We Con the World

Last updated

We Con the World is a 2010 video clip that satirizes the purportedly peaceful intentions of the political activists aboard the Turkish-owned flagship, MV Mavi Marmara, which led the Free Gaza flotilla. The video uses the tune and style of the 1985 video "We Are the World", with actors portraying the ship's captain and passengers while waving fake weapons as they sing in criticism of the activists' attempts to "make the world abandon reason" and ignore facts about Hamas as they try to breach the Gaza blockade. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

The video was produced in 2010 by American-Israeli Caroline Glick, a columnist for the Jerusalem Post , and Latma TV, an Israeli media satire website she edits. The website is an initiative of the Center for Security Policy, a conservative organization [7] located in Washington, D.C. [8] [9] Glick makes an appearance in the chorus, wearing a keffiyeh. [10]

Creation

Latma TV director Shlomo Blass told a reporter for the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth that he had decided to respond on the day of the Gaza flotilla raid. "I immediately called the site editor, Caroline Glick, and said to her: 'We have to do something'." [11]

Glick described the video as a parody, featuring the "Turkish-Hamas 'love boat' captain crew and passengers in a musical explanation of how they con the world," and told the press that "We think this is an important Israeli contribution to the discussion of recent events and we hope you distribute it far and wide." [12]

Description

The video satirizes the purportedly peaceful intentions of the political activists aboard the MV Mavi Marmara, the Turkish-owned flagship that led the "blockade busting" Free Gaza Gaza flotilla. [1] [2] Actors portraying the ship's captain and passengers wave fake weapons as they sing, with affected Arab accents, "We'll make the world abandon reason / We'll make them all believe that the Hamas is Momma Theresa", "As Allah has shown us / For facts there's no demand". [4] The captain of the parody crew sings "Ithbah al-Yahud" (اذبح اليهود, i.e. "Slaughter the Jews" in Arabic). [5]

The video uses the tune and style of the 1985 video "We Are the World" by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. [3]

Response

Robert Mackey of the New York Times characterizes the video as "suggest[ing] that the activists on board the flotilla were, in fact, violent provocateurs." [13] Jeff Stein of the Washington Post quotes a CIA officer who calls it "pretty clever agitprop." [14] Writing in the Huffington Post , journalist Eileen Read called on the Jerusalem Post to fire Glick for making fun of the dead in the "blatantly racist" video. [4] [15]

The Israeli foreign ministry press office sent it to a list of journalists, and three hours later sent an apology describing the emailed video as having been "inadvertently released." [3] [10] [12] [16] [17] [18] [19]

The spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel, Mark Regev, told The Guardian that "I called my kids in to watch it because I thought it was funny. It is what Israelis feel. But the government has nothing to do with it." [5]

In June 2010 David Lev wrote in an Arutz Sheva news article that the video received over three million views in less than a week. [20] As of September 2015, the original video page showed that it had received over 2.78 million hits. [21]

YouTube has versions with subtitles in Hebrew, Spanish, English, French, Russian, [22] Portuguese, and Hungarian.

A week after the parody appeared, it was pulled by YouTube "due to a copyright claim by Warner/ Chappell Music, Inc." [20] [23] Glick argued that it was legal and permissible to use copyrighted material under the fair use doctrine for purposes of parody. [20]

Lawrence Solomon opined in the National Post that "parodies are not subject to a copyright claim" and that "YouTube carries numerous other parodies of 'We are the world' – a search on the YouTube site of 'We are the world spoof' turns up 5,100 results":

"YouTube's real problem with this viral hit is the virus of anti-Semitism. 'We con the world,' which portrays terrorists on the Gaza flotilla's ship, the MV Mavi Marmara, explaining how they'll con the world, hits too close to home for many Hamas sympathizers, who mounted a successful campaign to cow YouTube". [24]

Several weeks after its removal the original video was restored on its channel. [21]

Participants

Caroline Glick, Noam Jacobson, Tal Gilad, Shlomo Blass, Elchanan Even-Chen, Karni Eldad, Ronit Avrahamof, Nachum Shteiner, and Yoram Schwartz participated in the video. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth O'Keefe</span> American-Irish-Palestinian activist

Kenneth Nichols O'Keefe is an American-Irish-Palestinian citizen and activist and former United States marine and Gulf War veteran. In 2001, he set fire to his United States passport. Subsequently, he led the human shield action to Iraq and was a passenger on the MV Mavi Marmara during the Gaza flotilla raid, where he disarmed two of the Israeli commandos who boarded the ship, initiating a confrontation in which ten Turkish activists were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Glick</span> American-Israeli journalist and author

