CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

We Cannot Let Tucker Carlson Become the Face of Global Anti-Zionism

As we still try to come to terms with Israel’s countless barbaric crimes in its genocide in Gaza, as well as its cruelty in the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, and Iran, many on the left seem to have found a new voice to rally behind to echo our collective repulsion towards the fascist and ethno-nationalist ideology of Zionism: American conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson.

Chances are that, in recent weeks, your timelines have become riddled with clips of Tucker Carlson on podcasts and interviews, dismantling propaganda with exactitude and being unrelenting in his criticism of Zionism, as well as the US/Israeli illegal war on Iran, which Carlson has lambasted with particular ferocity. This has taken his reach beyond predominantly American conservative circles, with his scathing words resonating with many liberals and leftists, both within the United States and beyond.

In the last month alone, he has more than doubled his YouTube subscribers, to 5.6 million at the time of writing, while also gaining over 2 million new followers on Instagram, and 4 million on Twitter. Among the many clips driving this monumental recent growth, perhaps the most noteworthy was his takedown of The Economist‘s editor, Zanny Minton Beddoes, when asked by her about Israel’s “right to exist,” which he dealt with how anyone opposed to the wretched settler-colonial ideology of Zionism should – by exposing the ludicrous hypocrisy baked into the question. There’s plenty to learn from his response. This clip has been viewed tens of millions of times and has been endlessly reposted – by the corporate media, independent outlets, and individual creators alike, amplifying his reach and establishing him among the most popular anti-Israel and anti-Iran War voices.

Carlson’s effective communication about Israel has led to progressive attitudes towards the commentator shifting. Many now see him as a reformed soldier: the torchbearer of the fight against colonization, against imperialism, against AIPAC. However, it is imperative to push back against this convenient reframing and see Carlson’s recent shift for what it is: an opportunist repurposing in response to a deeply unpopular war and the recognition that everyone, everywhere, is now anti-Israel – one........

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