American student shot dead by Israel “deserved” to die says Guardian’s Joshua Treviño

Ali Abunimah Media Watch 20 August 2012

“There are some Americans we’re better off without. Furkan Dogan is one of them.” - The Guardian’s Joshua Treviño on 3 June 2010.

Today, despite the uproar over his incitement to murder Americans, Joshua Treviño was allowed to debut his new regular column at The Guardian.

The Guardian is sticking to the fiction that Treviño’s tweet of 25 June 2011 in which he wrote, “Dear IDF: If you end up shooting any Americans on the new Gaza flotilla – well, most Americans are cool with that. Including me,” was a one-off and somehow not representative or typical.

Why won’t the Guardian correct these lies?

Guardian editors were as of today still directing readers to a so-called “clarification” Treviño wrote on 16 August in which he told the following bald-faced lie:

any reading of my tweet of 25 June 2011 that holds that I applauded, encouraged, or welcomed the death of fellow human beings, is wrong, and out of step with my life and record.

In fact Treviño regularly applauded, encouraged and welcomed the deaths of fellow human beings, specifically the 9 unarmed civilians killed aboard the Mavi Marmara on 31 May 2010. A year later, in June 2011, he goaded Israel to kill passengers aboard a new flotilla. Some of the people aboard that later flotilla were American author Alice Walker and Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein.

Earlier today, I wrote to Guardian editors Alan Rusbridger, Janine Gibson, Matt Seaton, Nell Boase and PR rep Jennifer Lindenauer asking for a correction of Treviño’s blatantly false statement. So far I have had no response.

Not only has The Guardian been purveying false information about Treviño’s record, but on Saturday I caught them surreptitiously altering a press release after publication apparently to downgrade Treviño’s status. Are these really the kinds of dirty tricks The Guardian has sunk to?

A few of Treviño’s most vile statements

  • On 3 June 2010 in reference to 19-year-old American Furkan Doğan, killed execution-style aboard the Mavi Marmara, Treviño wrote, “Make no mistake: in choosing to aid Hamas on the #flotilla, Furkan Dogan raised his hand against his country. His fate was deserved.”
  • On 3 June 2010, Treviño tweeted, “There are some Americans we’re better off without. Furkan Dogan is one of them: http://bit.ly/abfbLl #flotilla.”
  • On 1 June 2010, the day after Israeli forces murdered 9 unarmed civilians aboard the Mavi Marmara in international waters, Treviño tweeted, “Only way the #flotilla story gets better is if it’s revealed the IDF drew Muhammed on a bulkhead.”
  • On 2 June 2010, Treviño tweeted, “After examining the facts on #flotilla, I condemn Israel: for being too nice, too soft, too accommodating to the scum of the earth.”
    You can find many more examples at Topsy.

These are vile dehumanizing comments. I encourage everyone to read our interview with Dr. Ahmet Doğan who spoke of the moment he heard that the Mavi Marmara, with his idealistic young son aboard, had been attacked. Furkan’s father sat down, buried his head in his hands and “felt that boiling water was poured over me.” Dr. Doğan is struggling for justice for his son.

These comments also demonstrate that Treviño is a liar, and by extention The Guardian’s editors are liars for continuing to spread Treviño’s falsehoods.

The Guardian was likely aware of Treviño’s record

In a radio interview with conservative radio host Peter Ingemi on Saturday 18 August 2012, Treviño explained how he became a columnist at The Guardian (starting at approximately 20 minutes). “The origin is in my Twitter feed. I started to engage over the past few years with a couple of Guardian personnel there.” In March 2012, he was invited to speak at The Guardian Open Weekend in London, and then in May 2012 he spoke at the DC launch event for The Guardian’s US edition. “Shortly thereafter,” he says, The Guardian began to discuss hiring him for a daily column.

If we are to believe Treviño – admittedly difficult given his record – The Guardian knew about his vile tweets all along.

Enough. It is time for The Guardian to stop the lies.

Write to The Guardian and demand correction of Treviño’s falsehoods

The Guardian’s editors have so far been unresponsive to requests that they correct the blatant falsehood in Joshua Treviño’s “clarification,” detailed above, that he never “applauded, encouraged, or welcomed the death of fellow human beings.”

