A massive crowd at a major music festival in the United Kingdom chanted: “Death, death to the IDF.”
A New York City mayoral candidate still refuses to condemn the slogan, “Globalize the intifada.”
An 82-year-old woman died of her wounds from the firebombing last month in Boulder, Colo. The attacker yelled, “Kill all the Zionists, Free Palestine.”
These are not isolated events. These recent high-profile incidents are part of the ongoing trend blurring the line between political expression and calls for violence and even death against Jews. They echo the violent rhetoric and the dehumanization of Jews, Zionists and Israelis that is becoming widely accepted in mainstream cultural and political arenas.
Musician endorses violence: ‘Death, death to the IDF’
Bob Vylan, a British punk band, led a crowd of thousands in chanting: “Death, death to the IDF.” The performance was broadcast live to millions on Britain’s BBC and met with cheers from a packed audience. The chant, which was amplified over speakers and video feeds, was not spontaneous but part of his planned performance.
The group ended the profanity-laced anti-Israel performance screaming: “From the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah [God willing in Arabic], it will be free.” A Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea equates to the destruction of Israel. After the event, the band attracted new followers on social media.
British police launched an investigation to determine whether any of these comments amounted to a criminal offence. The U.S. State Department responded by revoking Bob Vylan’s visa for his upcoming 26-stop tour. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said: “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.”
The Israeli Defense Forces stand between the world’s largest Jewish community and its enemies. The recent daring airstrikes carried out by the Israeli and American air forces set back Iran’s nuclear-weapons program. Iranian leaders repeatedly have called for Israel’s destruction and death to America. Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists brutally murdered more than 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023.
They raped women and men, burnt families alive in their homes and kidnapped more than 200 Israelis, including corpses, dragging them back to the Gaza Strip. The IDF has defended Israel from existential crises and terror threats for 77 years.
Mayoral candidate refuses to condemn ‘Globalize the Intifada’
Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old Democratic mayoral candidate in New York City, was asked three times on “Meet the Press” to condemn the phrase “Globalize the intifada.” He refused each time.
The intifada, or “uprising,” refers to repeated terror attacks against Israeli civilians in the past, including fatal shootings, suicide bombings and bombings on buses, in malls and even an assault at a Passover seder. At pro-Hamas, anti-Israel rallies across the United States and around the globe, the phrase has appeared on signs, fliers and banners. Socialist Democrat nominee Mamdani has stated that he would not disavow the expression, calling it a matter of interpretation.
Days earlier, he compared the phrase to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943, when Jews fought back against the Nazis in Poland. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum condemned him for “exploiting the uprising to sanitize a phrase that is offensive to survivors and used to attack and murder Jews.”
In a 2017 rap video, he referenced “My love to the Holy Land Five.” Five men were convicted by a federal jury of sending $12 million to Hamas. The charismatic politician also co-founded Bowdoin College’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter in Maine. The national SJP organization recently threatened to kill Americans and Israelis over Iran, vowing “the alternative to leaving vertically is leaving horizontally.”
Despite his stated commitment to address antisemitism and other acts of hate in New York, Mamdani refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and criticized Israel just a day after the Oct. 7 massacre.
Rhetoric with consequences: Real-world violence
A terrorist shot and killed two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish event in the nation’s capital in May. Two weeks later, another terrorist hurled firebombs at Jews walking in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Karen Diamond, 82, died from her injuries. Both attackers claimed they were acting for a “Free Palestine.” The Secure Community Network called Diamond’s “senseless death another painful reminder of the unprecedented threat environment the Jewish community faces in North America.” This reminder comes days after FEMA announced $94 million in security funds for Jewish groups.
There have been many other attacks and incidents over the past few years; many are under-reported or never make headlines. Recent instances include a hazardous substances engineer charged with supporting the Islamic State and threatening to kill Jews. The 33-year-old man recently arrested by the FBI stated that the “day will come when the head of every evil, dirty Jew and their slaves, the cross worshippers, will have their heads plucked like a chicken.” He conducted surveillance on a synagogue in Stockton, Calif., and planned on killing a worshipper he thought was an Israeli soldier.
