16 statements from the left relativizing Hamas terrorism

In recent days, following the attacks by the Islamic terrorist group Hamas on Israel, politicians, teachers, personalities and left-wing movements have spoken out via social media, interviews or official notes relativizing the seriousness of the attacks. A People’s Gazette gathered 16 such statements.

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“Gaza is the largest open-air prison in the world. No one has been able to enter or leave for 17 years due to the blockade imposed by Israel. A people who have lived for decades under a military and colonial occupation regime have the right to resist and rise up against oppression. Palestinian resistance lives and is legal under international law. Illegal is apartheid, colonialism and ethnic cleansing promoted by the Israeli regime, which has the most reactionary government in its history. Treating Palestinian resistance as terrorism would be equivalent to treating the Jewish uprising against the Nazis in Warsaw in 1943 in the same way.”

– Luciana Genrostate deputy of Rio Grande do Sul (PSOL).

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“The real terrorism in the Middle East is that of the Zionist state that promotes apartheid against the Palestinians.”

– Roberto Robainacouncilor of Porto Alegre (PSOL-RS).

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“Now was a propitious moment for a new Arab revolt, to overthrow all the dictatorships that are, at the very least, complicit in the massacres in Israel.”

“First criticism I make of Lula’s foreign policy: what a weak note it is in relation to colonialism in Gaza. Talking about Hamas is the trap of Zionism.”

– Reginaldo Nasserprofessor of International Relations at PUC-SP.

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“We may not like Hamas, disagreeing with its policies and methods. But this organization is a decisive part of the Palestinian resistance against the colonial State of Israel. Remembering the Chinese saying, at this moment it doesn’t matter what color cats are, as long as they hunt mice.”

– Breno Altmanjournalist, founder of the website Opera Mundi.

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“This has a single culprit, Zionism, which has been exploiting, killing and humiliating Palestinians for decades.”

“Illegal settlers being driven out. That’s what this is about.”

– Francirosy Campos Barbosaprofessor at the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP) at USP and member of a working group to combat “hate speech and extremism” at the Ministry of Human Rights.

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“Palestinians have the right to resist the oppression and land theft that Israel has carried out for more than 75 years.”

“The time will come…” [Em comentário acompanhado de uma imagem da bandeira de Israel pintada em um muro que está desmoronando.]

“Gaza breaks prison. ????????✊????” [Em comemoração aos ataques do Hamas.]

“Operation Al-Aqsa Storm is the Palestinian people’s cry for enough.” [“Operação Tempestade de Al-Aqsa” é o nome dado pelo Hamas aos ataques terroristas recentes.]

– Sayid Tenoriovice-president of the Brazil-Palestine Institute, who had an audience with the Minister of Institutional Relations of the Lula government, Alexandre Padilha, the day before this declaration and was an advisor to deputy Márcio Jerry (PCdoB-MA), who dismissed him.

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“It was late. ✈️”

– Fernanda de Melo, bachelor’s degree in International Relations, about the murder of Brazilian Bruna Valeanu by the terrorist group Hamas. Fernanda was recently invited to speak at a public class at the University of São Paulo (USP) on the Palestinian issue.

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“Yesterday was a historic day not only for the Palestinian people, but for everyone who wants to see the world free from oppression, tyranny and terrorism. Hamas lit the flame of resistance against the terrorist and fictitious state of Israel. All support for Hamas! End of Israel!”

– Party of the Workers’ Cause (PCO)via X (formerly Twitter), after the first attacks made by Hamas.

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“I am here on behalf of the Workers’ Cause Party to provide our unrestricted support to the Palestinian people and Hamas. Saturday was the day that changed the entire history of the anti-imperialist struggle in the world.”

– Francisco Muniznational director of the PCO, at a pro-Hamas demonstration in São Paulo.

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“Full and unrestricted support for the Palestinian people’s struggle for self-determination and against the apartheid policy implemented by Israel.”

– MST (Landless Rural Workers Movement)in an official note that was later deleted.

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“A Sheet You can call Hamas a terrorist group to stay true to your Handbook, but to stay true to the same Handbook you would need to refer to Israel as a terrorist state and its rulers as terrorists, according to your own definition. (…) if the Sheet makes a point of covering, in the way it refers to Hamas, what it perceives as violations of humanitarian law, or as war crimes, or, even, crimes against humanity, I would use another terminology than that of terrorist.”

– Salem NasserPhD in International Law from USP and professor at FGV-SP, in an article in the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo criticizing the use of the word “terrorist” for Hamas.