Ken O’Keefe Embraces White Supremacist David Duke

Recently Ken O’Keefe was visiting Gaza accompanied by Australian chemtrails conspiracy theorist Max Igan.

Here’s one of the reasons why Ken’s efforts as a bona fide Palestinian solidarity activist should be disregarded. Last month on the 3rd September, Ken made claims David Duke was rehabilitated miraculously from his white supremacist alignment and has nothing to do with Stormfront anymore.

As for David Duke, yes people can and do change, and he clearly has. I have asked him about Stormfront, he has nothing to do with it any more. I base my opinion of him by what he says and what he stands for now. If people judged me for how I was 22 years ago as a US Marine then many would simply see my former self, not the person I am at the age of 43 years old. Part of our task is to forgive, put aside the minor differences and focus on the common ground. If you look at what David Duke is writing and presenting for many, many years, I think you will find it hard to find much fault with it. And what he says about Palestine is spot on for the most part. But even if you do find some faults in him, you will be lying if you do not see value in much of what he is saying. I take people this way, as a whole, not as a piece of one aspect of themselves, and certainly not as who they were 30 plus years ago.

And so on.

Not so.
Duke Stormfront conference
At the time Ken made his foolhardy statement, Duke was scheduled to speak and participate at a forthcoming Stormfront white supremacist international conference.

‘Former presidential candidate David Duke will lead “an informal nature walk through the Smokies” on day two of the conference, which begins Sept. 15. Duke is a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and Louisiana lawmaker. The conference is limited to 150 people, but it’s unclear how many will attend.’

On Duke’s site, to which I will not link, Duke himself states on August 30, 2012: ‘Dr. David Duke will be speaking at the Seminar for Practical Politics, which is seminar held in the Smokey Mountains dealing with the realities of Zionism, immigration, and the ongoing globalist threat to European Americans and to all peoples.

Credible Palestinian leaders reject racism, bigotry and conspiracy theories – these have no part to play in a principled movement for justice and human rights. Quoting from the most recent Statement against racism and bigotry, now signed by 100 leading Palestinian people:

The struggle for our inalienable rights is one opposed to all forms of racism and bigotry, including, but not limited to, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Zionism, and other forms of bigotry directed at anyone, and in particular people of color and indigenous peoples everywhere.

We oppose the cynical and baseless use of the term anti-Semitism as a tool for stifling criticism of Israel or opposition to Zionism, as this assumes simply because someone is Jewish, they support Zionism or the colonial and apartheid policies of the state of Israel – a false generalization.

Our struggle is anchored in universal human rights and international law in opposition to military occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid, something people of conscience of all ethnicities, races, and religions can support.

Finally, we call on people around the world to join us in a morally consistent stance that opposes racism and bigotry in all forms. An ethical struggle for justice and equal rights in any context entails zero tolerance for racial discrimination and racism anywhere.

By endorsing Duke and embracing him as a fellow activist, O’Keefe has besmirched these worthy, essential principles.

Ken O'Keefe extolls David Duke
http://www.facebook.com/1worldcitizen/posts/3921986321999 (Full quote of Ken O’Keefe endorsing David Duke

UPDATE

(Ken O’Keefe interviewed Duke on the 8th August, 2012. No link provided here.)

UPDATE 25/10/12

Ken has still failed to disendorse David Duke regardless of having been informed that his shameless endorsement is toxic to any human rights movement. Further, on the 19 October, he appeared on the Alex Jones channel, promoting conspiracist, antisemitic propaganda about the Federal Reserve and the Rothschilds.

Those who lie down with fleas, get up with fleas and espouse their views. The more they work without challenge in human rights movements, the more the fleas are spread.

Leading Palestinians in March, 2012 reaffirmedWe reaffirm that there is no room in this historic and foundational analysis of our struggle for any attacks on our Jewish allies, Jews, or Judaism; nor denying the Holocaust; nor allying in any way shape or form with any conspiracy theories, far-right, orientalist, and racist arguments, associations and entities.

