By Adam Pagnucco.
As word began to spread about a screening at Montgomery College of The Occupation of the American Mind, a movie alleging an Israeli “public relations war” to dominate American media, I heard from several elected officials who were willing to react on the record. Here is what some of them told me yesterday.
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Senator Jeff Waldstreicher: “The Occupation of the American Mind falls in a long tradition of racist and anti-Semitic propaganda that includes Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Birth of a Nation. If Montgomery College believes that their own taxpayers should subsidize such hate, they will quickly find out at both the County and State level that they are wrong.”
Senator Craig Zucker: “This is deeply concerning and will lead to more division. This is a time where we must all come together and not feed into misinformation and areas that could divide us further.”
Senator Cheryl Kagan: “I support education and debate. I do NOT support taxpayer money being used to subsidize hate speech! This movie has a history of provoking controversy in Takoma Park. Why is it back???”
Kagan posted the above statement on Facebook.
Delegate Ryan Spiegel: “It is deeply upsetting to see a group of faculty and students planning a screening of a vile antisemitic propaganda film on the Rockville campus of Montgomery College tomorrow and making use of the school’s resources to do so. While individuals are entitled to their views, however abhorrent, the college itself must condemn the sort of hate speech at the heart of this film, which invokes a despicable age-old trope depicting Jews and Israel as somehow ‘controlling’ the media and the minds of the American public. And MC must ensure that its public, government-funded resources are not being used to promote antisemitic messages. Five years ago, when another local government entity — the City of Takoma Park — planned to air this film, there was overwhelming condemnation by elected officials and community leaders, for good reason.
I believe that the leadership and the vast majority of faculty, staff, and students of MC do not condone this screening and that the organizers are making use of some college resources in violation of the school’s policies, and perhaps without the prior knowledge of the administration. I appreciate recent statements and actions by MC leadership to reinforce their policies and positions on hate speech, and I understand the need to balance those efforts with academic freedom and First Amendment rights. That said, I call on the MC administration and community leaders to renounce this event, continue enforcing anti-hate policies, and keep working to ensure that their campuses are welcoming, safe spaces where meaningful dialogue and debate can occur without institutional resources being used to support the broadcasting of antisemitic and hateful disinformation.”
Council President Andrew Friedson: “‘Occupation of the American Mind’ is a deeply hurtful and offensive film predicated on centuries-old antisemitic tropes of Jewish control and manipulation of media and politics narrated by an individual with a long track record of antisemitism. The film’s harmful premise is not new; it’s part of the same propaganda that’s been weaponized repeatedly to persecute Jews and to justify the destruction of the Jewish people.
While I understand the film is being shown by Montgomery College students and faculty and not the college itself, ‘Occupation of the American Mind’ fans the flames of hate and bias and seeks to legitimize it.”
Former Town of Chevy Chase Council Member Joel Rubin: “Montgomery College should be ashamed of itself for hosting this film. Period. It’s horrifying that, just on the heels of an unjustifiable Iranian missile attack against Israeli civilians and the dramatic rise in Antisemitism here at home in Montgomery County, we now have to deal with our taxpayer dollars going towards the broadcast of hate filled anti-Jewish conspiracy theories. The presenters would do us all in Montgomery County a favor by calling for dialogue rather than promoting hate speech that targets one specific religious group. This will only increase intolerance in our community, not lessen it. The film should be shown where it belongs. In the trash can.”
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The movie’s screening was promoted by a faculty member using a college email account and will be shown on the Rockville campus with a college Zoom link. It is scheduled for screening today at 2 PM.