Seldom does the world hear such sustained moral outrage, such emotional outcry, voiced by the globe’s most powerful political figures, from Obama, to Ban Ki-moon, in response to the killing of journalists and media workers. In so many ways this clear and pronounced double standard in reaction to the shooting, speaks to the heart of the deeply colonialist and racialized mainstream political framing on the Paris shootings. At the heart of this moral disaster of a response is a basic tenant, some life is more valuable than others, or by extension, some journalists are more valuable than others. In this case, the life of French cartoonists, at a journal with a clear history of publishing deeply racist drawings, intentionally targeting the faith and culture of Muslims in France, are now to be considered ‘heros,’ according to French President, François Hollande. “Satire is about challenging power, not belittling the oppressed,” wrote comedian Aamer Rahman yesterday and by that excellent definition, a great bulk of recent cartoons published in Charlie Hebdo have little to do with satire. In reality the journal is an arrogant and racist publication, that has consistently worked to enforce oppression and communities in France, already facing an incredibly violent mix of racism, economic inequality and often uncertain immigration status, in a country where right wing nationalist politicians continue to gain political momentum... How much have we heard about Rami Rayan, a 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist with the Palestinian Media Network killed in the US-backed Israeli bombing of Gaza this past summer? Or, Ahed Zaqout, 49, a presenter on Palestinian sport programmes, killed in an Israeli bombing of a residential apartment tower in Gaza City.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 17:46:23 +0000
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