EXTREMISM2023 Nakba Day Events Marked by Antisemitic Rhetoric and Themes

Published 25 May 2023

Every year on May 15, Palestinians and their supporters mark Nakba Day (“catastrophe” in Arabic) as a day of mourning the creation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. Historically, there have been numerous instances of inflammatory and antisemitic language espoused by anti-Israel activists at Nakba Day events. The 2023 events were no exception.

Every year on May 15, Palestinians and their supporters, including many anti-Israel activists, mark Nakba Day (“catastrophe” in Arabic) as a day of mourning the creation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. Events also highlight the plight of Palestinian refugees and advocate for the Right of Return. Historically, there have been numerous instances of inflammatory and antisemitic language espoused by anti-Israel activists at Nakba Day events. The 2023 events were no exception.

From May 12 to May 21, 2023, 25 events across the United States, from rallies to vigils and banner drops, commemorated Nakba Day. There was also a flurry of social media activity. On multiple occasions, anti-Israel activists used the events to express support for terrorism/terrorists or engage in the antisemitic vilification of Zionism and Zionists. In at least four instances, participants espoused rhetoric that played into classic antisemitic themes.

Of particular note, at rally in Washington, D.C., Rafiki Morris of the Black Alliance for Peace (a self-described anti-war and human rights group) was met with enthusiastic applause when he told the crowd: “The only good Zionist is a dead Zionist.” Morris later doubled down in a Facebook post: “Zionist[sic] are mass murderers, thieves, spies, fascists’, racists, imperialists and settler colonialists. Everywhere on the planet the punishment for mass murder and genocide is death.”

A notable number of rallygoers expressed support for members of terror groups or for violence/terror against Israel. This support included, most notably, posters of and speeches lauding Khader Adnan at rallies in Dallas, Seattle, and Brooklyn. Adnan was a spokesperson for the U.S.-designated terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) who recently died in an Israeli prison while on hunger strike.

On other occasions, Leila Khaled (currently based in Jordan) was venerated. Khaled is a member of the U.S. State Department-designated terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and is well-known for her role in the hijacking of two civilian airliners, TWA Flight 840 in 1969 (bound for Tel Aviv from Rome) and El Al flight 219 in 1970 (traveling from Amsterdam to New York City).

·  Dallas, May 12: Posters of with images of Khader Adnan and the slogan “glory to our martyrs”

·  Seattle, May 13: Posters with the phrase “Honor Khader Adnan.”