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Anti-hate watchdog criticizes CUNY Law School’s selection of commencement speaker

Canary Mission: Nerdeen Kiswani, the force behind a violent and aggressive anti-Israel group in New York City, has been chosen to give a commencement address.

A screenshot of an Instagram post by anti-Israel activist Nerdeen Kiswani. Source: Screenshot.
A screenshot of an Instagram post by anti-Israel activist Nerdeen Kiswani. Source: Screenshot.

Canary Mission, an organization that documents people and groups that promote hatred of the United States, Israel and Jews, released a press statement on Tuesday criticizing a decision by the City University of New York (CUNY) Law School to select an anti-Israel activist to deliver a commencement address this Friday.

The statement described the designated speaker, Nerdeen Kiswani, as “the force behind a violent and aggressive anti-Israel group in New York City,”

“Kiswani, who is known at the law school as Nerdeen Mohsen, founded and heads the organization Within Our Lifetime (WOL), a group dedicated to the complete destruction of Israel. WOL is responsible for a recent series of violent protests on NYC streets that have seen its activists physically attack Jews and passersby. The group targets Jewish groups, businesses and individual philanthropists who support the State of Israel,” it added.

Kiswani was named the “Antisemite of the Year” in 2020 by StopAntisemitism.org, and WOL was banned from Instagram recently for inciteful hate speech.

According to Canary’s statement, Kiswani leads WOL rallies and promotes slogans such as “Resistance, by any means necessary,” and, “We need allies who are gonna help us achieve a victory, not allies who are going to tell us to be non-violent.”

“Kiswani has been front and center at these protests, her voice ringing loud and clear leading chants such as, ‘5-6-7-8 smash the settler state,’ ‘There is only one solution, Intifada revolution,’ and ‘Intifada, Intifada! Long Live the Intifada!’”

Kiswani and WOL’s latest campaign is called “Globalize the Intifada,” according to Canary.

“On July 31, 2021, after fireworks were lit at a WOL rally, Kiswani told the crowd: “I hope that a pop-pop is the last noise that some Zionists hear in their lifetime,” said the organization.

WOL is planning a protest on Sunday in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, N.Y., to commemorate “Nakba Day,” said Canary.

“This political environment could discourage congressional committee staff and federal agency personnel from pursuing investigations or enforcement actions involving antisemitism,” Karen Paikin Barall of the Brandeis Center told JNS.
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