This is not a picture from the Third World, but a scene from a press conference by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, where a journalist/activist was expelled and physically assaulted for asking questions about Washington’s biased policies towards Israel.
The incident took place yesterday in a room full of journalists, when the American journalist of Palestinian origin, Osama Al-Husseini, questioned the silence of the US administration regarding the Israeli nuclear arsenal that violates all international laws, and the attempts to obstruct the decisions of the International Criminal Court that seeks to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinians.
Al-Husseini’s words, which reflected growing dissatisfaction with Washington’s policy of double standards, expressed clear embarrassment on the faces of the officials. But instead of providing transparent answers, security personnel moved and forcibly removed Al-Husseini from the room, despite his continued attempts to express his opinion.
This repressive behavior reflects a stark contrast to the American slogans that glorify freedom of expression and democracy of opinion and other opinions. While Washington condemns human rights violations in the countries of the Global South, it is involved in silencing journalistic voices when they face criticism related to its domestic and foreign policies.
What happened raises the perennial question: Is American democracy practiced only on paper? Or are the promised freedoms just empty words that are suppressed at the first attempt to test them? Especially when it comes to Washington’s interests and foreign policies, freedom of expression turns into a crime.
