Confronting anti-racism's Antisemitism problem

Laith Marouf's Twitter activity shines a light on how Antisemitism can be overlooked.

Advisory: The events discussed this week involve Twitter activity from a would-be government consultant. The text of the Tweets contains language that would not usually appear in Horse of a Different Colour. However, I felt it was necessary to communicate the seriousness of the topic, not to summarize or, in other ways, tone down the language of the Tweets. 

Photo by Marten Bjork on Unsplash

Anti-racism has an Antisemitism problem. 

Leaders in the anti-racism and critical race theory movement in the United States and Canada have consistently promoted a narrative wherein what is often prefaced as “the world’s oldest hatred” is not only non-existent, but forms of its rhetoric, particularly spreading mis- and disinformation about Israel and Zionism, and at times classic Antisemitic power tropes, are accepted and encouraged under the auspices of combatting oppression. 

What is anti-racism? Anti-racism is the practice of opposing racism and promoting equality. It posits that it’s not enough to simply not be racist, but that we must actively take measure of and address the implicit and explicit racial dynamics that come into play in every circumstance. On its face, this sounds like a net positive. Fighting Antisemitism quite often involves confronting implicit biases against Jews. But the anti-racism movement has often failed to leave a seat at the table for Jewish community members, specifically those who support Israel.

It’s not just that anti-racism has an Antisemitism problem - it’s that there is a gaping blind spot to it. 

Perhaps there is no better example of this blindspot than the recent events that arose due to Laith Marouf’s Twitter activity. 

Laith Marouf is the senior consultant of the Community Media Advocacy Centre (“CMAC”). CMAC received a $133,000 grant from the Department of Canadian Heritage to build an anti-racism strategy for the broadcasting sector a year ago. Last week, however, Twitter activity from Marouf was brought to light. From the account, which he has since made private, the Beirut-based activist posted the following, among other hateful things:

The Tweets are shocking. Even with the awareness of how pervasive the virus of Antisemitism is in the world, it is nevertheless disturbing to see them, particularly from an individual who, only a few months ago, the Minister of Canadian Heritage was embracing with pride for his leadership in the discussion of anti-racism. When Marouf’s Twitter account was suspended in 2021 due to these Tweets and others like them, he embarked on a campaign. He attempted to explain why his account should not have been suspended, focusing on the assertion that referring to Jews and Zionists as White Supremacists and Nazis was not a violation of the platform’s policy against hate speech. Of all of the emotions that Marouf’s Tweets elicit, the strongest is sadness. Toned-down versions of Marouf’s statements - usually referring to “Zionists” rather than “Jews” - have become almost commonplace in discussions of how to promote and engage in anti-racism as Jews, an incredibly heterogeneous community, have been classified as privileged oppressors.

On Tuesday, it was announced that the government would cut CMAC’s program funding and suspend the consulting group due to Marouf’s Antisemitic Twitter activity. Many have come out to condemn Marouf’s language making this a win in the fight to have Antisemitism recognized and addressed.

There are many questions regarding what happens next regarding money that has already been paid and liability for the hateful rhetoric; for the moment, it is worthwhile asking how this happened. 

This is not an instance of Tweets from 10 years ago that someone dug up during a deep dive of Marouf’s social media. He referred to Jews as “loud mouth bags of human feces” in August. Watching events unfold, it was difficult to shake that sinking sensation that the ability to overlook the content of the Tweets for so long had to do with how anti-racism classifies the Jewish experience. While it is possible that no one from the Department of Heritage viewed Marouf’s Twitter account, as a person who recently went through the job search process and advises others on that process, removing inappropriate social media posts is fairly routine advice that cannot always be without reason. This is where the anti-racism’s Antisemitism problem begins to rear its head. 

Marouf, like many others, frequently refers to Zionists as White Supremacists or propagating apartheid, language that was pioneered in the Soviet Union to justify the oppression of Soviet Jews, and which has become popular in anti-racism and critical race theory dialogue. 

Marouf’s Tweets fall on the extreme end of the spectrum, making it difficult to comprehend how they were not brought up sooner. Still, the normalization of characterizations of Zionists as oppressors allows this type of language to slip through the cracks unnoticed. Promotion of this view of Zionism is frequently justified through claims that it is merely opposition to a political ideology. These arguments neglect the place of Zionism in the identity of the overwhelming majority of Diaspora Jews and Jewish religious texts, and promote the erasure of parts of the Jewish experience. 

Anti-racism is all about addressing the systems that govern our society and our implicit biases against certain groups based on race and ethnic origin. Yet, it has consistently and continually relied on implicit biases against the Jewish and Zionist community, and promoted systems and structures that have excluded Jews, explicitly or constructively, from organizations and activities, especially in progressive circles. 

The revelation of Marouf’s Twitter activity demonstrates the extent to which Antisemitism can be overlooked in the pursuit of anti-racism. While steps are being taken to right this wrong, that we have found ourselves in a place where this could happen at all should enkindle a moment of self-reflection on how we can most equitably achieve the positive parts of what anti-racism aspires to teach us.