Caroline B. Glick is an Israeli-American conservative journalist and author. She writes for Israel Hayom, Breitbart News, The Jerusalem Post, Jewish News Syndicate and Maariv. She is an adjunct senior fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Security Policy, and directs the Israeli Security Project at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. In 2019, she was a candidate on the Israeli political party New Right's list for the Knesset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Gaza Movement</span> Movement challenging the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip

The Free Gaza Movement (FGM) is a coalition of human rights activists and pro-Palestinian groups formed to break Egypt and Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and publicise the situation of the Palestinians there. FGM has challenged the Israeli–Egyptian blockade by sailing humanitarian aid ships to Gaza. The group has more than 70 endorsers, including the late Desmond Tutu and Noam Chomsky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilarion Capucci</span> Syrian Catholic bishop

Hilarion Capucci was a Syrian Catholic bishop who served as the titular archbishop of Caesarea in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IHH (Turkish NGO)</span> Organization

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation or İHH is a conservative Turkish GONGO, active in more than 120 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaza flotilla raid</span> 2010 Israeli military operation against a humanitarian ship convoy

The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six civilian ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea. Nine of the flotilla passengers were killed during the raid, with thirty wounded. Ten Israeli soldiers were wounded, one seriously. The exact sequence of events is contested, in part due to the IDF's confiscation of the passengers' photographic evidence. The flotilla, organized by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH), was carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials, intending to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

MV <i>Mavi Marmara</i> Turkish passenger ship

MV Mavi Marmara is a Comoros-flagged passenger ship, which was formerly owned and operated by İDO Istanbul Fast Ferries Co. Inc. on the line Sarayburnu, Istanbul-Marmara Island-Avşa Island in the Sea of Marmara. Built at the Golden Gate Shipyard by Turkish Shipbuilding Co. in 1994, the ship has a capacity of 1,080 passengers. It is best known for its participation in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and the deadly confrontation that took place on it during the Gaza flotilla raid.

Reactions to the Gaza flotilla raid on 31 May 2010 ranged from fierce condemnation to strong support for Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">İbrahim Bilgen</span> Turkish activist (1949–2010)

İbrahim Bilgen was a Turkish politician, electrical engineer and activist. He was born in Batman, Turkey and killed by the Israel armed forces in the Gaza flotilla raid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furkan Doğan</span>

Furkan Doğan was a Turkish American who was residing in Turkey permanently. He was the youngest person killed by the IDF on the MV Mavi Marmara, in the Gaza flotilla raid and became a political symbol after his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latma</span>

Latma is a satirical right-wing Israeli website that also produces a weekly satirical news show.

Gaza journey of MV<i> Rachel Corrie</i> 2010 humanitarian voyage

The Cambodian-flagged Irish MV Rachel Corrie was part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla that sailed to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid in 2010. The ship was unable to join the other six ships in the flotilla because of mechanical problems that forced it to undergo repairs in Malta. The other six ships were confronted by a raid on 31 May 2010 during which nine activists were killed by Israeli naval forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaza Freedom Flotilla</span> 2010 aid flotilla from Cypriot to Palestinian water

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla was a small fleet of ships organized in 2010 by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH) carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials with the intention of breaking the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. In typical circumstances, aid is first brought to Israel to be inspected and then transferred to Gaza.

The Turkel Commission was an inquiry set up by Israeli Government to investigate the Gaza flotilla raid, and the Blockade of Gaza. It was led by Israeli retired Supreme Court Judge Jacob Turkel. The other initial members of the commission were former President of the Technion and military expert, Amos Horev, and professor of international law, Shabtai Rosenne, who died in September 2010. The probe was overseen by two International observers: William David Trimble, former Leader of the Northern Irish Ulster Unionist Party and Northern Irish First Minister, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Canadian former military judge Ken Watkin.

"Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human" was a flotilla that planned to break the maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip by Israel by sailing to Gaza on 5 July 2011. Ultimately, the sailing did not take place.