Perhaps they need to hear from more people? If you want to add your voice to the call for accountability and a correction, these are the people to write to:

  • Alan Rusbridger, Editor in Chief: [email address removed]
  • Janine Gibson, Editor in Chief Guardian US: [email address removed]
  • Matt Seaton, Editor Comment is Free US: [email address removed]
  • Ombudsman Chris Elliott: [email address removed]

Feel free to send a copy of your letter to me at: [email address removed]

Note: Guardian email addresses are public information.

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Jelperman replied on

This IS the same Josh Treviño who helped found RedState, a white supremacist web site that supported the killing of Trayvon Martin by a vigilante. So it's only natural that Treviño is in favor of armed thugs killing unarmed teenagers.

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Rachael replied on

Oh, good grief. Guardian, get rid of this evil schmuck ASAP before he loses you most of your credibility.

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Hernan Tasies replied on

Cliched chicken hawk, chest thumping behind his keyboard. Finds those who actually put their lives at risk for more than a worthwhile cause contemptful. Yet, these ex-Bushies are rewarded for their disastrous bile. If he had the bit least of integrity Trevino would take a 40-year vacation to Antartica.

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Gene St.Onge replied on

I'm thrilled that you have chosen Mr.Trevino to join your team at The Guardian.! In this spirit of embracing 'diverse political opinion', I eagerly await the time when you will add a well-known Neo-Nazi, maybe someone like Jeff Schoep, to your team so we can be edified by this 'diverse political opinion' as well!

Bravo , Guardian! Nice transition from progressive to purveyor of hate speech!

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Stuart T replied on

notice that this zionist apologist for murder and atrocity uses Hasbara trick No.1, by suggesting that by 'aiding Hamas' (although as he and we all know the aid convoy was NOT aiding Hamas, but what's another lie among many, right Joshua?) Furkan was taking arms against his own country, i.e the US.

It is a common tactic of dual-loyalty zionists to conflate the aims and well-being of Israel with those of the USA - but it's a particularly odd kind of sickness which thinks that exhorting a foreign army to kill your own citizens is a patriotic thing to do.

Students of history will recognise it as the sort of thinking shared by those foreign nationals who joined the Waffen SS in order to 'save' their own countries from Communists, homosexuals and, ironically, Jews.

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Abigail replied on

This is obviously as Abunimah already stated in his piece a hired hack. One from the Bush/Rove sort. And Mr. Gene St. Onge whatever you may have written about awaiting hiring of a neo nazi for the sake of diverse discourse (forget the polite, honest, deep, respectful, substantial and factual): when I read this Trevino it seems the Guardian might have done just that. Progressive? These days all some do is posturing for votes or subscribers. It is not the first time the Guardian had strange views all of a sudden. (By the way, anybody knew that Carl Bildt (foreign minister of Sweden) is a friend of Karl Rove?)

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Gene St.Onge replied on

My comment was tongue and cheek. I'll grant you that The Guardian has not followed a purely progressive path in the past. I, too, would like to see polite, honest, deep, respectful, substantial and factual discourse. Please let me know when and where you come across it these days.

Rock on!

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GQ replied on

Has a petition already been started? If not, setting one up would be a good way to gather momentum to get the Guardian to remove him.

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Ali Abunimah replied on

In my experience, writing directly to a publication with a brief, thoughtful and personal message is much more effective than a petition. That’s why I provided the relevant contact information in the post.

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fra hughes replied on

as a guadian reader i am appalled and aghast that what was once a fine upstanding news source of integrity and impartiality should stoop.si low as to actually ask a right wing racist apologist for apartheid and murder to committ his vile diatrab for public approval.i for one will not buy .nor read online this propagandist pigswill.R.I.P Forkan Dogan a man with two visions.to bring equality and justice to palestine and redtore lost eyesight to africas poor as a trained eye surgeon.

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Gene St.Onge, Participant, 2010 Gaza Flotilla replied on

You're probably referring to Furkan Dogan's father. Furkan himself, as I understand it, was an aspiring journalist. At least, that's what he was on the Flotilla and why he, and other journalists, were targeted by the IDF. Journalists, you see, are greatly feared by the Zionists, and are specifically targeted by the IDF in confrontations like this, because the last thing the Zionists want is for the world to see what a pathology Zionism really is and how the Zionists have been lying to the world for over 100 years.

Ali Abunimah

Co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine, now out from Haymarket Books.

Also wrote One Country: A Bold-Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. Opinions are mine alone.