On August 12, the trial is scheduled to begin against Alejandro Bodart, left-wing political leader, Buenos Aires deputy (mf) and director of the magazine Permanent Revolution, of the International Socialist League, for the criminal case initiated against him by the DAIA (Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations). The only objectives are to silence anyone who supports or defends the cause of the Palestinian people and to impose strict political censorship on all criticism of the genocidal and racist State of Israel.
That is why a solidarity petition is being promoted to demand Bodart’s acquittal from the court and the cessation of all slanderous attacks by those who equate anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism to silence any criticism of Israel’s apartheid. And at the same time express the firm rejection of this and any attempt at political censorship, in defense of the elementary democratic right to freedom of expression.
The DAIA authorities develop a persecutory and antidemocratic campaign against Bodart. Proof of this is that the trial is based on two tweets posted by Bodart, one on May 11, 2022 when he posted a photo of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, denouncing her murder with the legend “Zionists = Nazis.”
The other was days later, on May 15 of that year, on the 74th anniversary of the Nakba, the bloody invasion of Palestine to create the State of Israel, which involved thousands of deaths and the forced exile of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, when Bodart tweeted against the ”Zionist and genocidal State of Israel”, and in defense of the just Palestinian cause.
Anti-Zionism has nothing to do with anti-Semitism
His criticism of the crimes and atrocities of Zionism and support of the Palestinian people earned Bodart a criminal lawsuit from the DAIA, accusing him of alleged “discrimination.” To do so, they appealed to the so repeated fallacy that anti-Zionism is the same as or synonymous to anti-Semitism. With the fallacious argument that raising any political or humanitarian denunciation of the State of Israel and its reprehensible actions amounts to religious or ethnic discrimination.
From the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), Zionism promotes a misleading and false definition of anti-Semitism in order to persecute anyone who criticizes Israel, its institutions, provocations and actions, as well as every other Zionist organization. They appeal to the legitimate sense of condemning the Nazi genocide and use the Jewish identity of the past’s victims to justify today’s genocide against the Palestinian people.
That is why we invite all organizations, individuals, journalists, intellectuals and social, political, labor, cultural, territorial, socio-environmental and student movements, to express their solidarity by signing this petition and sending every message of support they deem appropriate (sign here).
To be part of this international campaign and to be able to deliver that support to the court, as part of our defense in the case, whose legal sponsorship has been assumed by lawyers Carmen Verdú and Ismael Jalil, of CORREPI.
Sign the petition in solidarity with Alejandro Bodart here
To Judge Natalia Molina
Court of First Instance for Criminal, Contravention and Misdemeanors No. 8
Before the beginning, on Monday, August 12, of the oral trial of Alejandro Bodart, left-wing political leader, Buenos Aires deputy (mf) and director of the magazine of the International Socialist League, the undersigned express our rejection of the false accusation of “anti-Semitism” by the DAIA (Delegation of Argentine Israeli Associations), in order to silence those who defend the Palestinian cause and silence all criticism of the State of Israel and its policies of terrorism and genocide of the Palestinian people that, to this day, has taken more than 35,000 lives.
Likewise, in defense of the democratic right to freedom of expression, as a basic human right recognized by the national Constitution and the international treaties signed by the Argentine State, we ask the justice system for his acquittal.
You can add your signature by clicking on this online form.
Significant displays of solidarity
Many public figures, legislators, labor and student leaders have already signed, and well know figures will testify in support of Bodart, among whom we can highlight Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (Nobel Peace Prize, SERPAJ), our dear Norita de Cortiñas (Madre de Plaza de Mayo – Línea Fundadora) was going to but recently passed away; Laura Alché (APEMIA); Norman Briski (actor); Herman Schiller (periodista); Myriam Bregman (diputada nacional, mc); María Rachid (Instituto contra la Discriminación, ICDCABA); Cele Fierro (diputada porteña); Luis Zamora (diputado nacional, mc); Claudio Katz (Economista, EDI); Vilma Ripoll (diputada, mc de la CABA); Romina del Plá (diputada nacional, mc); José Saúl Wermus (Jorge Altamira, diputado mc de la CABA); Juan Carlos Giordano (diputado nacional, mc); Carlos “Sueco” Lordkipanidse (Encuentro Militante Cachito Fukman); Carlos Aznárez (periodista); Eduardo “Negro” Soares (abogado); Gabriel Solano (diputado porteño); Julio César Gambina (economista, FISYP); Hernán Camarero (historiador, CEHTI); Juan Carlos Capurro (abogado, CAJ); Guillermo Pacagnini (diputado bonaerense electo); Gabriel “Mohsen” Alí (sheij, clérigo); Clarisa Alberstein (dirigente nacional del MST); Tamara Migelson (Red Ecosocialista-MST).
There have also been pronouncements from the Unión Judía Francesa por la Paz (UFJP), miembro del Colectivo Judío Internacional por la Justicia en Palestina; la Red Internacional Judía Antisionista (IJAN, por sus siglas en Inglés); el Movimento Esquerda Socialista (MES), miembro del Partido Socialismo e Liberdade (PSOL) de Brasil; Tilda Rabi, presidenta de la Federación de entidades argentino – palestinas; también por el Frente de Izquierda Unidad, firman el MST, Movimiento Socialista de los Trabajadores, el PTS, Partido de Trabajadores Socialista, PO, Partido Obrero e IS, Izquierda Socialista.
Additionally, the human rights organizationsl Encuentro Memoria, Verdad y Justicia como AEDD (Asociación de Ex Detenidos-Desaparecidos); CADEP (Coordinadora Antirrepresiva por los Derechos del Pueblo); CADHU (Centro de Abogades por los Derechos Humanos); CeProDH (Centro de Profesionales por los Derechos Humanos); CMM (Colectivo Memoria Militante); CORREPI (Coordinadora contra la Represión Policial e Institucional); EMCF (Encuentro Militante Cachito Fukman); EPCT (Encuentro de Profesionales Contra la Tortura); Herman@s de Desaparecidos por la Verdad y la Justicia; H.I.J.O.S. Zona Oeste (Hijos por la Identidad y la Justicia contra el Olvido y el Silencio); SERPAJ (Servicio Paz y Justicia); CAJ (Comité de Acción Jurídica); APEL (Asociación de Profesionales en Lucha).
Pronunciations against this trial have also been issued by members of the Autoconvocatoria por la suspensión del pago e investigación de la deuda como Diálogo 2000-Jubileo Sur Argentina, Beatriz Rajland, Hugo Blasco y Daniel Campione por la Corriente Política de Izquierda (CPI); Democracia Socialista; Emancipación Sur; Proyecto Político Emancipatorio; Mesa Coordinadora Nacional de Organizaciones de Jubilados y pensionados; Julio Acosta (FETERA); MULCS, Movimiento por la Unidad Latinoamericana y el Cambio Social; Marabunta, Corriente Social y Política; PRML, Partido Revolucionario Marxista Leninista; Eduardo Lucita, Economistas de Izquierda; Pablo Bergel, Sociólogo, ex legislador de CABA. Join the campaign.