Inspired by the civil rights and anti-apartheid movements, it calls for Palestinian liberation on terms of full equality with Israelis and categorically opposes all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism.
But it’s no time for celebration—the left is weak, and the cynical center-right chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, may be strengthened by his coalition partner’s disgrace.
The Freedom Party attacks Muslims and cozies up to the extremist Identitarian movement. No wonder it sees independent journalism as a nuisance to be silenced.
The congresswoman was smeared—nothing she said warranted the criticism she received. But progressives should not fall into the trap of denying that anti-Semitism exists on the left.
The spirited defense of the freshman congresswoman against unfair attack was the result of years of grassroots organizing. But will it really change the entrenched status quo in Washington?
I’m Jewish and have worked against anti-Semitism for decades. I was sitting a few feet from Omar at Busboys & Poets and I heard nothing—nothing—that smacked of anti-Semitism, overt or coded or otherwise.
