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Campus Activism Suppression and Mayor Mamdani's Remarks · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. We're also
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  Speaker 1: launching Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, providing focused coverage from New York,
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  Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region. Find out more
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  Speaker 1: at clockworkmedia.org slash m.a. A new report from the American
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  Speaker 1: Civil Liberties Union details what the organization describes as disproportionate
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  Speaker 1: suppression of student activism supporting Palestine by college administrators and
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  Speaker 1: police nationwide. The ACLU's two-year investigation of 80 universities found
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  Speaker 1: that since October 2023, universities have responded more punitively to
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  Speaker 1: pro-Palestinian advocacy than to other demonstrations in decades, imposing sweeping restrictions,
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  Speaker 1: disciplinary actions, suspensions, and expulsions. According to the ACLU report,
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  Speaker 1: universities also face government influence, including tactics like abusing civil
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  Speaker 1: rights laws and withholding federal research grants. At UCI, Students
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  Speaker 1: suspended during the May 2024 encampments for alleged policy violations
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  Speaker 1: have filed a lawsuit, set for trial in early 2027,
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  Speaker 1: claiming their due process rights were violated. The report also
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  Speaker 1: notes that complaints about pro-Palestinian activism frequently characterize peaceful demonstrations
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  Speaker 1: as antisemitic, while overlooking violence directed at advocates, citing an
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  Speaker 1: incident at UCLA on April 28, 2024. where counter-protesters attacked demonstrators.
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  Speaker 1: In New York City, Mayor Zoran Mamdani has drawn criticism
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  Speaker 1: for his statement commemorating the anniversary of the October 7th
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  Speaker 1: Hamas attack. On his show Real Time, comedian Bill Maher
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  Speaker 1: mocked Mamdani's remarks, calling his rap name tone-deaf and suggesting
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  Speaker 1: Mamdani pivoted to blaming Israel. Mamdani's statement had described the
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  Speaker 1: day as profoundly painful, but also condemned ongoing Israeli actions, stating,
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  Speaker 1: The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It
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  Speaker 1: instead continued through the Israeli government's devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza,
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  Speaker 1: in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians. He
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  Speaker 1: also stated, Our tax dollars fund these war crimes and
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  Speaker 1: called for refusal to accept occupation and apartheid. According to
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  Speaker 1: the Wall Street Journal, Jewish leaders say Mamdani's rhetoric has
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  Speaker 1: jeopardized the community, even as he has condemned antisemitism. An
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  Speaker 1: associated antisemitism strategy from Mayor Mamdani's office is reportedly criticized
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  Speaker 1: as falling dangerously short, according to reporting reviewed for this episode.
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  Speaker 1: Mamdani also faced criticism for dining at Ayat Heinz Hall,
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  Speaker 1: a Palestinian restaurant whose sister location previously drew ire for
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  Speaker 1: menu language described as antisemitic. Elsewhere, police arrested Wisconsin Green
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  Speaker 1: Party congressional candidate Matthew Arndt after he confronted a Jewish-Israeli driver.
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  Speaker 1: Screaming F, Israel and other obscenities. According to reporting reviewed
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  Speaker 1: for this episode, Arndt was arrested for confronting the driver
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  Speaker 1: who was flying an Israeli flag. A report from lemond.fr
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  Speaker 1: identifies streamer Hassan Piker with 20 million subscribers as a
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  Speaker 1: controversial figure whose comments on Israel and Jews have led
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  Speaker 1: to accusations of antisemitism, influencing America's radical left. Finally, the
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  Speaker 1: former U.S. antisemitism envoy stated that the October 7 attack
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  Speaker 1: was an attack on the entire West, framing the event
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  Speaker 1: with significant geopolitical implications, and referenced past executive orders addressing
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism on college campuses, according to Israel Hayim. For focused
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  Speaker 1: coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region,
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  Speaker 1: listen to Antisemitism Watch. MidAtlantic at ClockworkMedia.org slash m-a. Follow
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  Speaker 1: the next update. This report was generated with AI assistance
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  Speaker 1: and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with primary sources.