DEPROGRAMMED: Ex-Palestine supporter blasts ‘insane’ movement for ‘cherry-picking’ oppressors
Parishad Kavyani, an Iranian-born former supporter of the pro-Palestine movement, says she left after seeing what she regards as selective concern for human rights. She argues that some activists condemn oppression in Palestine while staying silent about Iranian women’s freedoms or supporting Iran’s authorities, and says this undermines the movement’s claim to universal principles.
Kavyani said her experiences growing up in Iran, where she heard calls to support Palestinians while witnessing poverty and poor infrastructure at home, shaped her perspective. The 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel was a turning point: she said she opposed the killing, rape, torture and hostage-taking of civilians regardless of their nationality or politics. She also described facing homophobia, racism and sexism from left-wing activists she had marched alongside for more than two years.
In short
- Kavyani says selective advocacy led her to leave the pro-Palestine movement.
- She cites limited support for Iranian women’s freedoms.
- The 7 October attack was a turning point for her.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Kavyani’s criticism has force if a movement that invokes universal human rights gives markedly less attention to abuses by actors it sees as politically aligned. From this perspective, solidarity should include Iranian women and other people facing repression, and condemning attacks on Israeli civilians is compatible with advocating for Palestinians.
The case against
Others would argue that advocacy groups can focus on a particular cause without being obliged to address every human-rights crisis, and that support for Palestinian rights does not imply support for Iran’s authorities or for attacks on civilians. They might also caution that Kavyani’s experiences with particular activists, however serious, do not establish that the wider movement is uniformly selective or hostile to those who dissent.
Explained simply
The pro-Palestine movement includes people and groups who campaign in support of Palestinian rights and against restrictions and violence affecting Palestinians. Its supporters have different views, but many frame their activism as part of a wider commitment to human rights.
Iran is governed by the Islamic Republic, whose laws and policies have faced criticism over restrictions on women’s freedoms and the treatment of dissent. Debate over those issues became more prominent internationally after the 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman detained over her head covering.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas, an armed Palestinian group that governs Gaza, attacked Israel, killing civilians and taking hostages; Israel then launched a military campaign in Gaza. The events drew renewed attention to the conflict and to how governments and campaigners respond to civilian harm.