On Monday, the City of Cambridge removed words – “Globalize the Intifada” – painted in Central Square’s Graffiti Alley out of a concern that they can advocate violence and could intimidate the Jewish community, according to an email from City Manager Yi-An Huang.
Graffiti Alley, more formally Richard B. “Rico” Modica Way, is a 100-foot alleyway between Massachusetts Avenue and the parking lot home to Starlight Square. Public art is allowed without formal rules, and its appearance is constantly changing. It sits between the Western Front and Hilton’s Tent City.
The city has removed “inappropriate or racist graffiti in the past,” Huang’s email said.
At 12:23 p.m. on Monday, Huang emailed the City Council informing them of the removal. That email was produced to Cambridge Day on Friday, and is reproduced here in full:
“Dear all,
“I wanted to let you all know that there have been some difficult decisions on Graffiti Alley today. I was made aware of text that read, ‘Globalize the Intifada’ and asked whether this is speech that we allow in our public space. It has been our practice to spray over inappropriate or racist graffiti in the past. We have sprayed over just the text and left the rest of the mural up (see attached).
“I recognize that we are in really complex territory here regarding public space, free speech, and how we are fostering a culture of safety and inclusion for all members of our community. Our leading universities are struggling with these very issues and so I have a lot of humility in stepping into this space. Ultimately, it’s a decision to allow or a decision to not allow certain kinds of language in public space. I am open to conversations on how we do this consistently and in a way that we and our community can understand. I found the opinion piece that Danielle Allen published in The Washington Post to be helpful.
“I also want to recognize how deeply complex and emotional the conflict in Israel and Palestine is and that there are layers of meaning behind the words that we use. ‘Intifada’ can have a general meaning of uprising or protest or resistance, but also has a historical context that includes violence against Jewish civilians and now the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack. I know that not everyone in our community will read or hear these words the same, but there is an inference in ‘Globalize the Intifada’ to taking action, including in our community, and to violence. This can be deeply intimidating to those in our Jewish community and makes it inappropriate for our public space.
“Finally, I want to emphasize that there is important and legitimate uprising, protest and resistance and that there are terrible things happening right now in Gaza and Palestine that can and should be questioned. The challenge is how we allow for free speech, valuing each other and the pain that is deeply felt by so many, and sustain a healthy public space.
“I know this is a difficult and fraught conversation, I don’t have all the answers, and I’m open to feedback and further discussions.”
As of Friday, four days later, the white patch left behind by the city was written over in indecipherable black scribbles of text. Much of the northwest wall of Graffiti Alley carries speech and artwork in favor of Palestine, including the words “Free Palestine” stenciled hundreds of times in small sizes, as well as in a large headline spanning more than half of one side. Advocacy for Israel was notably missing.
A spokesperson for the city Friday referred to the manager’s email and declined to add more. Michael Monestime, president of the Central Square Business Improvement District, did not respond Friday.
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Here we go… The city manager is now stepping in – and aping others around the country – in unilaterally censoring public (okay, political) art, on behalf of some unnamed, presumably pro-Israel, complainers, that expresses strong support for what is now a Palestinian struggle for mere survival, under relentless genocidal bombardment by Israel, with full military support by the US government. (Congratulations, Yi-An.) It is cowardly not to explain exactly who has complained about this and why. “Genocide” does not have one meaning for Nazis and a different meaning for Jews. We all know what it means and these meanings are not “up for grabs,” according to anyone’s whim. Nor is the word “Intifada.” To assert otherwise is disgusting and absurd. Who owns the alley? If it’s private property then let whoever own it decide what’s permitted. If it is, indeed, public property, set aside explicitly for free expression, then where are the guidelines and who are authorized to interpret and enforce them? Where can the public go to see what these rules are and who enforces them?? I saw “ACAB” painted often. For those who don’t know, it means, “All Cops Are Bastards.” Feeling threatened?? Was this ever removed by “state action”?? Stepping in to erase a call for a “global uprising” against the criminal Israeli slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza in this way – effectively siding with those perpetrating massive and horrific War Crimes – is not just a mistake, it is despicable. It is not the business of the city manager to unilaterally obliterate a call for resistance against genocide in a public “graffiti alley,” if that is, indeed, what it is. (Of course, it would have been covered over soon enough anyway, wouldn’t it have.) This is just one reason among many why we’d be better off with an elected mayor – someone who could be held accountable directly for such execrable and inexcusable behavior. Or, if you like it, you could vote to endorse this sort of high-minded censorious nonsense – disguised as “ever-so-thoughtful” concern for the “feelings” of those backing butchery. Go ahead!
