AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Local activists in Plymouth, Massachusetts, report a marked escalation of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian discrimination in recent months, describing a shift from private or implicit bias to overt hostility in public settings and across social media. They say the broader political climate in the United States has contributed to the normalization and intensification of such rhetoric.
According to community advocates, individuals who have spoken against using taxpayer funds to support violence in Palestine have faced open insults in central areas of Plymouth. At the same time, explicit calls for violence against Palestinians, phrases such as “bomb them all” or “kill them all and let God decide”, have become increasingly audible, including in the presence of Muslim and Palestinian residents.
Activists stress that these incidents are neither exaggerated nor imagined but represent a growing reality that demands an urgent response. Yet city institutions in Plymouth have remained publicly silent, a stance critics say exacerbates the problem.
Reports indicate that anti-hate groups and several civic organizations, despite good intentions, have not taken immediate or concrete steps to counter the rise in Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian bias. Critics argue that this inaction unintentionally reinforces the perception that addressing such hostility is either overly sensitive or not a priority.
The intensifying Islamophobia and dehumanization of Palestinians, the reports conclude, have created a climate of insecurity for Muslim and Palestinian residents. Advocates who seek to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Palestine say they are increasingly subjected to harassment and threats.
Activists warn that Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian discrimination are not only present in Plymouth but expanding. Naming the problem, they say, is not divisive but essential, and without recognition, meaningful action will remain out of reach.
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