Candace castigates Trump's free-speech clampdown

17 Views

Candace Owens appears to be turning against Donald Trump – and with good reason.

Conservative, controversial political commentator, filmmaker and author Owens has long been a staunch Trump supporter, but that seems to be changing.

Running parallel to her steadfast support for POTUS was her understandable growing disgust and criticism of Israel, particularly the Zionist regime’s unhinged, brazen genocide in Gaza, and Benjamin Netanyahu’s undue, unsavoury influence over Trump.

Proving once again that Owens is not strictly partisan, she’s not blindly Republican or MAGA cult. Love her or hate her, Candace is consistent. Her only allegiance is to the facts, and what she sees as the truth.

Thus, like many of us, she has weighed the facts and Trump’s actions to date and realised…we’ve got a real problem in Trumpland. And her bitter, palpable disappointment in POTUS and his administration is now evident and boiling over.

‘I DON’T RECOGNISE THIS ADMINISTRATION’

In a video she released on 15 April, Owens attacked the Trump administration’s neo-fascist stifling of free speech on varsity campuses, particularly Harvard, which has been one of the hardest hit universities in the US by Trump’s sanctions and funding cuts.

Introducing the video, she said, “I never thought I would see a day where I would be rooting for a university above Donald J. Trump and his administration, but I don’t recognise this administration right now. I don’t recognise what’s happening.”

She asked: “How could Trump be such a free speech enthusiast and allow these things to happen? Going after universities, trying to suppress speech, while pretending you’re not? It’s so messy, it’s so obvious. Everyone knows what you’re doing. Everyone can see what’s happening, left and right.”

She then slammed Trump’s MAGA base and “grifters” for not challenging the president on this, calling it “ridiculous”. She warned them that when Trump’s out of office, their children could grow up in an (Orwellian) America where they get arrested for “wrongthink”.

THE (IHRA) DEFINITION, OF ANTISEMITISM

Owens’ latest big bone of contention with the Trump administration is their pressuring Harvard University to enforce “Definitions of Antisemitism” as compiled by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

In 2016, the IHRA, comprised of 31 member states (including the US), formally adopted the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism (aka “the IHRA Definition”).

Initially published by a European Union agency in 2005, the Definition has been used by the U.S. State Department since 2010, the U.S. Department of Education since 2019, and assimilated into the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism in 2023. It has since been adopted or endorsed by more than half of the states in the US and 1,000 other governments, universities, NGOs, and other key institutions internationally.

The IHRA definition states: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jewish individuals, community, institutions and religious facilities.”

JEWISH SCHOLARS DENOUNCE THE DEFINITION

The IHRA Definition has received fierce international criticism from all quarters, including Jewish scholars.

In an interview with TRT World on 30 May 2021, renowned Jewish scholar Avi Shlaim, professor emeritus at Oxford University, was asked, “Just how successful have pro-Israel groups been at weaponising the definition of antisemitism against critics of the Israeli government to silence them?”

Professor Shlaim answered: “Israel’s aggressive defenders have deliberately conflated anti-Zionism with antisemitism. Anti-Zionism is criticism of the state of Israel and its conduct towards Palestinians. Antisemitism is hatred of Jews because they are Jews. The two are completely separate, but Israel and its friends constantly conflate them in order to silence legitimate criticisms of Israel.”

He added: “We are seeing more and more governments caving in to this pressure to refrain from criticising Israel. The pressure on governments and universities (in Britain) to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism is huge; 85 universities have caved and signed on to this ridiculous definition.

The real purpose of the IHRA definition is not to protect Jews against antisemitism but to protect Israel against legitimate criticism.”

“NOTHING GOOD COMES FROM THE ADL”

The IHRA Definition was reportedly co-drafted by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), which has repeatedly smeared Owens as “antisemitic” or a “Hitler sympathiser” for her criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and the Zionist regime’s manipulation of the US government.

(Yeah, I know the feeling, Candy baby…)

“Nothing good comes from the ADL”, according to Owens. “Their job is to suppress speech and to smear, not defend people against defamation. THEY…are actually the defamers. They think they’re clever by calling themselves the Anti-Defamation League when they routinely engage in defamation.”

The accusations and smears by the ADL led to Owens parting ways with her employer, Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire, and saw her banned from entering Australia and New Zealand.

She’s become substantially more popular since going solo.

THE WHITE HOUSE PRESSURES HARVARD TO ENFORCE THE DEFINITION

In January this year, Harvard made the decision to adopt the IHRA definition, the month after Trump signed an EO clamping down on “antisemitism”.

