Al Jazeera Discovers 'Rioters' in Iran, Forgets 'Protesters' in Gaza
Al Jazeera reports Iran's judiciary will 'speed up trials' for 'accused rioters and saboteurs,' invoking capital charges of 'waging war against God.' The headlines are clear: a crackdown on dissent. Yet, the same media often struggles to condemn the summary executions and mass arrests of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank (e.g., Al Jazeera, 'Israeli forces kill 18 Palestinians in Jericho
raid,' Jan 1, 2024), where even children are disappeared into military prisons without due process. (And don't forget the US's own history of 'speedy trials' after 9/11 for anyone deemed a 'terrorist,' no due process necessary.) One might wonder if 'rioters' and 'saboteurs' are universal terms, or if their application depends on which government is doing the cracking down. The swift condemnation
of Iran’s actions stands in stark contrast to the deferential framing often afforded to Western-backed regimes. (Perhaps a certain $100 million in Qatari government funding for Al Jazeera's U.S. operations influences the target selection for 'justice' too). This double standard makes one question if justice is ever blind, or merely selectively sighted.