UPDATE 19/10/12

The PCRF have confirmed that it is important for “to keep our high level of respect with our community and to not risk our reputation or, more importantly, ensure access for our doctors to save the lives of sick children in Palestine with the views of people who speak at our events. We are setting policy on this and hope to prevent any issues in the future that might impact our good name or important work.

On the 15th October, O’Keefe confirmed: ‘What I will not play anymore this game of people insinuating negative things or misrepresenting my views and otherwise taking a post into negative directions for whatever reason they wish to justify it with. I will write more about David Duke soon as this is one of the new angles those who are attempting to defame me are going. But this post is not about David Duke so those of you interested in that subject can will have to wait or write whatever you want elsewhere.

As of today, the 19th October, O’Keefe still has not resiled from his endorsement of David Duke.

UPDATE 13/10/12

O’Keefe on the 12/10/12 delivers an address at the Anaheim Hilton for the PCRF.

A PCRF representative has responded to me that this article will be shared today at a PCRF chapters meeting and that they are setting up a vetting committee for all PCRF speakers in the future.

On O’Keefe’s open Facebook wall, an afficionado gives Duke his glowing endorsement.

O'Keefe speaks at the PCRFDuke apologist on O'Keefe's facebook wallMore Ken O'Keefe fans defend David DukeDuke fans on Ken's wallDuke apologists on Ken's wallDuke fans on Ken's wallDuke fans on O'Keefe's wallKen decides critics of white supremacism are ziotrolls

More:

Duke fans on O'Keefe's wallDuke fans on O'Keefe's wallDuke fans on O'Keefe's wallWhite supremacist group hug

UPDATE 16/8/13

O’Keefe permitted himself to be interviewed by Duke on the 12th February, 2013:

‘Dr. David Duke interviews Ken O’keefe in Iran at the site ot the Hollywoodism Conference in Tehran, Iran. It exposes the Zio control of Hollywood which not only promotes lies about the enemies of Jewish extremism, but literally poisons the hearts and minds of hundreds of millions of people in West and all over the world. Once more it is shown that Iran is on the side of morality, love, family, and the Zionists are the side of hate, war, degeneracy, violence and blood as well as torture and genocide! Very powerful show!’

Related Links

What do Breivik, CounterPunch, David Duke, Stormfront and the Jerusalem Post have in common?

‘Duke isn’t just running articles by Atzmon, he is heaping praise on the man whilst setting out a racist position that he fears Atzmon may not have fully considered. Now given that Atzmon loves a bit of praise, I am surprised that he hasn’t mentioned or responded to Duke’s letter, not publicly anyway.’

The O’Keefe / Atzmon Connection

Palestinians Reject All Racism and Bigotry

An important and timely affirmation from Palestinian people, published on Electronic Intifada:

The struggle for Palestinian rights is incompatible with any form of racism or bigotry: a statement by Palestinians

We the undersigned, as Palestinians living in historic Palestine and the diaspora, in the spirit of past statements, and in light of recent controversies, write to reaffirm a key principle of our movement for freedom, justice, and equality: The struggle for our inalienable rights is one opposed to all forms of racism and bigotry, including, but not limited to, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Zionism, and other forms of bigotry directed at anyone, and in particular people of color and indigenous peoples everywhere.

We oppose the cynical and baseless use of the term anti-Semitism as a tool for stifling criticism of Israel or opposition to Zionism, as this assumes simply because someone is Jewish, they support Zionism or the colonial and apartheid policies of the state of Israel – a false generalization.

Our struggle is anchored in universal human rights and international law in opposition to military occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid, something people of conscience of all ethnicities, races, and religions can support.

Finally, we call on people around the world to join us in a morally consistent stance that opposes racism and bigotry in all forms. An ethical struggle for justice and equal rights in any context entails zero tolerance for racial discrimination and racism anywhere.

