Zionism has warped the lexicon, so words are now convenient weapons

Zionism has warped the lexicon, so words are now convenient weapons Marchella Ward on Tue, 08/04/2026 - 16:28 From 'intifada' to 'Palestine', pro-Israel groups have altered definitions, with consequences ranging from rewritten histories to asset freezes and arrests A police officer detains a Palestine Action supporter during a Defend Our Juries protest outside Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on 30 July 2026 (SOPA Images via Reuters Connect) Off It is early on a Sunday morning, and you are awoken by armed police officers banging on your door. They hand you a letter: the state will freeze your assets for a further six months, denying you access to your own bank accounts because they disagree with the anti-genocide stance you have publicly expressed. The letter cites a tweet you posted several months ago, in which you criticised the Israeli and US bombardment of Iran. It cites the fact that you have shared an interview with a pro-Palestine activist and an article written by an academic historian on social media. These actions are proof, the letter explains, that you have failed to renounce your "pro-jihadist" convictions. It sounds like something out of the pages of a dystopian sci-fi novel, but for Elias d'Imzalene, a French pro-Palestine activist and founding member of the campaign group Urgence Palestine, it has become real life. The crime of which d'Imzalene is accused - and for which his movements have been restricted and his assets frozen for more than a year - is not so much a thoughtcrime, to use George Orwell's term, but a wordcrime. In September 2024, at an anti-genocide demonstration in Paris, he used the Arabic word intifada to refer to the global non-violent uprising against Israel's occupation of Palestine that is still taking place in cities all around the world. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The clip of his speech circulated widely on social media, and by the time d'Imzalene arriv