The Anti-Jewish Riots: Chapter 1, Part 2.
I recently read "The Anti-Jewish Riots in Oslo" by Eirik Eiglad, a 2010 book discussing a multi-day incident of antizionist and antisemitic violence which occurred in Oslo, Norway, in during New Year's week in 2008-2009.
This is Part 2 of Chapter 1, "I Have Seen The Future."
My summary is indented, thoughts follow.
Following Eiglad's departure from the rally and counterprotest, which had turned into a rain of stones and bottles from the pro-Palestinian counterprotesters, alongside cries of "Allahu Akbar" and "Sieg Heil", and attacks on random bystanders, he goes to observe the Peace Rally at Youngstorget.
Speakers included two men mentioned by Eiglad, Mads Gilbert and Erik Fosse. Of the former, Eiglad notes that he defended the 9/11-attacks, and of the latter he writes that Fosse encouraged leftists "to support Khomeini's regime" in the 80s, going on to say that Fosse dismissed concerns over social conservatism as distorted, taking the view that imposing women's rights upon "Islamic culture" is cultural oppression.
After this, Eiglad leaves Youngstorget, but later learns that this alleged Peace Rally had people yelling "Kill the Jews", "Slaughter the Jews", and "Go get them!". The Rabbi of the Oslo Jewish Community Joav Melchior, and the community’s leader Anne Sender, were chased away, the former being told "Damn Jew", get lost".
Eiglad writes about reports later in the night detailing assaults on bystanders by groups of youths specifically on the hunt for Jews. People were assaulted, including two older men named Jon (62) and Sverre (73), the former had his arm fractured in four places. The latter was saved from too much brutality when the group attacking him learned he was "Norwegian", and "not a Jew". Journalists were also attacked, including by a Molotov cocktail, and a police car was smashed by a group chanting "Allahu Akbar".
Some in the mob walked to the Israeli embassy, about a 15 minutes walk away, but were met with heavy police guard surrounding the building. The crowd instead attacked the nearby beauty salon belonging to Jan Thomas, a Norwegian gay celebrity, who is not by any means politically active on the matter of Israel. Amongst the usual chants were several homophobic remarks and curses from the attacking groups.
In this chapter, Eiglad also shares his thoughts on the matter of antisemitism and antizionism, and comes to the conclusion that perhaps seems obvious to many Jews: Antizionism is often an expression of antisemitism; "I had long suspected that anti-Zionism had become the dominant form of anti-Semitism today." He further writes that "in today's anti-Zionism the "Jewish Entity" - Israel, and Zionism - supplants the Jew as an object of extreme hatred."
Eiglad is an antinationalist, but he notes that antizionism is itself often an expression of nationalism, in particular when the antinationalist-antizionist champions the national cause of the Palestinians. In my own interactions with supposed anarchists, in my former communities and in my comments on this blog, I have seen those who claim the anarchist label suspiciously only focusing on Israel and rarely their own (often European) countries. One may be tempted to ask, why does the world's only Jewish state have to be the one to give up its nation-state first?
The events Eiglad describe are, as I mentioned in the previous post, scarily similar to events that have played out since. I, like Eiglad, worry about the left and its ability to keep its house in order. When we on the left see our allies and friends chant "Kill the Jews" or "Sieg Heil", or fly the flag of Hezbollah and display the symbols of Hamas, do we act in defence of our principles and try to set our house in order?
Too often the answer is No; we didn't do it in 2008, and we don't do it now. Mads Gilbert, the man mentioned as having supported the 9/11-attacks, also called Hamas "brave" and the IDF "cowardly" after October 7th, reaffirming his support of the "resistance", by which he means Hamas. We've seen plenty of examples of the left harbouring antisemitism and violent antizionism in the United States, too. The most recent prominent example is of course Platner, but recall that Track AIPAC also endorsed Texas primary candidate (and loser! 🥳) Maureen Galindo, who wanted to create a concentration camp for American Zionists and castrate them. Mamdani's name bears mentioning, but if I go on I'll need to make a Part 2: Part 2.
Unfortunately it does not surprise me that the mob that intended to attack the Israeli embassy instead turned their ire against a gay man's salon. Eiglad speaks earlier in the book about his view that, in many political movements centring on the Middle East, "nationalist overtones tend to obscure or even contradict the more fundamental message of social liberation." If we are to call ourselves leftists, we cannot permit Palestinian nationalism (or Israeli nationalism for that matter, though that's often less of an issue) to inject social conservatism and homophobia into our movements. And yet, even many queer leftists will excuse the violent queerphobia of Hamas, and fly Hezbollah flags with the background changed to pride flags. It's sickening, and emblematic of seriously flawed reasoning. Are you truly so willing to throw your principles of social liberation in the dirt for the sake of antisemitic nationalist terrorism? If so, you are no ally of mine.
Next time, in the chapter "Blitzkrieg Bop", you'll hear about the lead-up to the riot, and how the left responded to the day's events. Shavua tov.
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