Signed (in order of signature):

  1. Abir Kopty
  2. Danya Mustafa
  3. Nadia Hijab
  4. Shirien Damra
  5. Omar Barghouti
  6. Noura Erakat
  7. Remi Kanazi
  8. Andrew Kadi
  9. Dina Omar
  10. Sandra Tamari
  11. Maath Musleh
  12. Suleiman Hodali
  13. Dana Saifan
  14. Jess Ghannam
  15. Sami Kishawi
  16. Dalia Almarina
  17. Haidar Eid
  18. Samee Sulaiman
  19. Lubna Hammad
  20. Issa Mikel
  21. Dina Zbidat
  22. Esmat Elhalaby
  23. Linah Alsaafin
  24. Ramzi Jaber
  25. Randa May Wahbe
  26. Hilda Massoud
  27. Falastine Dwikat
  28. Jamil Sbitan
  29. Beesan Ramadan
  30. Alaa Milbes
  31. Tanya Keilani
  32. Adam Akkad
  33. Budour Hassan
  34. Ahmad Nimer
  35. Fajr Harb
  36. Susan Abulhawa
  37. Amira Dasouqi
  38. Lubna Alzaroo
  39. Samah Sabawi
  40. Ismail Khalidi
  41. Annemarie Jacir
  42. George E. Bisharat
  43. Sara Jawhari
  44. Amin Abbas
  45. Ali Abunimah
  46. Camillia Shoufani
  47. Dena Qaddumi
  48. Ramzi Kanazi
  49. Alaa Yousef
  50. Najwa Doughman
  51. Amal Atieh Jubran
  52. Mahdi Sabbagh
  53. Rania Jubran
  54. Amar Husain
  55. Omar H. Rahman
  56. Yazeed Ibrahim
  57. Zachariah Barghouti
  58. Nadine Darwish
  59. Rinad Abdulla
  60. Sana Ibrahim
  61. Rana Libdeh
  62. Huwaida Arraf
  63. Basil Farraj
  64. Riham Barghouti
  65. Jalal Abukhater
  66. Grace Said
  67. Wafai Dias
  68. Huda Asfour
  69. Musa Al-Hindi
  70. Halla Shoaibi
  71. Nada Elia
  72. Shafeka Hashash
  73. Linda Sarsour
  74. Nour Joudah
  75. Fadi Quran
  76. Rafeef Ziadah
  77. Muhammad Jabali
  78. Haneen Maikey
  79. Diana Alzeer
  80. Mouin Rabbani
  81. Zaid Shuaibi
  82. Sari Harb
  83. Suzy Salamy
  84. Diana Buttu
  85. Maryam Zohny
  86. Vivien Sansour
  87. Noor Fawzy
  88. Jackie Salloum
  89. Hatem Bazian
  90. Awad Hamdan
  91. Ahmed Moor
  92. Zahi Damuni
  93. Irene Nasser
  94. Sanah Yassin
  95. Sumia Ibrahim
  96. Hazem Jamjoum

Related Links

Granting No Quarter: A Call for the Disavowal of the Racism and Antisemitism of Gilad Atzmon

International Harp Contest Funded by Apartheid Israel Used as Propaganda

Facts Uncovered: Amazing Revelations About Israel’s International Harp Contest

Why are harpists showing dwindling interest in travelling to Israel for the Harp Contest? The Contest website boasts that it looks ahead to the next 50 years, and invites harpists to join in the 18th contest from November to December, and lodge in the biblical city of Jaffa near Tel Aviv beaches.

Some interesting facts have come to light about the International Harp Contest in Israel. According to Carl Swanson, former student of the late master harpist Pierre Jamet, Israel was only supposed to be the location for the International Harp Contest in its inaugural year. Swanson wrote on a forum in the harpcolumn website:
Harpcolumn comments
Just to let you know: My teacher, Pierre Jamet, was the one who came up with the idea of an international harp competition and was part of the original organization that founded the Israel Competition. But their original plan was to hold the competition in a different country each time, not always in Israel. They chose Israel for the first competition because of the story of King David. But as soon as the first competition took place, the Israeli organizers took hold of it and kept it in Israel. [1]

This anomaly in planning the hosting of the event should lead to serious questions by international harpists regarding the contest continually being held in Israel. More facts have been uncovered which show how the Israeli government financially sponsors the contest [2], and there is strong evidence that the harp is being used as a propaganda tool to promote the Zionist state of Israel.

