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The Lemkin Institute condemns Israel, Europe, Canada, and the USA for Gaza Genocide
- Vishal Singh, The Daily Kos
- Apr 6
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention—an organization named after Raphael Lemkin, the jurist who first defined the very word genocide and campaigned against it—has issued a damning condemnation of Israel, the United States, Canada, and European nations, accusing them of perpetrating a genocide in Gaza. In a statement released on April 5, the Institute declared that Western governments have not only enabled but actively supported Israel’s brutal assault on Palestinians, despite clear evidence of mass atrocities.
“It is a moral wrong that should haunt these countries for eternity,” the statement read. It also stresses the danger of “rising fascism.”
The indictment from the Lemkin Institute carries particular weight given its mandate to document and prevent genocide. Since October 2023, Israel’s military campaign has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza, and systematically destroyed civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and universities. All of this has unfolded with the full political, military, and financial backing of the U.S. and its allies, who have repeatedly dismissed overwhelming evidence of war crimes as mere acts of “self-defense.”
The Lemkin Institute’s statement pulls no punches, accusing Western leaders of acting in bad faith. “They all have known this is genocide,” it asserts. Indeed, Israeli officials have repeatedly made genocidal statements—calls for the erasure of Gaza, the forced expulsion of its people, and the denial of basic humanitarian aid. These are not the words of a state defending itself; they are the hallmarks of a state carrying out a campaign of annihilation.
Yet the U.S., Canada, and Europe have continued to arm Israel, veto ceasefire resolutions at the United Nations, and smear critics of the violence as antisemitic. In doing so, they have not only greenlit mass slaughter but also eroded the very institutions meant to prevent such atrocities.
The statement draws a direct line between Western support for Israel’s genocide and the resurgence of fascist politics across Europe and North America. “Rising fascism in the West is both a cause and consequence of the West's support for the genocide of Palestinians,” the Institute warns. Far-right leaders have exploited the crisis to stoke Islamophobia and crack down on dissent, while liberal parties—despite their rhetoric of human rights—have proven equally complicit in sustaining the violence.
The result, as the Lemkin Institute starkly puts it, is that “genocide is now the prevailing order of the world today.” The rules-based international system, already weakened by decades of Western imperialism and militarism, has collapsed entirely in Gaza.
With global institutions failing, the Lemkin Institute urges ordinary people to take up the mantle of resistance. “It is time for the people of the world to combine forces and peacefully put an end to this endless horror,” the statement declares. From student encampments to mass protests, grassroots movements have already shown the power of collective action in challenging state violence.
But the moral reckoning, the Institute insists, must go deeper. Those who have enabled this carnage—whether through weapons shipments, political cover, or silence—must be held accountable. “Shame on all who have allowed this,” the statement concludes. History will not forget.
As Palestinians in Gaza continue to post their farewells to the world, their voices are a testament to both the cruelty of their oppressors and the resilience of those fighting for liberation. The question now is whether the world will listen—or whether, as the Lemkin Institute warns, this genocide will stain the conscience of the West for generations to come.
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