Hamas Killed the Progressive Movement Too
Hamas’ unprecedented and disgusting attack on Israeli civilians is a catastrophe. The loss of life is still being understood, but it’s clear that innocent humans were tortured, raped, maimed, murdered and made to suffer in fear and anxiety for bloodlust and hatred. As someone who lived through 9/11 and its expansive grief, it’s enough to make my head spin and my heart weep. This is just the beginning.
Almost immediately, progressives the world over responded to these heinous acts of terror with some version of “they had it coming”.
Honestly, it’s gobsmacking to see it on social media. Users posted videos showing Hamas committing an atrocity, like murdering parents in front of their children, and thousands responded with “Free Palestine”. Same for posts by family members seeking their missing loved ones. At least here, they have no sympathy for the loss or torture. A substantial portion of those unfeeling respondents are in the West.
Over the next few days, heartless, ill-conceived rallies took place in major Western capitals celebrating the cause of Hamas. When questioned about whether this was a good idea, many of the organizers of these rallies doubled down, explaining that the Israeli occupation was to blame. The organizers were not western branches of Islamic Jihad, or ISIS offices in the US, Canada and England — they…
