George Monbiot1. Pointing out that the Iranian regime's actions are horrific does not in any way subtract from the horror of the Israeli government's genocide in Gaza, or from other atrocities. There are, unfortunately, plenty here who seem to believe we should be partisan in our denunciations. They are wrong. 🧵
2. For years I've battled people who seek to minimise, dismiss or deny great crimes committed by enemies of the West, such as Assad in Syria, Russia and Iran. They seem to believe we should call out only atrocities by NATO countries and allies. But a crime's a crime, regardless of who commits it.
3. It shouldn't be a difficult concept to grasp, but the nastiest battles I've had are over this issue. Bitter contestations with Noam Chomsky, John Pilger and - much worse - the cult-like movements they've attracted. Their enemy's enemy must be a friend, however gruesome they may be.
4. The moment you criticise an enemy of the West, you become an enemy of some on the Western left. Oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Assad's use of chemical weapons or Iran's murder of protesters and you become a "stooge", a "sellout", even a "warmongering imperialist"(!!) It drives me mad.
5. It's been the great weakness of parts of the left ever since the Holodomor. If you are not a universalist, if your humanitarianism applies to some but not to others, fine, walk your own path. But please stop wasting the time and energy of people with consistent principles.
Thank you.
Matt Jones@georgemonbiot.bsky.social Bloody tankies