Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Norway: Girl band Razika support BDS, blame Jewish blogger for ensuing online attacks


 On May 1st, girl band "Razika" published their support for the antisemitic boycott of Israel.




Razika faced a backlash online.  They claim they were got death and rape threats, as well as hundreds of hate messages.

Who's responsible?  Razika blame a Jewish blogger,  Suzanne Aabel.  According to a post they published on Facebook, Aabel published their picture and called them names, and from there it spread to Norwegian pro-Israel site MIFF, and from there to "several Zionist communities worldwide".

In an interview to NRK, it turns out that by "Zionist" they mean "Jews".  Vocalist and guitarist Marie Amdam said: "The post spread to Jerusalem.  Many conservative Jews have sent has hate messages and compared us to Hitler."

Drummer Embla Karidotter says that they don't blame Aabel, but that she started the debate against them in an unserious way.  "It was in the comments on her site that it started, and her post that contributed to spreading it."

Aabel rejects the idea, saying that she has 2000 friends on Facebook, while Razika's page, where they posted the picture of their own accord, has 16,000 likes.  She says that they decided to post about a controversial political issue, and then blame her for commenting on it.  She herself gets threats online, and that this is the price you pay for expressing your opinions on such topics.

They say it's "completely absurd" to think they're Nazi or antisemitic.  "We reject Nazism, fascism, antisemitism and violence".  They support boycotting Israel because "Israel is an occupying state that oppresses the Palestinian people and systematically violates human rights."

Razika got support from the head of the Socialist Left Party, Audun Lysbakken.

Lysbakken wrote on Twitter that "It's cool that Razika choose to show that they stand for something.  [I'm] sick with the outrageous harassment they've received from the undemocratic mob online."

Apparently it does not sicken him that Norwegian Jews think Razika are antisemitic.

Razika, for their part, don't really care what Jews think.  On Facebook they declare: "We aren't afraid to stand for what we believe.  Long live peace, freedom and love.  FREE PALESTINE"


h/t morsmal

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