Political commentator and comedian Alex Stein was allegedly assaulted at an anti-Israel protest in Austin after he openly criticized LGBTQ activists’ support for Palestine.
Stein visited the University of Texas at Austin last month to try to communicate with some of the protesters, who he perceives as misguided, particularly those behind what he referred to as the “Gays for Palestine” cause.
After engaging with the protesters on the campus, Stein was purportedly assaulted and knocked to the ground by a number of protesters, some of whom also attempted to strip him of his phone.
In response, Stein said, “Somebody’s going to get seriously hurt at one of these protests soon. When you go to these protests, these people are on such edge, like they are like, bottled up, just ready to explode. And that’s kind of what worries me is these people that are basically professional activists.”
During the “Gays for Palestine” protest, Stein asserted his right to voice a dissenting opinion on campus. This opinion highlighted the fact that there were seemingly no rights for homosexuals in Palestine.
Many LGBTQ Palestinians are actively persecuted and must keep their sexual preferences secret in fear of government retribution, Stein claimed when speaking with DX.
“They’re literally protesting for an area that they’re not even allowed to live in, so the hypocrisy is off the charts,” Stein added.
When asked why he thought LGBTQ protesters were so vehemently opposed to Israel, Stein said, “These people, they want to virtue signal, even if it makes them look hypocritical. They’re trying to virtue signal for an area that would not support them, and now activism has become people’s personality.”
Stein opted not to press charges against the protesters who allegedly assaulted him multiple times.
According to the Human Dignity Trust, under the British Mandate Criminal Code Ordinance 1936, same-sex sexual activity was criminalized in Gaza, with penalties of up to 10 years of imprisonment.
Notably, only men were subject to criminalization under this law.
Another example of LGBTQ hardship in Palestinian-controlled territories is reflected in the ban placed on writer Abbad Yahya’s novel Crime in Ramallah, which was implemented in February 2017.
Despite finding support among some Palestinian intellectuals, the Palestinian Attorney General initiated legal action against the work, alleging that it threatened morality and public decency, according to NPR.
Similarly, the novel, which delves into themes of politics, religion, and homosexuality through its main characters, has been condemned by Hamas.
“For me, as a writer, I always thought there was much space to write, to think, in Palestine and in Ramallah, especially,” Yahya told NPR. “I feel that this space has now disappeared.”