Ex-Pro-Palestine Activist Criticizes Movement's 'Selective Outrage' on Human Rights

Parishad Kavyani, an activist born in Iran, has voiced criticism of the pro-Palestinian movement, stating it has become distorted by "liberal intellectualism" that selectively focuses on certain oppressors while ignoring human rights issues elsewhere.

Kavyani, who moved to Canada at age 14, said her experiences within the movement over the past nine months have exposed her to "homophobia, racism and sexism" from individuals she previously marched with for a free Palestine. She described this as "insanity."

"They advocate for liberation of people, they advocate for women's rights, but when it comes to Iranian women wanting freedom, wanting the freedom to wear whatever they want, they suddenly are quiet — and not only quiet, but they support the oppressor," Kavyani told Fox News Digital. "That's my issue… they cherry-pick between oppressors."

Kavyani explained that growing up in Iran provided her with a constant narrative about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, emphasizing the oppression of Palestinians and the need for assistance. However, she noted a stark contrast when observing the domestic situation in Iran.

"You see that the villages in Iran don't have drinking water. You see that the villagers in Iran don’t have a road to a hospital… Why? Because the government doesn't actually do anything about the people in need inside the country, and you're always told, ‘Oh, but we have to save money to send to Palestine,’" Kavyani said. "The more time you spend in the country you’re like, ‘Why is it my responsibility to save another nation?’"

The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, served as a turning point for Kavyani. She stated that the violence, including the killing and taking of civilian hostages, was unacceptable regardless of the perpetrators or victims.

"Just because someone is holding an Israeli passport doesn't mean that they should just get killed… If there’s a war that you're including civilians in that war, and you're taking civilians hostage, and you're raping civilians or torturing civilians — that's not something that I support no matter who this person is, because I'm not somebody who thinks someone deserves to die just because of where they're from or just because the political belief that they hold on to," Kavyani said.

She observed that after October 7, the movement she was part of began to exhibit a pattern of supporting certain narratives while remaining silent on others, particularly concerning the rights of Iranian women. Kavyani also noted the emergence of pro-Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) content within the movement, which further contributed to her decision to separate herself.

"After that happened, I started separating myself… because I was like, this is not the group that I want to associate myself with because I don't think a lot of the people within that movement are there for the human rights aspect of it," Kavyani said.