ORIGINAL INTENTIONS NOT HONORED

The contest is being seriously misused since the original founders intended the competition to live up to its title as an “International” Contest. No doubt Pierre Jamet was very disappointed that the contest he helped to found never took place in his home city of Paris. Jamet’s former student, Ruth Inglefield, tells how he “worked tirelessly to help create the beginnings of the large international family [3].

How sad that his plans were never realized. Jamet passed away in 1991, always knowing that his intentions were not honored. Indeed, research shows that Jamet disassociated himself from Israel after 1965, just 6 years after the contest began in Israel.

There were other harpists who were also undoubtedly disappointed that Israel “took hold of the contest.” Maria Korchinska (England), Phia Berghout (Holland), Clelia Gatti Aldrovandi (Italy), Vera Dulova (Russia), Nicanor Zabaleta (Spain), Lucile Johnson Rosenbloom, Lucile Lawrence and Eileen Malone (USA), Marcel Grandjany and Carlos Salzedo (USA and France) were all renowned harpists and founders of the contest, they must have had visions of someday seeing the tri-annual contest in their home countries as well.

1959 Harp Contest
(above, this poster for the first contest is evidence that the liberty was taken to rename the contest thereafter)

DWINDLING INTEREST

The Israeli Meitar Collection Website states that:

The Harp Competition – the first in the world – was founded in 1959 on a shoe-string by [sic] Aaron Zvi Propes. It takes place every three years and is considered the most [sic] important world harp contest contributing to Israel’s prestige.

Thirty-six entrants up to age 35 are accepted for every competition [4]

In 2003, the International Harp Contest, according to Israeli harpist Sunita Staneslow, had only eleven competitors. It fell far short of 36 contestants! Staneslow wrote on her website:

There were only eleven competitors this year due to the political situation in Israel, and I wondered if that would mean a loss of stature to the competition. [5]

This is not surprising, as the contest focuses primarily on placing the culture of the Israeli state on the International stage [6], and not on harpists, their talent and art. So desperate are the organizers for participants, that the 2012 contest now offers to pay half of all hotel and food costs for contestants.

Varvara Ivanova, Julie Bunzel, Albane Mahe and Etsuko Shoji were four of the eleven contestants present in 2003, and they all received a prize in Israel. Yet, how difficult would it be to place when the competition is so scanty? By contrast, The USA International Harp Competition had 39 contestants in a recent competition [7]. Of course, Staneslow is right, there is great loss of stature to Israel’s Harp Contest.

The real underlying reason for that loss of stature and prestige comes from the fact that Israel is committing the crime of apartheid against the Palestinian people. Recently, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination emphasised:

The Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations are notable because they establish that Israel’s policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) are tantamount to Apartheid, and additionally determine that many state policies within Israel also violate the prohibition on Apartheid as enshrined in Article 3 of the Convention. [8]

HARPISTS PREFER CONTESTS IN EUROPE AND THE USA

In conclusion, efforts to revive the flailing contest in Israel are not likely to succeed, just as apartheid in Israel is not sustainable. Many harpists today do not even consider the Israel contest. They are looking to other contests such as the highly competitive and very popular USA International Harp Competition, the Lily Laskine in Paris[9], and the International Harp Competition of the Cité des Arts in Paris[10]. The Dutch Harp Competition is described as a “revolutionary international harp competition hosted in the Netherlands.[11]” The International Golden Harp Competition[12] was also recently inaugurated in Russia, and could likely replace the Israel Contest.

Harpists are likely investigating Israel’s many violations of human rights and are choosing to heed the call to boycott, reiterated by George Roger Waters of the legendary Pink Floyd:

This is, however, a plea to my colleagues in the music industry, and also to artists in other disciplines, to join this cultural boycott.