An American Jewish rock musician’s performance was cancelled because he posted a statement supporting Israel on Oct. 7. In Portugal several weeks ago, a vicious plot by anti-Israel activists was uncovered. They intended to use syringes with chemicals to poison and kill Israelis and Jews attending a music festival.
Why anti-Israel chants are dangerous: ‘Permission for violence’
“Globalize the intifada” is a viral slogan calling for violence against Israel and Jews around the world. William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said: “I am very concerned about the normalization of the hatred of Jews in America. Among the battle cries of those who seek to murder Jews is to ‘globalize the intifada.’ It’s deeply concerning that Mamdani spreads this message, and rationalizes, minimizes and denies the dangers to the Jewish people.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) echoed Daroff, saying that “when you use a word like ‘intifada’ to many Jewish Americans and Jewish New Yorkers, that means you are permissive for violence against Jews.”
Other common anti-Israel chants invoked at rallies across America and around the world include, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a cry for destroying the entire Jewish state. A Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea means the elimination of the State of Israel. During Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood—the parent organization of Hamas—called for Arabs to “drive the Jews into the sea.” “From the river” is another iteration of this phrase, adopted by Hamas, which also can mean the ethnic cleansing of Jews from the land of Israel.
“Resistance by any means necessary” is often used to justify violence against Israelis, not only in Israel but to Jews around the world. It can signal support for terrorism and target Jews simply for supporting Israel or for being Jewish. Synagogues, Jewish-owned restaurants and visibly Jewish individuals have been attacked in broad daylight. Their so-called “crime” was belonging to a people, not a policy. This is collective blame masquerading as political protest.
Points to consider:
- Dehumanizing language has become acceptable and is only growing.
What was once unspeakable is now shouted on stage and defended on national television. The crowd in Glastonbury, England, cheered a chant calling for the death of Israeli soldiers. Days later, a New York City mayoral candidate declined to condemn, “Globalize the intifada.” These incidents are not isolated. They reflect a broader comfort with language that blatantly dehumanizes Jews, Zionists and Israelis. This is not free speech. It is a permission slip for hatred, and it puts real people in danger.
- We should expect political candidates to condemn calls for violence.
The Jewish community, like any other, deserves political candidates who protect and not endanger their safety. Elected officials have a duty of care to all of their constituents, and that includes recognizing when rhetoric crosses the line from political expression to hate mongering. Calls for violence, whether explicit or thinly veiled, must be condemned clearly and consistently. Anything less normalizes danger and erodes public trust in our leaders.
- Incitement for violence can lead to murder.
Words can inspire. Words can incite. And words can kill. The recent death of 82-year-old Karen Diamond, who was firebombed by a man wielding Molotov cocktails while walking in solidarity with an Israeli hostage, is a sobering reminder that rhetoric matters. Her attacker shouted, “Kill all the Zionists. Free Palestine.” These slogans were not abstract; they were followed by firebombs. Dangerous language spreads beyond the stage or social media. Condemning incitement after a tragedy is too late.
- There is a stark difference between criticism and incitement.
Israelis routinely criticize the policies of their government. This does not mean they hate Israel or Jews. This is no different than Americans criticizing the acts of the U.S. government. Many anti-Israel activists claim that their incitement is merely criticism, yet they call for the destruction of the Israeli state or the killing of Israelis and Jews. Their hateful rhetoric crosses any reasonable and moral line of political expression and should never be tolerated.
- Israel is an integral part of Jewish identity.
For most Jews worldwide, Israel is not a talking point or a political viewpoint; it is a core part of their identity. Jewish tradition is rooted in the history of the Land of Israel. At every Passover seder, Jews declare: “Next year in Jerusalem.” Dismissing or erasing this connection denies not just a country, but a people’s heritage. At the Glastonbury music festival, while one artist called for Israel’s destruction, American rock band Haim, comprised of three Jewish sisters, proudly performed as Zionists who embrace their Jewish identity.