cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/54172205

By equating Zionism with racism, the party has sparked a predictable wave of outrage. But are we debating the right questions?

16 October 2026

At the same time, the discourse around the motion has centred on how people define themselves, rather than on the realities of the racist oppression Palestinians face.

Some within the movement are comfortable with that focus. A year ago, I was asked at a conference whether I agreed that the problem with Zionism was not its impact upon Palestinians, but its essential character as a racist ideology. In response, I paraphrased civil rights leader Kwame Ture (formerly Stokely Carmichael): “If a man wants to lynch me, that’s his problem. If he’s got the power to lynch me, that’s my problem.”

This does not mean that we compromise on our understanding of Zionism and the realities of the oppression of Palestinians. It does mean that we avoid building roadblocks to people becoming part of the mass movement for change.