‘Antisemitism’ is now a kill-switch for anything they don’t want to hear.

When you call every critic a wolf, the real wolves are free to hunt.

Antisemitism is real. The Jewish people are among the most persecuted in human history. This isn’t a rant about Judaism—it’s about how the Israeli government and its supporters have weaponised ‘antisemitism’ to shut down criticism of their murderous actions in Palestine. It’s become a shield for power, not people.

Say the bombs are hitting schools and hospitals? That’s antisemitism, apparently. Question the killing of journalists - antisemitism. When the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over war crimes, the response wasn’t to argue the facts—it was to scream that the entire ICC is antisemitic. It’s fucking absurd.

The IHRA—the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance—defines antisemitism as:

“A certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

Fair enough. But then come the “examples”—and some of them are, well, convenient for those in power. According to the IHRA, calling Israel racist, or holding it to the same standards as other countries, might be antisemitic too.

A few IHRA examples include:

Justifying violence against Jews;

Spreading stereotypes about Jewish control of media or money;

Denying the Holocaust;

Accusing all Jews of Israel’s actions;

Saying Israel shouldn’t exist;

Applying “double standards” to Israel.

The issue isn’t the core definition—it’s the grey areas buried in these examples. Critics say they blur the line between real antisemitism and legitimate political criticism. And that blurring isn’t accidental. It’s deliberate. It’s being used to silence dissent and punish people who stand with Palestinians.

And by their own logic, Israel is guilty of antisemitism. If applying “double standards” to Israel is antisemitic, what do you call a state that massacres civilians, boasts about it, and still expects global applause and funding?

By turning antisemitism into a blunt weapon to defend war crimes, they’re making the word meaningless. And that only helps the real antisemites—people who actually hate Jews.

After the horrific shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC—where two Israeli embassy staffers were murdered—the gunman reportedly shouted, “Free Palestine.” A grotesque, indefensible act of violence.

But Netanyahu didn’t stop at condemning the killer. He used it to smear an entire movement. “For these neo-Nazis, ‘Free Palestine’ is just today’s version of ‘Heil Hitler,’” he said.

That’s not protecting Jews. That’s exploiting a tragedy to brand millions of people demanding justice as Nazis. It’s propaganda, not safety.

If everything is antisemitism, then nothing is. The word becomes noise. And history has taught us what happens when people stop listening.

Many Jewish scholars, human rights organisations, and even Holocaust survivors have warned against adopting the IHRA definition as the gold standard. Legal experts like Geoffrey Robertson AO QC, and respected Jewish thinkers like David Feldman, Brian Klug, and Antony Lerman have all raised concerns.

Even Kenneth Stern—who helped write the definition—has condemned how it’s being misused. He’s said it’s now being used to “restrict academic freedom and punish political speech.” When even the guy who wrote the thing says it’s being weaponised, you have to ask: who is this really protecting?

Worse still—when Israeli actions with Jewish identity are seen as the same, they hand the real antisemites exactly what they want. They make Zionism look like Judaism, and criticism of apartheid look like hate. That’s not just bad faith. That’s dangerous. It feeds the same monsters history warned us about.

It’s a magic word now. A holy word, hijacked. Say it and criticism dies. All questions stop. That’s not memory—it’s manipulation.

And somewhere, the ancestors are weeping. Not just in Gaza. Not just in Warsaw. In every place where words were meant to warn us—because when you call every critic a wolf, the real wolves are free to hunt.