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Against the law decree equiparating any critique to Israel with anti-semitism, an appeal

In Italy, there are several bills that aim to introduce the IHRA’s operational definition of antisemitism, i.e. the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Although they refer to the fight against antisemitism, these bills trivialise it and equate it with the expression of critical opinions towards the Israeli state’s occupation policies. These policies have been recognised as illegal and racially discriminatory by the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice in July 2024, and as forms of apartheid by the most important Palestinian, Israeli and international organisations working in defence of human rights. As demonstrated by these same organisations and numerous United Nations reports, the policies implemented by the State of Israel have accelerated over the last two years and have resulted in forms of genocidal violence against the Palestinian people.

With a number of academics around the peninsula, today we have started an appeal to block these bills. They have nothing to do with anti-semitism, and they are just there to undermine our capacity to contest the genocidal project of the State of Israel in Palestine.

If you work in Italian academia – or perhaps you are visiting – consider signing our petition: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YyUjMyjVoZc5aZ23fUyoCKVLsZswkCgrMO2F83eihV8/edit?tab=t.0

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Free Mohamed Shahin!

We, the lecturers and researchers of Italian universities, express our deep concern about the situation of Mohamed Shahin, imam of the Omar Ibn al-Khattab mosque in Turin, currently detained at the Caltanissetta Repatriation Centre following an expulsion order issued by the Ministry of the Interior.

Mohamed’s offence? Speaking for Palestine. Sign our petition: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScS7NW8AOBCa-uCPe1XnsNknvE5qa_jMuRmmonfPAVEDtkprA/viewform — which I am providing with an automated English translation below.

APPEAL BY UNIVERSITY LECTURERS AND RESEARCHERS FOR THE RELEASE OF MOHAMED SHAHIN

We, the lecturers and researchers of Italian universities, express our deep concern about the situation of Mohamed Shahin, imam of the Omar Ibn al-Khattab mosque in Turin, currently detained at the Caltanissetta Repatriation Centre following an expulsion order issued by the Ministry of the Interior.

The revocation of his long-term residence permit and the consequent risk of forced repatriation to Egypt raise serious questions about respect for fundamental human rights. It is well known that, prior to his arrival in Italy more than twenty years ago, Mr Shahin was considered a political opponent of the Egyptian regime. The prospect of his forced return to Egypt would expose him to a real risk of persecution, arbitrary detention and inhuman treatment.

The reasons behind the revocation of his permit appear to be linked to his public statements on the situation in Gaza and his critical stance on the actions of the Israeli government. If this is the case, we would be faced with an extremely worrying precedent: the use of administrative instruments to target the exercise of freedom of opinion, which is protected by Article 21 of the Constitution and by international conventions to which Italy is a party.

Similar cases in recent years confirm a trend towards sanctioning foreign citizens for their political opinions or expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people. The use of CPRs in this context risks becoming a form of indirect repression of dissent and arbitrary limitation of democratic space.

It is important to remember that Mohamed Shahin has long been involved in interfaith dialogue and social cooperation. Numerous religious communities, civic associations and interfaith groups have publicly attested to his contribution to building peaceful relations between different components of the city of Turin, highlighting the collaborative and open nature of his work. In particular, the Turin Christian-Islamic Dialogue Network, in a statement addressed to the President of the Republic and the Minister of the Interior, highlighted Mohamed Shahin’s central role in interfaith dialogue and community life in the San Salvario neighbourhood.

In light of all this, we believe that immediate action is essential to ensure full compliance with constitutional principles, the Geneva Convention and Italy’s international obligations regarding human rights and protection against refoulement.

We therefore call for:

The immediate release of Mohamed Shahin and the suspension of the execution of the expulsion decree.

The review of the decision to revoke Mohamed Shahin’s residence permit, ensuring an impartial examination in accordance with national and international legal standards.

The protection of the right to freedom of expression in academic, cultural and religious contexts, regardless of the origin or faith of the individuals involved.

The closure of CPRs, places where human rights are violated.

As lecturers and researchers, we recognise the civic responsibility of the university to defend democratic values, promote pluralism and oppose all forms of discrimination or unlawful restriction of fundamental freedoms.

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Striking for Palestine.

The Unione Sindacale di Base (USB, of which I am a member) called for a general strike against the genocide of the Palestinian people at the hands of Israel, on Monday, 22nd September, all around Italy.

Hundreds of thousands of people marched in all around the countries. In Turin, where I live, we were at least 20,000 — likely more. From the morning till the evening. Under the slogan and program, blocchiamo tutto! (let’s block everything), people of all ages and social extractions marched for hours against the colonial genocidal project of Israel in Palestine. You can view images of rallies across the country on Dinamo Press, and here as well.

