Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs tweeted the following earlier today:
I decided to see for myself.
Here’s the video in question, which is actually from over a year ago:
I have to agree with CIJA. Harden is engaging in antisemitism, despite painting himself as a human rights campaigner who speaks out against it.
Because while he explicitly condemns antisemitism, in the next breath he speaks about questioning his Jewish neighbors about what is going on Israel. He also expresses understanding as to why “anti-Zionists” engage in antisemitic rhetoric.
Harden also demonizes the Jewish state with lies. You can see examples of all of the above below:
If you make sh*t up about Israel, if you take up what is going on in Israel with your Jewish neighbors, and if you express understanding as to why people engage in antisemitic rhetoric, you are, in fact, an antisemite yourself – no matter how many times you claim to oppose antisemitism.
Update: Harden has apologized for some of the comments.
On Saturday, Harden defended his comments, saying on Twitter that he never blamed his Jewish neighbours for Israel’s actions and opposed both antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism.
In a statement released Sunday, however, Harden said he apologized “unreservedly” to the Jewish community.
“I spoke in a way that perpetrated an antisemitic stereotype towards Jewish neighbours. I regret my choice of words and sincerely apologize to the Jewish community,” he wrote. “You have my commitment that it won’t happen again and I will continue to work with Jewish leaders who can help me understand antisemitism.”