Despite acting as if this is an example of removing “inappropriate or racist graffiti” This removal is xenophobic and racist itself. Intifada is not inherently a call to violence. The first intifada for example was a predominantly nonviolent movement of strikes, boycotts, and protests. I would also point out that the Warsaw ghetto uprising rendered in Arabic is literally the Warsaw ghetto intifada.
The fact that there is “an inference… to violence” specifically targeting Jews for being Jews is on those viewing it that way and their racist understanding of Arabic words. Intifada, is not antisemitic unless you view Jews as inherently being oppressors. That assumption seems more classically antisemitic if anything. Intifada means resistance/uprising, “globalize the intifada” is a call for global resistance against oppression, perhaps particularly against ties to Palestinian oppression that exist in your local context. In Cambridge that would likely include the weapons companies like Elbit systems that operate in this city and directly participate in killing Palestinians. That this city sees calls for resistance against such violence as more offensive than literally profiting off genocides (Elbit is involved in several) is deeply disturbing to me. This is a completely performative display against rhetorical “violence” that supersedes any substantive action against massive material violence. Shameful.
slow day at silly hall? there’s little on that wall that stays up long…but there’s a bunch on holes on cambridge streets. maybe the “manager” can score a gig at the state department with “blinkin”…or stumble into another hospital gig…somewhere..duh…huh?
I could not disagree more with the asinine suggestion that Israel is engaging in genocide, I wholeheartedly agree with Poor Bono that it was completely inappropriate for the city manager to censor “globalize the intifada.”
As Slaw points out, it is not inherently a call for violence. I’m reminded of criticisms of “All lives matter.” While that *could* be a racist dog whistle, it isn’t necessarily that. Some people believe it to be support for the idea that all lives are created equal. The attempts to censor it were absurd. Censoring “globalize the intifada”is equivalently absurd.
“As of 1 December, around 1,332 Israelis have been killed since 7 October (inclusive), including 395 IDF soldiers.
As of 1 December, the Gaza Health Ministry reports that at least 15,000 Palestinians (including 6,150 children) have been killed.”
Yup….totally proportional and reasonable.
And then….
“A senior far-right member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government said on Tuesday Gaza could not survive as an independent entity and it would be better for Palestinians there to leave for other countries.”
I’m trying to remember….when was the last time a government official announced that an entire race of people should leave a country….can’t quite put my finger on it.
“A war crime is a war crime, no matter who commits it.” – Some old socialist.
That’s a call for ethnic cleansing, which would be a terrible war crime were it to happen. But it’s not genocide. This incessant desire by the left to mangle language by using the most extreme terminology imaginable is infuriating. There are *plenty*of horrible things to legitimately accuse the Israeli government of doing, so why the ongoing insistence to accuse Israel of doing the one thing it isn’t doing?
Because it is. Face it. Stop the racist denial. The denial of Palestinian humanity. This is not some whacky “left-wing” conspiracy; Craig Mokhiber is an extremely knowledgeable UN official – who resigned in disgust – with deep experience in the field. He and many others report they have never seen anything like this. How many journalists have Hamas killed? Doctors? Teachers? Poets? Is there a single hospital left standing in all of the Gaza Ghetto?? Compare photographs of the Warsaw Ghetto… Can you see the difference??
If you really want to be serious about this, you might want to read this recent piece by Masha Gessen in the New Yorker. On the eve of receiving the Heinrich Boll Award in Germany the event was “cancelled” and had to be moved to a different location as a result of political repression due to her criticism of Israel. She can criticize Russia all she wants, but woe betide anyone daring to call out the Apartheid Zionist state for what it is… https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-weekend-essay/in-the-shadow-of-the-holocaust
Poor Bono—There is clearly so much common ground to be found, and yet you can’t help but focus on something where we’re never going to agree. And you can’t help but insult me and call me racist. It’s so unproductive. And sad.
Come on, this is not a controversial situation.
I don’t want to live in a city where people can spray paint calls for violence against others, regardless of where and why.
Write literally anything else. Write “Stand up for Palestine”. “Stop funding Isreal”. There’s a million ways to express support for Palestine that isn’t a call for violence.
Everyone has a right to feel safe in this city.