembrance and combating #antisemitism. The @EU_Commission will pledge its newly adopted Strategy with many concrete actions @vonderleyen @MargSchinas #ReAct pic.twitter.com/EXAF17BBP1
— (((k schnurbein))) (@kschnurbein) October 12, 2021
