An
episode of Abby Martin’s Empire Files, featuring journalist Max Blumenthal
and spotlighting rising militarism in Israel, has been blocked by YouTube
in 28 countries, including Israel and the UK, for violating “local laws.”
“Just
notified by YouTube that Abby Martin’s interview with Max Blumenthal
has been blocked from being viewed in 28 countries (including Israel)
to ‘comply with local laws.’ Actions disabled & warnings for
viewers elsewhere,”the program’s official
Twitter account related on Thursday.
Entitled“Jewish-American on Israel's
Fascism: ‘No Hope For Change From Within',”the
episode featured a discussion between Martin and journalist Max
Blumenthal about the increasingly militaristic, racist attitude of
Israel towards Palestinians.
“YouTube
has claimed that it removed my interview on Israel-Palestine with Abby
Martin to comply with laws in 28 countries. However, nothing I did or
said in the discussion was even remotely illegal, even in countries
with the strictest hate crime laws,”Blumenthal
told RT in an email.“My comments
were based entirely on my extensive journalistic experience in the
region and my analysis was clinical in nature. At no point did I
denigrate anyone based on their faith or ethnicity.”
Blumenthal said that his
comments were“motivated
by a strong opposition to Israel's systemic discrimination against
Palestinians,”and his“dedication
to equal rights for all.”He called the
YouTube's decision“a
political one and likely made under pressure from powerful pro-Israel
interests.”
A screenshot from YouTube
which accompanied the tweet identified the 28 countries and territories
where the 2015 video, was blocked and this list includes most European
countries.
Viewers from around the
world responded to Empire Files’ tweet, reporting that the video
includes a warning that is has been“identified
by the YouTube community as inappropriate or offensive to some
audiences.”The video’s description, view
counter, comments section, as well as ‘like’ and ‘dislike’ options have
apparently also been disabled by YouTube.
According to Blumenthal,
this isn’t the first time YouTube has censored his commentary and
journalism on Israel-Palestine. In 2010, he made a viral video exposing“racist extremism”in
Israel, which received widespread media coverage and wassubsequently
removedfrom the platform without explanation.
“The
trend of censoring material that presents Israel in a less than
favorable light has only intensified as establishment attacks on
critical voices expands. This latest episode confirms my view that the
pro-Israel lobby and its willing accomplices in Silicon Valley present
one of the greatest threats to free speech in the West,”Blumenthal
told RT.
Last year, YouTube invited
the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to join its"Trusted
Flagger"system. The ADL defines opposition to
Israel's system of apartheid as a form of anti-Semitism. Blumenthal told
RT that he believes the ADL is likely behind the suppression of his
interview with Martin.
Empire Files, the
documentary and interview program airing on teleSUR, is known for
addressing hot-button issues that are often overlooked or ignored by
traditional media.