Danny Shaw was until recently an Adjunct Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He became notorious for his social media comments on Israel and the Gaza War. Many people found them antisemitic. His contract was not renewed. More about his case can be found here: “To The Intercept, calling Zionists ‘Babylon swine’ and telling them to ‘go back to Yiddish land’ is simply ‘criticism of Zionism,'” Elder of Ziyon, May 24, 2024:
The Intercept has an article about academics who lost their jobs because, they claim, of their support for Palestinians or their criticism of Israel. They are never antisemitic, never hateful, never let go for any valid cause, according to the article.
Here’s one of their examples:
“I was fired after 18 years as a professor of Latin American and Caribbean studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice,” Danny Shaw said. He was told last month by administrators at the college, which is part of the public City University of New York system, that he would not be reappointed to his longtime adjunct position. Shaw’s colleagues had moved to reappoint him but were overruled by John Jay President Karol Mason, according to an open letter from the economics department.
On his X account in mid-October, in the wake of stridently bellicose remarks from Israeli officials, Shaw wrote in a now-deleted post that Zionism “is beyond a mental illness; it’s a genocidal disease.” The target was unambiguously Zionist ideology and its adherents, not Jews for being Jewish. The speech is also clearly within the bounds of First Amendment protections. It was, of course, decried as antisemitic.
Let’s see what Shaw actually wrote:
“These Zi^nists are straight Babylon swine. We need to protest their neighborhoods…Why are you racist arrogant bullies?…Zionism is beyond a mental illness; it’s genocidal disease.”
Three of the four sentences are reprehensible lies, but are quite within the bounds of free speech.
The second sentence, however, cannot be read as anything other than incitement to harass Jews. What else could a Zionist neighborhood be? Do Republicans protest random Democratic neighborhoods, or vice versa, without a specific person or organization in mind? The only time I can recall a demonstration at a neighborhood itself was the neo-Nazis marching in Skokie, Illinois in 1977.
I’m a little less clear ont he [sic] “Babylon swine” reference, but since Jew were exiled to Babylon, it doesn’t seem to be referring to anyone but Jews.
And then you can add a little more context to see if Shaw means “Jews” when he says “Zionists.” As the ADL reports, and no one I can see denies,
At a Sunday, October 15, 2023, rally, Shaw reportedly shouted, “Zionism is a trap. Go back to your true history. Go back to Yiddish land!“…
To make up for the income from John Jay that he’s now lost, perhaps Danny Shaw can become a columnist for Al Jazeera. He can write feelingly, after all, about what his column will be called: “American (In)Justice.” Victimhood is powerful.
libertyORdeath says
Anybody who reads this site regularly should have no illusions about what true antisemitism looks like.
Let’s not turn into little critical race theorists and start using “antisemitic” in the same way that the leftist uses “racist” or “fascist”.
Is there a good reason to fire him? Of course. But until he starts calling for the extermination of Israelis or breaking the law in some other way I would say that is enough.
Jews can handle criticism. It’s TERRORISM that we need to be concerned with.
Chief Mac says
Last time I looked advocating for violence is not free speech – it is a crime
commonsense says
Right you are, Chief!
commonsense says
Right you are, Chief!
Kevin Kraemer says
Reading what these “Professors” said reminds me of what the Brown Shirts did before the Nazis killed them then the Jew. History repeats itself. In the last days perilous times will come. Perilous times are here. As Teddy Roosevelt said, walk softly and carry a big stick was good advice then, and still is today.