Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET Networks
CNN has fired Marc Lamont Hill after his speech yesterday at the United Nations where he made remarks that some interpreted as Antisemitism, or prejudice against Jews.
In his speech for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the activist said: “We have an opportunity to not just offer solidarity in words but to commit to political action, grass-roots action, local action and international action that will give us what justice requires and that is a free Palestine from the river to the sea.”
If you didn’t know, the phrase, “from the river to the sea,” is used by Hamas and other anti-Israel terror groups, which is where the controversy came in.
https://twitter.com/breaking9111/status/1068248072440987649
He went on to add: “We must advocate and promote non-violence…We cannot endorse a narrow politics of respectability that shames Palestinians for resisting, for refusing to do nothing in the face of state violence and ethnic cleansing.”
Hill even took to Twitter in a series of tweets to defend himself and further explain that his words were taken out of context:
He also explained on Twitter the history and context in which he was referring to the phrase: “I concluded my remarks with a call to free Palestine from river to sea. This means that all areas of historic Palestine —e.g., West Bank, Gaza, Israel— must be spaces of freedom, safety, and peace for Palestinians. Anyone who studies the region, or the history of Palestinian nationalism, knows that “river to sea” has been, and continues to be, a phrase used by many factions, ideologies, movements, and politicians. The phrase dates back to at least the middle of the British Mandate and has never been the exclusive province of a particular ideological camp. The idea that this is a Hamas phrase is simply untrue.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the network confirmed, “Marc Lamont Hill is no longer under contract with CNN.” There are no other reasons given for his dismissal.
Some pro-Palestinian activists and politicians do not agree with this move from CNN. Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American congresswoman even said: “Calling out the oppressive policies in Israel, advocating for Palestinians to be respected, and for Israelis and Palestinians alike to have peace and freedom is not anti-Semitic.”
The Temple University professor is always speaking up for those in the minority and for causes that matter. Check out this video of him talking about what Black students need to succeed:
TELL US: Do you think his firing was fair or foul?
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