Black Lives Matter Chicago has an abhorrent graphic up.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

As of this moment, this is their cover picture on Facebook and that other site.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=705021958324689&set=a.631522065674679

It's beyond despicable that an organization supposedly dedicated to justice and fairness would celebrate mass murder. I don't know what on earth is wrong with them.

Edited to add: To be clear, and as the title says, this is the organization called BLM Chicago. As was helpfully pointed out by DUer moonshinegnomie, it appears that BLM Chicago and the national BLM are not affiliated.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218352986

[RockRaven]

1. Where in, or what part part of, that graphic is the "celebrate mass murder" part? Specifically?

Looks like an inkblot to me....

[BlueCheeseAgain]

2. It's a paraglider with a Palestinian flag.

Paragliding Hamas operatives were among those who carried out the crimes.

[AntivaxHunters]

38. That is a parachute not a paraglider

But ya.....bad bad bad.

[Cha]

3. "I stand with Palestine" & they

have photo of a Hang Glider like HAMAS had to Glide into Israel and Butcher women and Children.

Sorry but Fuck that Shit.

[Celerity]

7. Hamas terrorists used paragliders in their attack on Israel

[Dorian Gray]

28. For real?

Did you not pay attention to the news of terrorists paragliding into a music festival to kill hundreds of people over the weekend?

Celebrating that as a "just action" is reprehensible.

Unequivocally wrong.

[AntivaxHunters]

39. It's a parachute

Nonetheless it's awful

[Marius25]

48. Hamas parachuted into Israel to slaughter the 260 music concert attendees.

That's what this image is intended to represent. They're celebrating hundreds of innocent civilians, including Americans, being mass murdered by Hamas.

[BannonsLiver]

51. Sure it does.

🙄

[lapfog_1]

4. national BLM must disown this

or they will lose any popular support.

You cannot excuse or condone what happened on Saturday. You sure in the hell cannot celebrate it.

[brush]

13. See post 11.

[onenote]

42. I saw your post and you apparently don't have a problem with standing with Hamas

and, in particular, the Hamas butchers that parasailed into the rave and slaughtered people.

[lapfog_1]

44. I completely sympathize with the people in the open air prison that is Gaza.

the way to defeat the oppressor is how Gandhi defeated the British.

Saturday was about as far from Gandhi as you can get.

I have NO sympathy for Hamas.

As one person of color said on MSNBC... "we endured centuries of worse treatment at the hands of the slave owners than what Gaza is going through... and we never butchered people like this"

[Marius25]

49. Israel is not the reason Gaza is an open air prison.

Nor does that justify the mass, ISIS-level slaughter of innocents.

[obamanut2012]

71. BLM did not do this -- they have debunked it

They are not the BLM account, they are fake accounts.

[ripcord]

5. You honestly have to wonder about some people

[brush]

12. See post 11.

[LuckyCharms]

6. Oh shit.

That's bad.

Hamas used paragliders to ravage the people at that music festival.

[electric_blue68]

8. WTF?! NOT Good!

[dalton99a]

9. "Black Lives Matter Chicago Supports Hamas"

[AntivaxHunters]

40. Ok but that's a parachute

[AZSkiffyGeek]

53. You're really focused on that being a parachute and not a paraglider

Just like you were insistent that people waving swastikas weren't really Nazis.
Odd.

[EllieBC]

86. Nothing odd about it.

Antisemites will do whatever stretch necessary to pretend it’s not Jew hatred.

[Zeitghost]

62. Hamas used

Powered parachutes. Not paragliders. The image is being used specifically to celebrate mass murder.

[roscoeroscoe]

10. Am I recalling correctly Chicago had a good deal of violence

and mayhem during the BLM demonstrations?

[The Magistrate]

43. Not Really, Sir

Coverage was laughable to anyone who remembers '66 and '68....

[Ace Rothstein]

55. Yes, there was looting and rioting all over the city.

[brush]

11. Standing with the Palestinians does not mean standing with the terrorists.

The Palestinians have been held in an open-air, densely crowded prison for decades, their lands encroached upon by settlers and their lives made miserable and with little hope.

It makes sense to me that African Americans of all ethnic groups in this nation would stand in solidarity to their plight.

It escapes me and upsets me that some others here don't understand the extreme misery of the lives of Palestinians, and seem to want them to endure what is essentially apartheid for forever.

Again, it's not that complicated, expressing solidarity with another oppressed people is not expressing solidarity with terrorism.

It's my guess that Native Americans would grasp the concept without difficulty also.