Amin Abu Rashid, nicknamed "Amin Abu-Ibrahim", is a Palestinian-Dutch national, best known for his activism for Hamas and Gaza-bound flotillas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haneen Zoabi</span> Palestinian-Israeli politician

Haneen Zoabi, is a Palestinian-Israeli politician. The first Arab woman to be elected to the legislature on an Arab party's list, she served as a member of the Knesset for the Balad party between 2009 and 2019. In 2021, she was convicted of forgery and fraud after pleading guilty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Abunimah</span> Palestinian-American journalist

Ali Hasan Abunimah is a Palestinian-American journalist who has been described as "the leading American proponent of a one-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict". A resident of Chicago who contributes regularly to publications such as the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, he has served as the vice-president on the board of directors of the Arab American Action Network, is a fellow at the Palestine Center, and is a co-founder of The Electronic Intifada website. He has appeared on many television discussion programs on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and other networks, and in a number of documentaries about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, including Collecting Stories from Exile: Chicago Palestinians Remember 1948 (1999).

Media reactions to the Gaza flotilla raid on 31 May 2010 ranged from strong support to strong condemnation of Israel. Criticism included the deaths of civilians, the execution of the raid, increased sympathy toward Israel's opponents or enemies, and increased isolation of Israel.

References

  1. 1 2 Flotilla Choir: 'We Con the World', Tzippe Barrow, June 4, 2010, Christian Broadcasting Network.
  2. 1 2 Martin Barillas, Parody video mocks the deadly Gaza Flotilla Archived 2010-06-10 at the Wayback Machine , June 4, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 PR blunder Archived 2012-07-23 at the Wayback Machine : Israeli government’s press office sends Flotilla incident parody video to journalists Friday, June 4, 2010, BNO News.
  4. 1 2 3 Israel apologizes for sending link to flotilla parody, Liz Goodwin, Yahoo! News.
  5. 1 2 3 "Israel apologises for spoof video mocking Gaza flotilla" BBC, 7 June 2010.
  6. ↑ Israeli "Newscast" Satirizes Raid Critics, June 4, 2010, Dan Raviv.
  7. ↑ Stöcker, Christian (June 5, 2010). "Gaza-Hilfsflotte: Propaganda-Satire blamiert Israels Regierung (Gaza Aid Flotilla: Propaganda Satire embarrasses Israeli Government)". Der Spiegel . Retrieved June 8, 2010. Das "Center for Security Policy" (CSP) ist eine erzkonservative Organisation [...] (The "Center for Security Policy" (CSP) is a staunchly conservative organization)
  8. ↑ Mackey, Robert (June 4, 2010). "Israelis Explain, and Mock, Flotilla Clash". New York Times . Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  9. ↑ Israeli government office links to video mocking flotilla, CNN.
  10. 1 2 "Israel forced to apologise for YouTube spoof of Gaza flotilla; Israeli government press office distributed video link featuring Arabs and activists singing", Rachel Shabl, The Guardian, June 6, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Israeli grass-roots effort fights flotilla fallout" Archived 2010-06-11 at the Wayback Machine , Dina Kraft, June 8, 2010, Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  12. 1 2 Israeli government office links to video mocking flotilla, CNN Wire Staff, June 5, 2010.
  13. ↑ Israelis Explain, and Mock, Flotilla Clash, June 4, 2010, Robert Mackey, New York Times.
  14. ↑ "Right-wing D.C. think tank spawns Israeli PR blunder", June 6, 2010.
  15. ↑ Eileen Read, Huffington Post: "The Jerusalem Post Should Fire Caroline Glick for Making a Racist Video", June 5, 2010.
  16. ↑ Israëlische excuses na pr-blunder.
  17. ↑ Gaffe di Israele: "video-farsa sulla strage della nave" Archived 2012-04-04 at the Wayback Machine , La Stampa (4/6/2010).
  18. ↑ Video: "farsa di Israele sui pacifisti Si intitola 'Flotilla-We con the world' (Flottiglia, noi inganniamo il mondo)".
  19. ↑ Video choc. ’Flotilla, Noi inganniamo il mondo’ un insulto ai 19 morti pacifisti. La satira israeliana indigna la Rete, June 5, 2010, di Francesco Bonazzi, Agora Magazine.
  20. 1 2 3 YouTube Pulls "We Con the World" Parody, Israel National News, June 12, 2010, David Lev.
  21. 1 2 3 "Flotilla Choir presents: We Con the World". YouTube . 3 June 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Израильское правительство извинилось за пародийную песню "We con the world"" (in Russian). IL: News RU. June 7, 2010..
  23. ↑ Flotilla parody removed from YouTube Archived 2010-06-15 at the Wayback Machine , June 13, 2010, Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  24. ↑ Lawrence Solomon: YouTube Cons The World Archived 2010-11-06 at the Library of Congress Web Archives, by Lawrence Solomon, National Post , June 13, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.