Indy Media Watch

SF Indymedia is hosting a video of women talking about the "Rainbow Grocery Store's" decision to boycott Israeli goods. They have used the substantial Israeli developed technology in their computers and Youtube's to spread their message.

One customer, a self-described "long-term vegan shopper" raises shocking accusations of "customer censorship" in the store, which seems to have some... Issues.

A staff member (who I hope wears a hairnet when handling food) sums up her position:

"It's very clear to me when I see a picture of a boy throwing a rock at a tank, a state-of-the art tank, who is the rich person and who is the poor person?"

This is presumably the picture she is referring to.


It is one of the longstanding images in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and has been repeated and emulated on probably thousands of sites and posters (Google Image search).

However, anyone with any military experience can see that the hatches on the tank were unlocked, for the same reason soldiers can be seen lounging around in the background.

The tank was parked.

The photograph, was staged by a photographer, presumably looking to recreate the famous images of a single young boy holding up tanks in Tiannenmen square. Emotive images are prizewinners for press photogaphers, however sometimes what's happening behind the lens is more interesting than what's happening in front of it.



Propaganda's funny that way. The woman in the Rainbow store thinks it's as simple as Palestinians throwing rocks versus Israelis using state of the art weaponry.

I wonder if she'd like to have these rocks thrown at her:

Source: Honest Reporting who have documented dozens of such cases of media misrepresentation.

They charge that the media is often guilty of creating news images, rather than capturing them.


The recent 'fauxtography' scandal involving Reuters reports in Lebanon suggest the problem is enormous. This is something Indymedia, a self-described alternative to the media could challenge. Do you think they will?

Here's some more pictures of Palestinians, err... Throwing rocks.


Here's a young Palestinian who wants to throw rocks when he grows up:


And here's what sometimes happens when they throw those rocks:


It's not really that simple is it? However, the woman in the Rainbow Store is that simple, for she's clearly been swallowing a one-sided, completely biased and evidently factually inaccurate anti-Israel narrative. The very same narrative one might find daily on Indymedia.

Therein lies the problem. The Rainbow staff member continues:

who is the rich person and who is the poor person?

Ask Yasser Arafat's Wife, who will confirm he was worth billions while the average Palestinian earned a few dollars a day, and Arafat blamed Israel for all of it. This is precisely the sort of corruption and inequality that progressive activist movements should oppose, but when it comes to Israel, they specifically choose not to. Ditto strapping bombs to young children.

Thomas Friedman wrote, "Criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic, and saying so is vile. But singling out Israel for opprobrium and international sanction out of all proportion to any other party in the Middle East is anti-Semitic, and not saying so is dishonest."

Here's the thing: Take the absolute worst things Israel is genuinely accused of. There are dozens of countries that do these things, to a far greater degree, with impunity. However, from China, to Sudan, Saudi Arabia to Syria, Libya to Iran, Zimbabwe to you name it, you seldom, if ever hear about them. In contrast, there is an absolutely constant drumbeat of criticism on Israel, the World's only Jewish state.

Does that excuse some of the things Israel has done? Of course not. However to hold Israel, the World's only Jewish state to a greater level of accountability than any other country can only possibly be described as antisemitic.

I am quite sure many of these critics, such as the owner of the grocery store, would never describe themselves as antisemitic, and would be horrified if others called them antisemitic. The fact is however, they have been romanced by a movement that is antisemitic, and simply haven't noticed.

This is some overdue introspection the Left has failed to do (despite efforts such as the Euston Manifesto) and it is a disgrace. Indymedia, could be a wonderful tool for addressing this imbalance, however instead, not only is it part of the problem, it is spearheading it.