Human rights activist Dalia Khader argues that pro-Palestinian voices are often miscast as antisemitic, while business ties to Israel remain uncontested.

I moved to Europe and have lived most of my life in Luxembourg. I embraced the human-rights message this society advocates, believing in defending those in need, supporting the rights of others, and using our privileges for good.

That belief was shattered after 7 October 2023. On that day, I realised that if you look and sound like me, your humanity seems to matter less to this side of the world.

The double standards start at the top. Ministers prioritise lawsuits against activists (regardless of whether one agrees with their methods), over investigating Luxembourg's legal stance toward war crimes in Gaza. Which legal matter is more urgent: a court case over a meme, or Luxembourg's potential complicity in genocide?

The media tells a similar story. Since the announcement of the ceasefire, coverage of Israeli attacks on Gaza and the limited flow of food and aid into the Strip has been minimal. On 28 October 2025 alone, nearly 100 Palestinians were killed, yet this did not appear in any Luxembourgish news outlet.

Instead, attention focused on protests here framed as violent and linked to antisemitism, despite no real evidence of that being true. Meanwhile, pro-Palestinians protestors were verbally attacked, had water thrown at them, and were insulted with words like "child killer" and "rapist" by so-called pro-Israelis. None of this was covered.

Why is the misrepresentation of peaceful protests treated as more newsworthy than the ongoing killings in Gaza? Why is dissent equated with prejudice? There is no substantial evidence of antisemitism in our protests. Presenting it as such only fuels further hatred and discrimination.

There is a deeper layer to this double standard. The Luxembourg government continues its business and diplomatic relations with Israel as usual. The CSSF has approved Israeli bonds during a period when war crimes are occurring, and diplomatic ties remain largely uninterrupted. It is hard not to see the selective media coverage and political distractions (lawsuits over activists, exaggerated reporting of protests) as a deliberate effort to divert attention from Luxembourg's own complicity.

We cannot accept this as normal. Condemning what Israel is doing in Gaza is not antisemitism. Critiquing government policy, protesting injustice, and demanding humanitarian action are fundamental human rights, rights I once thought Europe fully embodied. We must live up to these principles consistently, not selectively.