[Silent3]

14. The image used depicts the *terrorist* paraglider attack on the rave

They are clearly doing more than just supporting Palestinian in general.

[brush]

15. What's clear to me is that one oppressed ethnic group is standing in solidarity with another.

The image choice should've be changed, but not the concept.

[Silent3]

16. I think the image was considered... and deliberately chosen to express where this chapter stands.

This is not an "oops!" kind of choice.

[brush]

17. You don't know that. This reminds me of the "defund the police" slogan that welled up...

from hot-headed street demonstrators and somehow took hold of maay people who ran with it and kept repeating the vote lossing foolishness.

I hope cooler heads in charge change this.

[edisdead]

23. I'm sorry but are you nuts?

How do we know that they deliberately chose that image? Seriously???

I mean that’s like saying you stand with Germans and showing an image of a shower head.

[brush]

46. A web master with html knowledge could easily post such an image without a sign off.

Last edited Wed Oct 11, 2023, 03:32 PM - Edit history (1)

Let's see how long it stays up.

And do you get at all the concept of oppressed people standing in solidarity with another oppressed group?

[edisdead]

52. Ok thanks for the answer

Standing i solidarity with people is one thong. Sharing an image representing terrorists that slaughtered innocents?
Fuck that. i’m

[brush]

56. The image should be taken down.

[Happy Hoosier]

75. Why do YOU think they chose that image?

C'mon....

[brush]

79. The image is a poor decision. It should be taken down.

A webmaster with html skills could've put it up without a sigh off from management.

Let's see how long it stays up.

[Dorian Gray]

30. No

this is wrong.

I'm sorry.

They purposefully used the hang glider symbol to be provocative. Now they have to deal with the anger they provoked.

Unequivocally wrong.

[brush]

47. The image is wrong. Agreed. The concept of solidarity with...

another oppressed people is not. Someone made a poor decision to post that image.

[brush]

54. Have you discussed that with them? You don't know that.

It's not hard for a web master with html knowledge to post an image. It could be without sign off from leadership.

It's wrong. A mistake.

Solidarity with another oppressed group is not a mistake.

Let's see how long it stays up.

[Zeitghost]

59. They are celebrating the mass murder of innocents

Full stop.

Quit trying to justify any support of terrorism.

[brush]

80. And you're absolutely sure of such celebrations?

[Zeitghost]

82. Positive

n/t

[brush]

84. Where's your proof? And one poor image choice by a webmaster...

who we don't know if he got sign off from management is not representative of the entire movement.

[Zeitghost]

87. Whoever put it up

Knew exactly what they were doing. Whoever allowed it to stay up, knew exactly what they were doing.

This was not an accident.

[brush]

93. Just great. Write off an entire movement without knowing...

if a webmaster got sign off for s poor image choice.

[Zeitghost]

95. Now you're putting words in my mouth

And it's a bit more than a poor choice. That you would characterize it as such says a lot.

[brush]

106. I've posted several times in this thread that the image should be taken down.

Neither of us know the inner machinations of the BLM chapter in Chicago and how the image got posted.

You seem to br convinced that it's that chapter's policy statement.

I say let's wait and see if it's taken down. There is, btw, a post here that says it was debunked by BLM. I'm waiting for a response from that poster for a link.

[Zeitghost]

107. It has not been debunked

It was disavowed by the large national BLM organization. The Chicago BLM group that posted it has issued a non-apology.

[brush]

110. The disavowal by National BLM was what I was referring to.

Link pls to the Chicago non-apology. Sounds like hot-heads out of control

That IMO is a mistake if true.

[NowISeetheLight]

61. Why Now

Why now? Why not the last several years? Why not have a picture of some Palestinian kids waving their flag instead of this illustration? Why wait until a Massacre to make a statement?

Timing is everything. This is really bad timing. It will not endure BLM to a lot of people who mightve been sympathetic. I also expect this to be front page news on right learning media outlets.

[DFW]

18. Considering the professionally organized action of the killers in this instance

I'd say that not standing against the terrorists, in this case, does mean standing with them.

