The most recent smear campaign against Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is yet another unfortunate reminder of the tendency to weaponize accusations of antisemitism in order to intimidate pro-Palestinian activists. We express solidarity with Tlaib and those who face backlash for denouncing the U.S. role in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. We demand that our politicians stop demonizing pro-Palestinian activists. We reaffirm our demands for an immediate ceasefire, an arms embargo on Israel, and the right to Palestinian self-determination.

While criticizing a cartoon implying that Tlaib is a member of Hezbollah, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel labeled Tlaib’s criticism of her as antisemitic. The attorney general recently decided to charge 11 people who participated in pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Michigan earlier this year, a decision condemned by the ACLU of Michigan as an “unnecessary escalation” that is part of “a pattern of excessive response by law enforcement to the campus protests” across the United States. The Michigan District, CPUSA, recently called on the public to demand that Nessel end the prosecution and drop the bogus charges.

Tlaib, in an interview with the Detroit Metro Times, said the charges speak “volumes about possible biases within” the attorney general’s office with regard to pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Nessel falsely claimed Tlaib said she was biased due to her being Jewish, a claim that has been amplified by Anti-Defamation League director Jonathan Greenblatt, as well as CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. However, the Detroit Metro Times interviewer, not Tlaib, was the only one to mention that Nessel is Jewish, and there are zero public statements in which Tlaib says Nessel is biased due to her religious beliefs.

The Michigan Attorney General’s comments are part of a wider trend of labeling any and all criticism from a pro-Palestinian perspective as “antisemitic” in order to limit discourse. We expect more of our elected officials than weaponizing accusations of antisemitism, especially in times such as this. We demand that U.S. politicians stop demonizing pro-Palestinian demonstrators, from Washington to Main Street.

As the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, Tlaib is continuously targeted by solidly pro-Israel politicians and journalists. While Tlaib was censured for her use of the popular phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” Senator Lindsey Graham faced no repercussions when he freely invoked the U.S. criminal atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki when discussing what Israel should do with Palestinians in Gaza.

With regard to Palestine, Tlaib throughout her career has continually shown she has more courage and backbone than the majority of Congress, the State Department, and the White House combined. More than any other elected official, she highlights the double standards Americans face when they voice their displeasure at the United States’ continued support for Israel, especially when that country is committing genocide.

We stand with Rashida! Retract the hateful lies! Drop the bogus charges on the students! Free Palestine!

Image: Rashida Tlaib Official Website Portrait by tlaib.house.gov (public domain).

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