Artists were right to refuse to play in South Africa’s Sun City resort until apartheid fell and white people and black people enjoyed equal rights. And we are right to refuse to play in Israel until the day comes – and it surely will come – when the wall of occupation falls and Palestinians live alongside Israelis in the peace, freedom, justice and dignity that they all deserve.[13]

George Roger Waters, The Guardian, UK, 11 March 2011


[1] http://www.harpcolumn.com/forum/message-view?message_id=19143167
[2] ”The Power Behind Israel’s Harp Contest” http://boycott-israel-harp-contest.posterous.com/the-power-behind-israels-harp-contest
[3] REMEMBRANCES OF PIERRE JAMET IN HIS CENTENNIAL YEAR By Marie Claire Jamet, Ruth Inglefield, and Carl Swanson http://swansonharp.com/articles/remembrances_pierre_jamet.html
[4] http://meitarfamily.co.il/206105?language=english
[5] http://www.sunitaharp.com/articles/TopHarpists.html
[6] Propes indeed placed Israel’s culture on the international stage. http://www.harpcontest-israel.org.il/about
[7] USA International Harp Competition concludes http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=76234&search=al&section=search
[8] UN Committee 2012 Session Concludes Israeli System Tantamount to Apartheid http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/5588/un-committee-2012-session-concludes-israeli-system?fb_action_ids=4127358194162&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366
[9] http://lilylaskine.online.fr/english/competition/competition.htm
[10] http://www.harpcompetition-citedesarts.com/
[11] Dutch Harp Competiton 2012 http://www.harpfestival.nl/competition
[12] http://www.goldenharp.ru/eng/main/?year=2011
[13]Tear Down This Israeli Wall http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/11/cultural-boycott-west-bank-wall

SOURCE

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions – Pressuring Israel to End Its Oppression

Find out more about the logic of BDS – become involved with the international grassroots campaign for justice and rights for Palestinian people dispossessed of their Indigenous land and deprived of basic human rights by their oppressor.

More information about the One Democratic State Group can be found here. The ODSG believes “that the One State Solution is the only viable option that guarantees comprehensive peace in the Middle East. The establishment of a Secular Democratic State on historic Palestine for all of its citizens regardless of religion, race, or sex–after the return of Palestinian refugees–IS the solution to the Middle East conflict.”

The ODSG is also

“active in the Palestine-initiated campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. These measures, similar to those applied to South Africa during the apartheid era, are necessary to bring an end to Israel’s genocidal policies towards Palestinians both within Israel and throughout the Occupied Territories. We believe that these non-violent measures should be maintained until Apartheid Israel recognizes the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and the establishment of a democratic state on Mandatory Palestine; a state for ALL of its citizens.”

Related Links

Strength to strength : As part of the ongoing campaign for solidarity with Palestine, the Palestine Action Group is calling another peaceful protest against Max Brenner at Parramatta Westfield. Max Brenner is an ongoing target of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign for its support for Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Mark the 8th November for protest action against apartheid Israel.

Diab wants Palestinians to seek citizenship of Israel. What of Palestinian refugees?

Diab’s Monty Pythonesque ‘Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinians’ is frivolous and patronising – Palestinians lead their own struggle. Diab writes if Israel/Palestine is a movie set. He is pontificating of course. There’s no recognition by him of intrinsic Indigenous rights. Settler colonials don’t have the same relationship with the land as Indigenous people. Further, people shouldn’t have to do any deals to enjoy basic human rights, or equal rights either, though. They are non-negotiable.

Is Diab really promising the end of the racist, oxymoronic “Jewish democratic state” when he says “likewise it is the Israeli people who make Israel Jewish and so emancipating the millions of disenfranchised Palestinians will not make the state any less Jewish than it is today – only fairer and more just”?

I am reminded of words from Queensland Aboriginal activists : “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together”. How can one liberate others if one is not first liberated, how can one decolonise the minds of others if one’s own mind is not decolonised first?

When the oppressor frames the dimensions of the struggle of the oppressed, colonialism is implicit. Do Palestinians see Diab’s proposal as ‘ideologically neutral’?

Other Links

Democracy and peaceful protest is alive and well in Venezuala : “The numbers on both sides of the campaign makes one thing plainly clear; there is something at stake in Venezuela. The people have said goodbye to the concept of “pacted democracy” – the choice of voting for two parties with near-identical policies, long since buried over here, but still alive and well in the UK – and they do not want it back. The opposition say they want to unite the country, but poor people have experienced the type of ‘unity’ that denies their existence, let alone their right to live a dignified life, many times before.”

The US is a gulag state.
Irreversible Warming Will Cause Sea Levels to Rise for Thousands of Years to Come, New Research Shows