In the 1970s, when the German urban terrorists were shooting down politicians they didn't like, or when the IRA was blowing up people in England, there was a loud outcry from the people the "freedom fighters" claimed to represent, and that outcry proclaimed in no uncertain terms, these violent maniacs did NOT stand with or for the people they said they were fighting for. They got arms and shelter from the East Germans (i.e. the Soviets), in the case of the R.A.F., or from bases in the Irish Republic, in the case of the I.R.A. Just like the west poured billions into Israel, the UAE and the Saudis poured billions into the Palestinians. Their leaders chose to use the donated aid for other purposes. Instead of irrigation and desalinization to grow crops, or development of high tech, they chose weapons and their leaders sticking it into their own pockets. OK, fair enough, that's their call. But the Middle East could be an immense, prosperous, free trade zone, like the EU. The only thing stopping that is the same thing that stopped it in Europe in 1940--hate and violence. DeGaulle and Adenauer figured out that the centuries of antagonism might not be the best way to go forward, after all. Sadat and Begin, did, too, but look what happened to Sadat. I think Egypt DID stand with Sadat, but some of the radicals in Egypt did not, and decided that hate and violence were preferable to the peaceful course. They are still sorting that out.

In the last few days, there have been massive celebrations around the (mostly) Arab world, applauding the Hamas operation. These were NOT celebrations of solidarity with the people of Gaza. They could have held those at any time. Instead, the big celebrations were held after the well-planned (and executed) mass murder and hostage taking. There is nothing better than that to send a message as to who stands with whom. If BLM wishes to show their solidarity AT THIS TIME, and in THIS manner, that's their call. But they are not idiots. They must have known perfectly well the message their image would send, and it was received loud and clear.

[brush]

19. IMO one oppressed ethnic group standing with another makes sense. That apparently is a concept...

that is hard to grasp by people who have never been discriminated against because of their otherness.

The image choice should be changed. I'm betting it will be when cooler heads prevail.

[marybourg]

24. No, it is hard to grasp by people who know that, unlike

Africans brought to the U.S. in chains, the Palestinians are the authors of their own misery. They were given the same opportunity in 1948 to declare nationhood as Israel was, but they refused to do so because they refused to accept Israel’s right to exist also. Since then they have made war and terrorism their only response to Israel’s flourishing, rejecting every opportunity, every concession sent their way and forcing Israel to insure its existence by the means we see today.

[brush]

57. The innocent Palestinians in Gaza today are to blame for 1948 decisions?

No.

The Israeli victims are blameless as well.

[marybourg]

60. Does the world begin anew every day?

They are in the position they are in because of their predecessors’ decisions. They have continued to support the very same dogma their predecessor’s supported. They voted for Hamas to be their leaders. Many of them aid and abet the terrorists, by commission or omission. And they are stuck with their group complicity, although individually they may be fair and righteous individuals, just as we are all stuck every time our fellow Americans vote for a Bush or Reagan or tRump.

[brush]

74. The problem is solvable. Get reps from both sides together, with honest brokers...

and nobody cuts off negotiations until an agreement is signed.

Arguing about 1948 decisions is pointless when innocents on both sides are being killed.

Do you really think Netanyahu pushing for Hamas is entirely blameless in this?

[marybourg]

91. Gee, too bad nobody thought of that

in the past 75 years.

Have you ever hear of the Camp David Accords?

[brush]

94. And Netanyahu pushing Hamas? Do you want to comment on that?

Last edited Wed Oct 11, 2023, 04:48 PM - Edit history (1)

No one can excuse the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas in the last several days, nor deny Israel’s right to a response, which very likely will entail a full or partial reoccupation of Gaza and the methodical destruction of Hamas. But it’s also clear that Netanyahu’s policies helped create the conditions that led to the bloodiest few days in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The horrific event we’ve just experienced—and the prolonged, massive Israeli counteroffensive to follow—cannot be fully understood in isolation from what I consider … a two-layered Netanyahu strategic failure,” said Nimrod Novik, the former senior advisor to the late Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who eagerly tried to pursue the Oslo process. First, Netanyahu and his current coalition —“the most extreme ever,” in Novik’s words—downplayed or ignored warnings from Arab signatories under the Abraham Accords about addressing Palestinian grievances, Novik said.

Second, for decades, Netanyahu pursued what Novik called the “illusion” that even under his draconian policies—which turned Gaza into what Human Rights Watch calls “the world’s largest open-air prison”—Hamas would abstain from the kind of attacks on Israel that might jeopardize its hold on power in Gaza, said Novik, who is currently a fellow with the Israel Policy Forum.

“His so-called ‘separation strategy’ rested on two legs: one, solidify Hamas control over Gaza, so that we have ‘an address’ and a governing entity with which to reach understandings over easing of closure in return for cease-fire. Second, weaken the Palestinian Authority, lest it emerges as a viable partner for negotiations, something Netanyahu has been determined to avoid,” Novik said. An Israeli official did not respond to a request for comment.