For many of us, who have been organising for Palestine and against the militarization of our lives for years, Monday was an important moment of confirmation and renewed expansion of our struggle. For many young people, it was their first-ever rally. It was an empowering day — one that also called for a denunciation of the Italian government’s responsibilities and its collusion with the Israeli project. Avanti!

[picture above: Turin, Wired]

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Nothing stands so the West can

We will strike; we have been striking. We will occupy; as we did before.

To boycott everything Israel is the only way forward.

But the coloniality of Western thinking and inhabiting is responsible for the genocide of the Palestinian people and Palestinian land, and history.

To fight that, we need to get closer to our own homes. Those that have not been bombarded but require the constitution and bombardment of the other to stand.

For nothing stands in Gaza anymore, so that our rotten edifices can continue to stand.

[Photo: Ebrahim Hajjaj/Reuters]

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On boycotting ISA 2025 in Rabat

A few days ago, a boycott campaign against the forthcoming ISA conference in Rabat, Morocco, was launched by the Moroccan Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel as well as by The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). I was planning to attend the conference, having organised a panel with AbdouMaliq Simone, so the call caught my attention, and that of many other social scientists across the globe.

In the call for boycott, these comrades are urging the ISA to take action regarding the participation of Israeli institutions in the conference, as well as denouncing specific contributions that advance colonial and negationist narratives in relation to the current genocide in Palestine (e.g., https://isaconf.confex.com/isaconf/forum2025/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/155086). The original full statement of the PACBI can be found here: https://bdsmovement.net/news/pacbi-isa-exclude-israel

A few days after the initial statements, on June 28th, the Global Sociologists for Palestine (GS4P) joined the call for a boycott (https://bdsmovement.net/news/global-sociologists-palestine-join-palestinian-calls-boycott-isa-5th-forum-over-ties-complicit). The GS4P document clarifies the reasons for the boycott and, importantly, opens up venues to connect with local scholars and participate in local actions.

After these important interventions, the ISA’s board responded (https://www.isa-sociology.org/en/conferences/forum/rabat-2025/isa-response-boycott-5th-forum). In my view, that response did not address the core problem. Following what liberal western institutions have been long doing, in that statement, ISA speaks of solidarity with Palestine, without engaging in the concrete actions a boycott demands. In the specific, it does nothing about the Zionist content that has been accepted into the conference, nor about the question of giving visibility to Israeli institutions (which are by default part of the Israeli military-industrial complex) at the event.

A further point of contention highlighted by the GSP4 in their text was related to the Israeli Sociological Society (ISS), a member of ISA. As explained by the GSP4, ISS has never “condemn, or even acknowledge, the genocide unfolding in real time” in Palestine. On this latter point, on June 29th, ISA has decided to take action. They released a new statement (https://www.isa-sociology.org/en/about-isa/isa-human-rights-committee/ec-decision-israeli-sociological-society) in which they announced the suspension of the collective membership of the ISS in the ISA.

I am pleased to see that, thanks to the efforts of PACBI, GSP4, and the Moroccan comrades, some significant results have been achieved. These include raising awareness and creating solidarity across many of us globally, as well as pushing ISA to “suspend” the ISS.

However, I believe what ISA has done is not enough and that more profound action is needed. There are at least three levels, which, by the way, I think should apply to all disciplinary associations engaged in the business of global conferencing (in my field, Geography, this includes the AAG or the RGS-IBG, to cite just two).

First. It is not enough to “suspend” the membership of ISS in ISA. That membership should be revoked, plain and simple. A new application to rejoin could be consider if and when ISS will denounce and take actions upon: i) the settler colonial project of Israel in Palestine; ii) the genocidal war of the State of Israel against Palestinian people, land and history; iii) the academic-military-industrial complex in which every Israeli University is emeshed. Till then, a “suspension” is not enough to satisfy the demands of a boycott within the BDS framework.

Second. ISA needs to expel all Zionist abstracts from the conference program. This means removing the abstracts and their authors from the conference altogether. If there is no mechanism in place to do this, then a problem exists. Allowing this kind of content into a global sociological forum cannot be defended under the banner of “free speech”. Racist and colonial content must not be allowed.

Third. ISA needs to cancel all interventions from scholars presenting under the banners of institutions complicit with the genocide. It is true that in doing the latter, Palestinian scholars working in Israeli institutions will also be affected. Yet, in my view, boycotting those institutions bears prime importance. In BDS the point is never about individuals – being Israeli or Palestinian scholars – but about institutions. Therefore, if I welcome ISA’s point on the ISS as a first partial step, I believe a stronger stance is needed: one that calls for no Israeli institutions at the conference, in any form, even if that form is just an affiliation. The epistemic validation that occurs when accepting such affiliations normalizes the related institutions at a time when they should not be normalized, but rather fully boycotted. Such an action would be coherent with a BDS framework, and was already present in the first call for boycott released by PACBI.

