During his speech to Congress Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol building, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reminding members that “Iran sees America as its greatest enemy” and that the Ayatollah, upon founding the Islamic Republic, “promised to export the Islamic Republic to the entire world.”
A statement from U.S. Direction of National Intelligence Avril Haines on recent Iranian influence efforts, mentioned by Netanyahu during the speech, confirms these concerns. Haines notes that, among other efforts, Iran is using social media and influencers to promote its narratives, and its government actors have been encouraging and providing aid to protesters here in North America.
This was echoed Thursday by John Kirby, the White House National Security Communications Advisor, who informed the public, “We do know that Iran has been funding and encouraging some of the protest activity here in the United States.”
Protesters, as if eager to supply evidence for Netanyahu’s, Haines’, and Kirby’s various warnings, spent the afternoon outside the Capitol Building engaging in behaviour that surely made Ayatollah Ali Khamenei smile.
They defaced historical monuments. In one video, a man in a red shirt, covering his face with a keffiyeh to hide his identity, can be seen spray painting “HAMAS” in red. Underneath this, he adds, “IS COMING.” Above it, he places a red inverted triangle, a symbol Hamas uses to denote that someone is marked for execution. Below that, in black spray paint, it reads, “ALL ZIONISTS ARE BASTARDS.”
Here there can be no plausible deniability, unlike what we have come to expect from protesters since horrific Hamas attack on October 7 (a date apparently wiped from the memories and consciousnesses of many North Americans, as if in some Black Mirror episode). Here, the protesters are openly antisemitic, claiming openly that Israel should not exist, praising Hamas, and foretelling of Hamas’ coming to our doorstep.
Inside the Capitol, Netanyahu addressed them: “I have a message for these protesters. When the tyrants of Tehran who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair are praising, promoting and funding you — you have officially become useful idiots.”
According to the Cambridge English dictionary, a “useful idiot” is a “person who is easy to persuade to do, say, or believe things that help a particular person politically.” And there are lots of useful idiots.
Many of these protesters who believe they are acting on behalf of innocent civilians suffering in Gaza might be surprised to find that some of their comrades are being funded by Iran — maybe even the guy who was nice enough to buy their tent for the local campus encampment. Perhaps they are not fully aware of the symbolism of the red triangle, or they’ve been lied to about it. Perhaps the “Revolutionary Training” course they received at their encampment provided a very selective and blinkered view of the cause’s history. This type of useful idiot is probably well-meaning but ill-informed.
Ignorance about the cause they support is common among those who should know better. When asked to comment on construction message boards in Montreal that had been hijacked with phrases like “Globalize the Intifada” and “Escalate Now,” McGill University political scientist Rex Brynen said, according to a Canadian Press summary that “‘intifada’ does not inherently imply violence or non-violence and should instead be understood as a rallying cry for protest.” Yes. And also, the swastika is a Hindu symbol.
The word “intifada” in Arabic might very well mean, in its original denotation, a mere “shaking off.” But it simply doesn’t mean that anymore, not in English and not in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The word has been used to describe and encourage suicide bombers and the murder of civilians in previous upheavals. It has been a rallying cry at marches and protests that have actively celebrated the events of October 7. When they say intifada, that’s what they mean. To believe, at this time, that it can mean anything else makes one a useful idiot.
Useful idiocy that helps Iran is widespread among activist groups. The members of “Queers for Palestine,” for example, seem to have lost all semblance of self-preservation. It’s perfectly fine to care about the loss of civilian life anywhere in the world, but to be strangely only excited while protesting against Israel’s right to exist, and to conveniently ignore that you would be thrown off a roof in Gaza while being welcomed with open arms in Israel, is so beyond stupid, it’s baffling. Iran is no doubt grateful for these likely well-meaning yet incoherent anti-Israeli sentiment campus groups.
Activist journalists parading as authors of straight news are also working in the service Iran, whether they realize it or not. Take the article where McGill Professor Brynen is quoted defending the use of the word “intifada.” Its author, Joe Bonginoro, in framing the argument that the word “intifada” is harmless, gives us a few tidbits of history framing the Palestinians as freedom fighters, but conveniently leaves out some important history, such as several failed attempts at land agreements.
While briefly quoting a spokesman for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, critical of the word “intifada,” the article takes it as a given that “intifada” is inherently peaceful.
This attempt to make the cries for violence seem far more innocuous than they really are only aids Iran in its attempts to destroy Israel and eventually North America. And those who are helping Iran to do this are useful idiots.
It should be clear that Israel’s struggle against Iran and for democracy is also America’s (and by extension Canada’s), and winning, as Netanyahu pointed out, will require “courage and clarity.” This means not being so easily persuaded to do, say, or believe things that promote the interests of Iran. How will you do your part?
National Post