Netanyahu also pushed a controversial policy of weakening the judiciary inside Israel, in part to prevent the courts from protecting Palestinians from Israeli human rights abuses, which they did only occasionally. That push—described by Netanyahu’s critics as a judicial coup—set off waves of protests in Israel that have continued for months.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/10/09/israel-hamas-war-netanyahu-palestine-united-states-diplomacy-alliance/

[Dorian Gray]

31. It's too late

they've done too much damage to their image already. If they "change" a social media post meant to provoke.... it means nothing. The provocation has already been achieved.

[brush]

88. Let's see how long it stays up. Sounds like you're ready to write off...

the entire BLM movement because a local webmaster in Chicago may have posted an image without sign off.

Is that really what you're saying. It's too late so forget the BLM movement all together?

[Dorian Gray]

115. I think

National BLM needs to say unequivocally using that image was wrong. Period.

And I'm ready to write off BLM Chicago for it.

[marybourg]

20. The Palestinians have had 75 years of

opportunities to have their own state starting in 1948 with the Partition . They refuse to do so unless they can have the land that was apportioned to Israel. They refuse to compromise. It’s their way or the highway for 75 years. They attack and they terrorize, and have done so for 75 years, forcing Israel to protect its citizens by whatever means are expedient. but they will not concede an inch for their own benefit. They have chosen degradation over nationhood for 75 years.

[brush]

21. The hardline Israelies had no part in a Palestinian state not being created?

Is that what you're saying?

[marybourg]

26. So far the Palestinians have refused

to create a state unless they can do so on the territory Israel has occupied since the 1948 partition and thereby destroy Israel.

[The Magistrate]

37. Unfortunately, No, Sir, They Were Of Small Consequence Then

The reaction to the United Nations partition of the Palestine Mandate into Arab and Jewish zones, of not just the Nationalist leadership of Arab Palestine, but governments of neighboring Arab countries as well, was to declare Jewish rule of any part of Palestine intolerable, and an invasion on three fronts was mounted to expel them.

It would have been quite possible for the political leadership of Arab Palestine to have, instead, established themselves as leaders of a declared state, it was in fact the intention of the United Nations that they do so. They chose not to do this, but go double or nothing in appeal to force, and lost.


"It ain't what you don't know, it's what you know that ain't so'll get ya every time."

[brush]

45. The encroachment/settlers have exacerbated the situation and made...

an agreement even more unobtainable though. It's almost as if it's unsolvable.

[Whiskeytide]

22. Nope. There is no rational justification for ...

… the use of this image other than to support and glorify the slaughter of innocents. You should consider deleting this post.

[Dorian Gray]

29. The hang-glider

was used as a means to get into a civilian area and MURDER CIVILIANS.

They can support the plight of the Palestinian people. I have no problem with that. But celebrating a means to MURDERING HUNDREDS OF CIVILIANS is wrong. BLM Chicago fucked up here.

They need to be repudiated.

[ratchiweenie]

33. I think the graphic is horrible and should be taken down. Hamas must be destroyed.

I also believe the Israelis took the Palestinian's land. Herded them onto reservations. Treated them like dirt. Continued to bulldoze their orchards and village and encroach on those reservation and take that land for their own citizens, all while refusing citizenship and voting right for the people who's land they took. Gee, seems I've heard this story before.

[yardwork]

92. Yeah.... no. This image is not ok.

This image seems to aligning BLM with a specific terrorist act that was horrific and unconscionable.

And, two wrongs don't make a right.

[Raine]

25. Absolutely sick using that imagery ... 😡🤬 nt

[Dorian Gray]

27. Doing more to hurt their movement

than any right wing asshole.

Disgusting.

[moonshinegnomie]

34. i reported them to fb for supporting terrorism.

everyone else should do the same

[Scrivener7]

36. Not only is that graphic vile and wrong, it is stupid as hell.

[Happy Hoosier]

41. Ugh.... NT

[Marius25]

50. If BLM doesn't denounce this, that's 100% the end of my support for the movement

[Demovictory9]

65. One branch is not the movement

[SunImp]

108. There is always scumbags in every group

For instance the dirtbag left/tankies often makes extremely incentive statements. They are not ALL of the left. None of those dirtbags are in Congress if they were they'd be constantly censured or thrown out.

[obamanut2012]

72. BLM has already debunked it

[brush]

83. More info or a link of BLM debunking the image please.

[Sympthsical]

89. They didn't "debunk it"

They just said the national LLC had nothing to do with it.

Which, good for them.

But it doesn't change what happened here.

[Maru Kitteh]

58. "Sorry, this content isn't available right now" Now to find out if this was the fault of

ignorance, sabotage, bigotry, or one can hope maybe they just got hacked. I certainly hope so because I'd hate to have to walk away from BLM, which I will if they truly support genocide.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

63. The Facebook page appears to be offline, as you say.

The Twitter account, with constant railing against "Zionists", is going strong.

