September 17
GUEST: Emmaia Gelman, writer, researcher and PhD candidate at the NYU American Studies Program, describes her recent findings about the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), and how it has funded right wing movements in the US.
Open letter to progressives: The ADL is not an ally
Emmaia has done the research necessary to expose the Anti-Defamation League as a cleverly disguised, Israeli funded propaganda organization. It has a hidden history of attacking all sorts of social justice movements led by Blacks, queer people, immigrants, and Muslims. In fact, the ADL has often come down on the side of the police, right wing fanatics, and perpetrators of racist violence.
The ADL has also been traced to movements that attack Black Lives Matter, Palestinian rights groups, and Congressional Rep. Ilhan Omar. Other specifics are equally troubling. The ADL advised police on ways to infiltrate and videotape marchers at the August 2017 Black Lives Matter rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The International Jewish Ant-Zionist Network has traced over 40 locations around the world where the ADL has worked with state authorities to suppress legitimate dissent.
The history of the ADL is similarly troubling. The group supported South African Apartheid, the House on Un-American Activities during the McCarthy Era, and the surveillance of Martin Luther King. The ADL also investigated Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), the Civil Liberties Union, and the American Indian Movement.
More recently, the ADL has organized attacks on college students who advocate for Palestinian rights on campus, and attempted to brand all criticism of Israel as antisemitic.
Emmaia is an articulate and courageous reformer, and her work is so important. Groups like the ADL are closely allied with Israel, and ever willing to protect Israel's right to commit racist violence by doing favors for the rich and powerful in America. The ADL is a big Trump supporter. Could it also be a credible champion of human rights?