[UPDATE = after publishing this post, I came across PACBI’s latest statement, which is essentially along the same lines as what I have written above: https://bdsmovement.net/news/pacbi-welcomes-isa-suspension-reiterates-palestinian-demands)]

Given all of this, as of today (June 30th), I have decided to fully boycott the ISA event, cancel my registration, and refrain from traveling to Rabat. I do this in full support of PACBI and the Moroccan scholars for Palestine who have initiated the call, whom I thank deeply.

I believe going to Rabat and sustaining the activities of these comrades locally is also an option, as they suggest. If you are considering this, the GS4P website provides a link to a mailing list where you can join to stay informed.

In solidarity.

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A must read | ‘The Hunger Games’: Inside Israel’s aid death traps for starving Gazans | +972 mag

A new reportage by +972 mag, on the war crimes committed by the genocidal State of Israel, this time pertaining to “humanitarian” action.

“Starving civilians gather in massive crowds, waiting for permission to approach. In many instances, Israeli troops have opened fire on the masses — and even during distribution itself — killing dozens as they try to collect a few kilos of flour or canned goods to bring home in what Palestinians have dubbed “The Hunger Games.”

Since May 27, well over 400 Palestinians have been killed and over 3,000 wounded while waiting for aid, according to Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basel.”

Read the full article: https://www.972mag.com/hunger-games-israel-gaza-food-aid/

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Il Manifesto for Gaza | with an interview on boicotting Israel from the University

Today, the Italian daily newspaper Il Manifesto came out with a 28-page issue entirely dedicated to Gaza. This is to demarcate a political terrain. In a moment in which the liberal left starts to call out for ‘peace’ and to stop Netanyahu, we continue to ask for an end to the genocide, an end to settler colonialism, an end to the brutal Zionist project in Palestine.

Luciana Cimino interviewed me about the work done with students over the last two and a half years, from the relations of our universities with the military to the direct actions to denounce the genocide in Palestine. It is necessary, important work – against the militarization of our lives, against coloniality, for a differential and liberatory way of inhabiting the world. Both inside and outside the university.

Thanks to the few colleagues who believed in this struggle and took real action. Thanks to the students for continuing to fight with so much determination.

My interview can be found here and below, while the entire issue of the Manifesto on Gaza is available here.

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April-May struggles with students across Italy, for Palestine, against the Military

Since I arrived in Italy in spring 2021, I have been participating in, co-organising and supporting student—and comrade-led struggles against the military and for Palestine. From Frontex to the fight against Leonardo and the vast mobilisation in support of our Palestinian brothers and sisters, no month has gone by without a rally, a public speech, an interview or a dozen assemblies.

In the last month only, I had the pleasure of thinking with organised groups such as the Collettivo Autorganizzato Universario in Naples, Cambiare Rotta in Bologna and Turin, Potere al Popolo in Turin, the dock workers of Genoa, the comrades of Radio Onda Rossa in Rome and Radio Blackout, students in various other cities including an event today in Parma, as well as the students of the Intifada in Turin.

I want to thank all these students and comrades. This is the university we fight for and re-construct everyday. A space to occupy with the joy of discovery and the generative anger of political struggle. Avanti!

PS: if interested, the short interview I gave to Radio Onda Rossa for the 25th of April is available online, here.

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Millemila, new rap boombap for Palestine, out now

Millemila, voguemc

Tomorrow, May 15, we remember the Nakba of 1948 and that of today.

In the streets, in classrooms, and in workplaces, we will continue to fight the genocide that the State of Israel is committing against the Palestinian people, its history, and territory.

For our Palestinian sisters and brothers, we are in “Millemila”/a thousand thousand.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5OCSMI5BCIq6fmL3E3soaC?si=277bfc69888a4585
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/millemila-single/1814009733
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/voguemc/millemila
Bandcamp: https://voguemc.bandcamp.com/track/millemila

Liriche: Voguemc (www.voguemc.com)
Prod: Adilkhan Bakytov & Stefano Ribaudo
Immagine di copertina: Nicola Gastini

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Recording of Dr Mahmoud Hawari’s lecture in Turin on Palestine, Settler Colonialism and Archeology

The Beyond Inhabitation Lab recently hosted Dr Mahmoud Hawari on “Palestine: Settler Colonialism, Archeology, and the Appropriation of Cultural Heritage”.

The recording of his powerful lecture is now available on the Lab’s YouTube channel and below.

Check what we do at the Lab here: https://beyondinhabitation.org/blog/

The event was organised by Pietro Battaglini, Tamara Taher and me.