Mahmoud Khalil: ‘This Is Simply Weaponization of Anti-Semitism to Silence the Speech’

EXCERPT:

KHALIL: “This is simply weaponization of anti-Semitism to silence the speech. And, Wolf, as you‘ve mentioned, I‘ve been always, whether publicly or privately, against any form of discrimination and of racism, including anti-Semitism. But they want to use that as smokescreen so they can just, like, benefit from — from that — unfortunately, that very hateful speech that‘s happening so they can silence my speech. It‘s simple and clear. And as you said, a federal judge ruled that the Trump Administration failed to present any evidence of me saying anything anti-Semite or even engaging in anti-Semitic or hateful engagements. But because it‘s easier for this administration, it‘s easier for the Israel lobby in this country to silence the speech, to throw me in prison than actually reflect on what I‘m saying, actually reflect on what these students are talking about, which is simply — and of the genocide and of the war. We don‘t want our tuition money to go toward investing in weapon manufacturers at Columbia University, or this administration to use the tax money to fund Israel weapons and bombs in Gaza. So it‘s absurd like that. They are actually weaponizing, like, anti-Semitism, because anti-Semitism is happening and it‘s being used by this administration. It‘s Marco Rubio who‘s supporting these, like, new Nazi parties in Europe. It‘s the Trump Administration who‘s meeting with Holocaust deniers. It‘s not me. We‘re simply calling for the rights of the Palestinian people for their justice and freedom. And as I mentioned before, and as I mentioned now, Jewish students and just the Jewish American public are integral part of the Palestinian liberation movement in this country, and this is what‘s frightening this administration and the Israel lobby in this country."