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Ytringsrommet og krigen i Gaza
Freedom of Expression and the War in Gaza
The Fritt Ord Foundation, Masahat for Arab Culture in Exile, and Vega Scene cordially invite the public to a conversation on Wednesday, 29 November 2023 from 6 – 8 p.m. at Vega Scene in Hausmanns gate 30, Oslo.
Amund Bakke Foss, chief advisor in the foreign news section at the newspaper VG, will moderate a conversation with Jumana Manna, an artist based in Berlin, Nadim Khoury, an associate professor at the Department of Law, Philosophy and International Studies, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sarah Lookofsky, artistic director at Kunstnernes Hus, Jon Martin Larsen, senior lecturer in journalism at Kristiania University College and commentator for the media website M24, and Nikolai Melamed Kleivan, reporting manager and journalist at the newspaper Morgenbladet.
Following Hamas’ attack on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s military invasion, we are witnessing in Gaza the bloodiest war in our time.
The war is having severe consequences for human rights and freedom of expression. The right to express oneself, to protest, show anger and frustration, take an anti-war stance, to distance oneself from the violence, and show solidarity with those who suffer, is leading to new confrontations, persecutions and bans.
Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and inside Israel are being persecuted and punished for their words by the Israeli authorities and their supporters. Jewish Israeli activists also face sanctions when they criticize Israel’s warfare. The pursuit of free speech involves arrests, interrogations, and warnings. Social media, including past posts, are monitored for signs that people are supporting the Palestinian side. In recent weeks, many Palestinian citizens in Israel have been suspended from universities and fired from their jobs.
In Germany and France, pro-Palestinian demonstrations and shows of solidarity have been met with bans, arrests and violence. Accusations of anti-Semitism against Palestinian cultural workers, artists and academics have resulted in smear campaigns, the cancellation of exhibitions, and terminations of employment in several European cities. At the same time, there are reports of an increasing number of anti-Semitic incidents in Europe, the USA and Norway. The discursive climate of communication in the USA is also being strongly influenced by the war.
Reporting on the war in Gaza has proven to be challenging and dangerous due to the total lack of safe places to work. Roughly 40 journalists and media workers have been killed, and the lack of physical access to the Gaza Strip and the war zone creates fertile ground for propaganda from both parties. A large generation of young people is discovering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the first time through social media images and videos. When they turn their attention to the edited media, they find a dissonance between editor-led mainstream media and social media.
In this conversation, we will discuss the challenges facing mainstream media; what it is like to be an Arab, Muslim and Jew, living through this war; anti-Semitism; cancellations; censorship and self-censorship in institutions; as well the double standards reflected in foreign policy – in Norway and internationally.
The conversation will also feature certain individuals and organizations invites to give short interventions during the event, including Bergdis Joelsdottir, director of Policy at Amnesty International Norway, who is currently mapping the restrictions on freedom of expression in Europe as well as tech giants’ restrictions in light of the war.
The event will conclude with a dialogue with the audience, followed by soup and open discussion until 9 p.m.