On 11 April, the White House issued a letter to Harvard stating that nearly $9bn (R164 billion) in federal funding and $255 million (R4 billion) worth of contracts would be withheld unless the Trump administration’s demands were met. The review is the latest effort of a WH federal task force to “combat antisemitism on college campuses”.

Among the demands outlined in the letter are the elimination of Harvard’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs and a ban on masks at campus protests. The demands also include “full cooperation and compliance” with the Department of Homeland Security, which enforces immigration policy.

The administration ordered Harvard to reform programs that allegedly have “egregious records of antisemitism” and screen applicants on foreign visas regarding their views on Israel’s policies.

HARVARD DEFIES THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

On 14 April, Harvard became the first university to openly defy the Trump administration’s demand to limit activism on campus. A legal rep for Harvard stated, “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. No private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.”

Owens believes the administration is clamping down on free speech, particularly criticism of Israel, under the guise of fighting DEI on campus.

“Activism is synonymous with campus”, she said. “Every time they mention ‘antisemitism’ in those demands, which is plenty of times, they are referring to people that are critiquing Israel; student groups that did not get violent but are opposed to Israel’s agenda, which is totally fair because you are allowed to critique Israel.”

She added, “ It’s absolute nonsense that these students be suspended and not allowed on campus again.”

“ILLUSTRATIONS” OF THE DEFINITION

The IHRA Definition puts forward several “illustrations” as examples of antisemitism.

Owens delved into and dissected some of them.

The first illustration she pulled up was:

‘CALLING FOR THE KILLING OR HARMING OF JEWS’

Well, duh! Was her basic response. Owens felt the first illustration was somewhat obvious; “Yeah, we already have laws in the book for that. You can’t just call for people to be murdered, that makes sense”, she said. (Tell that to South Africa’s EFF.)

”Then it gets really crazy”, she mused.

The second illustration she pulled up read:

‘ACCUSING THE JEWS OR ISRAEL OF EXAGGERATING THE HOLOCAUST’

It is already illegal in some (European) countries to deny or even question the holocaust. With this IHRA definition and illustration, Israel and their lobbyists are obviously trying to extend that law to the US and the rest of the (Western) world.

Owens vehemently disagrees with that illustration. She believes that in a country which (supposedly) has free speech, one should be allowed to ask questions about the holocaust. Just like one should be able to question how many Russians died in the Bolshevik Revolution or WW2.

She asked, “ In what world could you not say, ‘I think it’s less Russians that died (in WW2)?’ That should be a matter of academic debate. That shouldn’t be a matter of you being suspended from campus. You’re going to arrest the kids (for that)? Does that seem normal to you?” Fuming, she added, “This is completely crazy. This only exists for the Holocaust.”

“It gets even crazier”, Owens said, as she pulled up another illustration…

“HOLDING JEWS COLLECTIVELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACTIONS OF ISRAEL”

Here, Owens pointed out that protecting the “feelings” of one group by clamping down on the free speech of another group is not going to make it easier for Jewish students on campus.

“Speech that you don’t like or makes you uncomfortable is not violent. You are not being hurt by speech or ideas”, she reminded the kids.

“This is making it seem like they (Jewish students) get special consideration”, she said. “These rules were not put in place to defend white people when BLM was going on. These rules have never been put in place to defend anybody else.”

But the last straw for Owens was the final illustration she pulled up…

“CLAIMING JEWS KILLED JESUS”

“They even include parts of the Bible”, Owens said in disbelief. “You can’t say Jews had anything to do with killing Christ. We can’t discuss the Pharisees and the scribes anymore.”

Candace, a devout Catholic who sparked a strong public backlash for merely tweeting “Christ is King”, was resolute; “You are not going to get me ever to comply with not speaking about Christ, being worried about your feelings and disregarding the facts of what happened”, she snapped. “So count me out, suckers. Count me out.”

TRUMP IS CHOKING FREE SPEECH, FOR ISRAEL

Owens believes that by forcing Harvard to adopt this “Definition”, the Trump administration is suppressing free speech – for Israel.

“There’s no other way to look at it”, she said bitterly. “The Trump administration is fighting against free speech in America. And that is very sad for me to say…as someone who has been a supporter of Donald Trump.”

In her closing statements, she said, “We cannot allow our rights to be infringed upon. And if you think it’s going to stop with college campuses, you’re out of your mind. You better root for Harvard University in this fight, you better hope that they defeat the Trump administration and this absurd Definition.”

Owens has since suspended her YouTube channel while she’s on maternity leave.

Maybe this is a good time to raise a little reminder: