Cartoonist Vasco Gargalo accused of “anti-Semitism”, targeted for censorship

Portuguese cartoonist Vasco Gargalo is the target of an unfounded accusation of anti-Semitism and an appeal for his dismissal by an international Zionist organization, under the pretext of the cartoon entitled Crematorium, now republished in a commentary on the “peace plan” presented by the United States.

Vasco Gargalo, stressing that he will continue to fight for freedom of expression and freedom of the press, says: “It is my view on this attack. When I made the cartoon I knew it was strong, that it would touch on the issue of Holocaust victims, but I don't really add anything to what I see. It's a comparison I made of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Vasco Gargalo, speaking to Lusa news agency, said this Wednesday that he had received, in addition to accusations of anti-Semitism, also death threats, because of the cartoon, published online on the Cartoon Movement platform on 15 November 2019 and which he republished last week, in a commentary on the “peace plan” presented by President Trump.

In a letter addressed to Sábado magazine, Washington-based B'nai B'rith International claims that the cartoon constitutes “anti-Semitic propaganda.” But later the Zionist organization reveals the real reason for its anger: “The demonization of the State of Israel is not an acceptable political or social commentary, it is in fact modern anti-Semitism”.

This is not just the expression of an opinion, albeit unfounded, about the cartoon in question. In fact, in the letter to the board of Sábado, B'nai B'rith goes as far as to demand Vasco Gargalo's dismissal!

Speaking to Lusa, the director of Sábado, Eduardo Dâmaso, stated what should be obvious to everyone, that is, that there is no reason to end the contractual relationship with Vasco Gargalo, underlining the defense of the author's “freedom of creation”.

The content, and the tone, of the B'nai B'rith letter constitute an unacceptable attempt at pressure and censorship, calling into question not only Vasco Gargalo's freedom of expression but even his livelihood.

On this occasion, friends of the Palestinian cause and all defenders of freedom of expression, so aggressively challenged, can only express their solidarity to Vasco Gargalo.

Unfortunately, this is not an unprecedented act. Not to mention the unbridled campaign directed against British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, accused of anti-Semitism for being a long-time and staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause —  we cannot but mention the case of António's cartoon last year, which was also the target of the unwarranted accusation of anti-Semitism. And which led the New York Times not only to remove the work from its website, but also to take the absolutely extraordinary decision to stop publishing cartoons.

As MPPM has repeatedly warned, the accusation of anti-Semitism has been systematically and increasingly used against those who criticize Israel's criminal anti-Palestinian and warmongering policy, deliberately seeking to confuse this criticism with an attack on followers of the Jewish religion and invoking, in particular, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, and above all the specious examples attached thereto.

Precisely, the B'nai B'rith letter invokes the fact that Portugal joined the IHRA last December, thereby subscribing to its definition of anti-Semitism.

This only confirms the justness of the warning issued by MPPM in its statement “Anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism! No to the attempt to muzzle the criticism of Israeli politics!”, of December 2018. In that document, MPPM “expresses deep concern about the news that the European Union is promoting … the approval of a document that aims to equate criticism of Zionism and Israel with anti-Semitism”, further criticizing the “involvement of the Portuguese State in such a maneuver”.

As the statement reiterates, the denunciation of Israel's crimes “has nothing to do with anti-Semitism”, corresponding instead to “an ethical imperative stemming from the founding principles of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which demand a firm stance in defense of all those who are victims of discrimination and persecution based on their national or religious origin, as is clearly the case with the Palestinian people”.