[moonshinegnomie]

66. the national BLM movement has disowned them

BLM chicago and BLM grassroots are NOT affiliated with the real BLM movement
from the real BLM movement. (screenshot so i dont have use a twitter link)

[Maru Kitteh]

73. Thanks for posting this. nt

[onenote]

69. Here is BLM Chicago's non-apology apology:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=705666184926933&set=a.631522055674680


In virtually one breath they say that they "sent out msgs that we aren't proud of", and then go on to say that they stand with Palestine "and the people who will do what they must to live free" -- apparently endorsing, as a necessary act, the slaughter of innocents, the rape of civilians, the taking of women and children hostage, the beheading of infants.

[Wingus Dingus]

64. Yikes.

[Demovictory9]

67. Were they hacked?

[DemocraticPatriot]

76. National BLM says there is absolutely NO relationship with that account...

and that it could be owned by literally anyone... and that these kinds of attacks on BLM have been perpetrated by the far right.

See
https://democraticunderground.com/100218352986

[Mossfern]

78. Was going to post

the same here, glad someone already did.

[Zeitghost]

111. That's half true

There is no relationship with the largest national BLM network.

But the account has a long and verifiable history as being affiliated with BLM Chicago. There is no way it's a right wing fake.

[obamanut2012]

70. This was not BLM -- it was debunked -- self delete

[Zeitghost]

90. It was absolutely a BLM organization

They are not affiliated with the largest of the BLM networks, but still part of the general movement.

[obamanut2012]

96. No, it was not BLM

[Zeitghost]

98. BLM is a decentralized movement

Association with the largest national network is not required to be a part of the movement.

[Sympthsical]

104. I mean, they have local meetings . . .

The inference people want to be drawn is "Fake Twitter account!" Well, it certainly looks like a real chapter to me.

As you said, it's a decentralized movement. I'm glad the largest national chapter distanced themselves. Good! But that doesn't erase what this chapter did or render it "fake" in some way. Acknowledging it doesn't mean "All of BLM did this!" Of course they didn't. In the thread here on DU on this topic, the fact it's a local chapter is in the OP title.

Link to tweet

[obamanut2012]

97. Again, not BLM as you know, since you were told that in the other thread

[DemocraticPatriot]

81. National BLM denies any association with that account,

says that it may be part of a right-wing smear campaign against BLM--- and that the account might be owned by "literally anyone".

See https://democraticunderground.com/100218352986


In light of this information, I think you should delete this post. It is extremely inflammatory, and the material in question may be a right-wing headfake. Delete your OP, please.... and let it sink off the frontpage.

I thought this was a little odd from the start, because I can't imagine any legitimate BLM activist would post a graphic like that.
It was intended to inflame, and it did--- but maybe not for the reasons most suspected.

In the current rush to "shoot first and ask questions later", no DUer even bothered to ask if this could have been illigitimate...

[BlueCheeseAgain]

103. The Twitter account is eight years old and followed by 60K people.

It does not appear to have posted anything that would be seen as a right-wing headfake. If it's a headfake, it's a very, very, long headfake.

[edhopper]

85. Please delete this post

or State in the OP that BLM Chicago is one person with no association to the BLM organization.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

102. The OP makes it clear that this is BLM Chicago, not the national organization.

I don't know who runs the BLM Chicago Facebook and Twitter pages. The Facebook page has a blue check and 56K followers. The Twitter page has 60K followers, including a couple of well-known people and organizations, and has been active since February 2015.

So these aren't things created overnight. It's possible these were once real accounts, and the organization has atrophied to the point that now it's just one person. But I don't think that's been definitively proven.

[Zeitghost]

109. That would be lying

BLM Chicago is not a single person or a fake account. It has a verifyable history.

[edhopper]

112. Have you read

BLM's response?

https://democraticunderground.com/100218352986

[Zeitghost]

113. Yes I have.

BLM Chicago is not an affiliate of the that BLM organization, which is the largest of a few.

But BLM Chicago is a legitimate BLM organization with a verifiable history. It's not a single person.

[edhopper]

114. never mind

the OP clarified it in his post.

[inthewind21]

99. No they don't

You buy into every you read on social media??

[inthewind21]

100. No they don't

You buy into every you read on social media??


https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218352986

[BlueCheeseAgain]

105. I never said it was the national organization.

Your personal insult is noted.

[orleans]

101. coming up after commercial TMZ is going to talk about this nt