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Zionist as a pejorative

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Zionist as a pejorative or Zio (/ˈzaɪoʊ/ ZY-oh) is a term commonly used by "anti-Zionists" as described by academics,[1] political parties and civil rights organizations as antisemitic, including but not limited to the American Jewish Committee (AJC), Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the British Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats.

History of pejorative use

The use of the compounded "Zio" as a slur is first recorded by the 1990 edition of the American Jewish Yearbook as in the term "Zionazi", spraypainted as graffiti on the campus of SUNY-Binghamton.[2] The website WikiZio, run by former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) David Duke uses "Zio" as a noun or as a hyphenated or unhyphenated adjective. Other variations of "Zio-" include "Zio-Communism", "Zio-economics", "Zio-supremacism", and "Zio-occupied America".[2]

Ben Samuels, writing for Haaretz, has claimed that the term was popularized first by David Duke and then later by leftists and members of the British Labour Party.[3] In 2016, the British Labour Party released an inquiry into antisemitism stating that "Epithets such as [...] 'Zio' and others should have no place in Labour party discourse going forward." Speaking at the inquiry's launch, party leader Jeremy Corbyn stated that "'Zio' is a vile epithet that follows in a long line of earlier such terms that have no place whatsoever in our party."[4]

In 2017, the organizers of the Chicago Dyke March faced accusations of antisemitism after their Twitter account used the term "Zio tears".[5][6][7] In April of the same year, Terry Couchman, an election candidate of the British Labour Party, was suspended over his use of "ZioNazi" in a post criticising Israel.[8][9] Tony Greenstein, another then-member of the British Labour Party, was accused of antisemitism and expelled from the party in 2018 for using the term "Zios" among other allegations.[10][11]

Reception

According to the American Jewish Committee (AJC), "Zio" is used by antisemites to pass off their antisemitism as "anti-Zionism", pointing out that "Zio" is an euphemism for "Jew".[12] This view was shared by prominent Jewish civil rights advocacy Anti-Defamation League.[13] Similarly, progressive journals like the Mosaic Magazine referred to "Zio" as a "new anti-Jewish slur".[2] Writer Ariel Sobel of the Jewish Journal also pointed out that "Zio" was an antisemitic slur with roots within antisemitic right-wing extremist circles that had been adopted by some progressives in their activism.[14] Well-known Czech-Israeli Jewish Holocaust historian Yehuda Bauer succinctly called the "Zio-Nazi" slur hate speech.[15]

Zionist as pejorative

During the Israel-Hamas war, the term Zionist became a popular pejorative among the political left.[16][17] For many Palestinians it is an "ugly" term, because, in their view, it implies the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight. In July 2024, Meta made the controversial decision to impose restrictions on the use of the term.[18][19] This decision was welcomed by the American Jewish Committee.[20], while 73 organizations sent a letter to the Meta, alleging that such a policy "will also encourage the incorrect and harmful conflation of criticism of the acts of the state of Israel with antisemitism."[21] A pro-Palestinian digital rights group further argued that "Zionism is an ideology. It's not a race."[22][relevant?] David Duke, the former KKK's Grand Wizard, reportedly used it as a slur against Jews based on the fact that Zionism holds such widespread appeal among contemporary Jews that it has become a core part of many of their identity, especially in the US, where 85% American Jews believed in the importance of the US supporting Israel,[23] and the UK, where 80% British Jews identified as Zionist.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ ""It's in the Air": Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias at Stanford, and How to Address It A REPORT FROM THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ANTISEMITISM AND ANTI-ISRAELI BIAS OF THE JEWISH ADVISORY COMMITTEE AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY" (PDF). May 31, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Who're You Calling a "Zio"?". Mosaic Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  3. ^ Samuels, Ben (18 July 2017). "'Violent History' of 'Zio': How Chicago's Dyke March Adopted an anti-Semitic Slur Dear to White Supremacists". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  4. ^ "Labour antisemitism report tells members to stop using 'Hitler, Nazi and Holocaust metaphors'". The Independent. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  5. ^ Sommer, Allison Kaplan (14 July 2017). "Chicago Dyke March Collective Revels in 'Zio Tears' in Twitter Rant". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  6. ^ Stern, Mark Joseph (25 July 2017). "This Is a Safe Space. No Jews Allowed". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  7. ^ "Chicago Dyke March Drops Pretense, Deploys Anti-Semitic Term Popularized by Neo-Nazis". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  8. ^ "Exclusive: Labour candidate suspended over 'ZioNazi storm troopers' posts". Jewish News.
  9. ^ "Labour Candidate Terry Couchman Reportedly Suspended for Posts Attacking "ZioNazi Final Solution" and "Jewish Organizations"". Campaign Against Antisemitism. 14 April 2017.
  10. ^ "Tony Greenstein's 'notorious antisemite' libel claim dismissed by court". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  11. ^ "Britain's Labour expels Jewish anti-Zionist activist over 'anti-Semitic' remarks". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  12. ^ "Zionist / "Zio"". American Jewish Committee. April 2021. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  13. ^ "Anti-Zionism as Antisemitism: How Anti-Zionist Language from the Left and Right Vilifies Jews". Anti-Defamation League.
  14. ^ "Why Are Progressives Using an Anti-Semitic Slur Coined by the KKK?". The Jewish Journal. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  15. ^ Feinberg, Tali (2021-11-11). ""Hit back hard," Holocaust scholar says of "Zio-Nazi" slur". Jewish Report. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  16. ^
  17. ^ "GLOSSARY OF ANTISEMITIC TERMS" (PDF). Antisemitism Policy Trust.
  18. ^ "In groundbreaking new policy, Facebook says calling someone a 'Zionist pig' is antisemitic". The Forward. 9 July 2024.
  19. ^ "US antisemitism envoy lauds Meta ban on use of 'Zionist' as slur". Jewish News Syndicate.
  20. ^ "AJC Welcomes Meta Policy Cracking Down on Antisemitic and Anti-Israeli Hate Speech | AJC". www.ajc.org. 2024-07-09. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  21. ^ Bhuiyan, Johana; Paul, Kari (2024-02-10). "Meta's review of hate speech policy sparks concern of further censorship of pro-Palestinian content". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  22. ^ Nix, Naomi; Dwoskin, Elizabeth (2024-02-09). "Inside Meta, a debate over when the word 'Zionist' is hate speech". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  23. ^ "AJC Survey Shows American Jews are Deeply and Increasingly Connected to Israel". American Jewish Committee. 10 June 2024.
  24. ^ "Eight out of ten British Jews identify as Zionist, says new poll". The Jewish Chronicle.
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