The West has been in denial about censorship for far too long
The West has been in denial about censorship for far too long
It is time for Western societies to stop lecturing others and open their eyes to their own realities of repression.
Author: Khalid Albaih, Khalid Albaih Political cartoonist
Published on: 15/02/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:
On February 14, US Vice President JD Vance accuses America’s European allies of practising censorship. Vance’s boss, President Donald Trump, attacked and eroding democracy in the United States. For so long, the West has lectured us on freedoms and criticised us for being unable to achieve them. Western media like to point that out and show concern. In 2015, atena Farghadani was sentenced to years in prison in Iran for depicting parliamentarians as animals. Tehran was widely condemned for not being able to “take a joke” In 2019, a syndicated cartoon depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a dog leading a blind Trump was swiftly taken down. In 2023, veteran cartoonist Steve Bell was dismissed from The Guardian also for drawing a cartoon of Netanyahu that was alleged to be anti-Semitic. The newspaper did not reverse its decision even after the Israeli Cartoon Association condemned his firing. This was the first time a cartoon of hers was not accepted because of the point of view inherent in the cartoon’s commentary. The consequences for daring to cross a red line with your pen is not prison or death, but ultimately, the result is the same: cartoonists are silenced. Today, the brunt of censorship and violent repression in the West is being borne by Palestinians and their allies.
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