Hamas supporters have embraced a number of slogans while marching in solidarity with the terrorist organization that last month murdered more than 1,400 Israelis in the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
Analyzing these pro-terrorism slogans based on their words and connotations (and common sense) might lead one to conclude the slogans are anti-Semitic or even downright genocidal. That is simply not true.
Fact check: The slogans chanted by Hamas supporters protesting the Israeli military's efforts to eradicate the terrorist organization are not anti-Semitic or genocidal. They are aspirational rallying cries for peaceful coexistence. Here are six perfect examples for your edification.
1) "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!"
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) describes this slogan as anti-Semitic because it is "fundamentally a call for a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, territory that includes the State of Israel, which would mean the dismantling of the Jewish state."
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) and other anti-Semites insist this is not the case. "From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate," Tlaib explained.
2) "Glory to our martyrs!"
Some have suggested this slogan is anti-Semitic because it venerates the Hamas terrorists who died during the murderous rampage on October 7. (Context: The dead terrorists' families will receive financial stipends for life from the supposedly moderate Palestinian Authority.)
This is incorrect. The slogan is also intended to honor the Hamas terrorists killed by the Israeli military in its ongoing campaign of retaliation, as well as the terrorists killed in previous attacks on the Jewish state, and all terrorists around the world who died doing what they loved—trying to murder Jews.
3) "There is only one solution! Intifada! Revolution!"
When students at the University of Michigan chanted this slogan during an anti-Semitic rally in January, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt denounced the "direct call to violence" against Jews.
"The Intifadas were horrific periods of Palestinian violence in Israel with suicide bombings, shootings, stabbings and other terror attacks that killed over 1,000 innocent Israeli citizens," he wrote. "Calling for an Intifada is advocating for murder."
Meanwhile, some have suggested the phrase "only one solution" is a clear reference to the Final Solution—the Nazi code name for "the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe."
This is all a giant misunderstanding. In fact, the word "revolution" does not appear in the actual slogan. The correct word is "revul-lose-sion," a combination of "revulsion" and "lose" intended to portray the Intifada as a revolting act committed by losers and to express a heartfelt desire for peaceful coexistence.
4) "Hitler was right!"
Critics complain these related slogans appear to praise Adolf Hitler for making the "right" decision to commit genocide against the Jews and to lament his failure to kill every single Jew.
The critics are mistaken. Hamas supporters aren't saying Hitler was right about killing the Jews. In fact, they are praising Hitler for being a passionate vegetarian and are simply urging others to abstain from meat in order to promote animal rights and combat climate change.
5) "What do we want? To share our views! Cleanse the Earth of rotten Jews!"
Sure, it looks pretty bad, but if you really understood, like, the historical context and the nuances of, like, the inherent complexities surrounding the rhetoric of modern resistance movements within, like, the framework and lexicon of decolonialist theory, you would realize—and experts would agree—this slogan is firmly rooted in, like, socially accepted standards of aspirational nonviolence and, um, social justice.
6) "Adolf Hitler, he's our man! Genocide our master plan! Gas the Jews like dirty swine! Free, free Palestine!"
Like, it's just not, OK? The academic literature is quite clear, and it's actually racist for you to ask me to explain it for you. Like, why should I have to bear that intellectual burden when I expect you are perfectly capable of doing the work yourself? It's an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence. And, like, we wouldn't even be having this debate if Jews didn't control the media, right? So if you're too ignorant to understand or too lazy to educate yourself, that's on you.
WATCH: Hamas Official Says Terrorist Group Will Repeat Oct. 7 Attack 'Again and Again'