Farce of Western democratic values: Hypocrisy, lies and shifting goalposts

US President Joe Biden, alongside UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, among other Western leaders have made their allegiances clear: We stand by Israel.

An addendum to this, almost an afterthought, is also "We condemn Hamas".

A core reason behind this blind following is the apparent "shared democratic values."

But what exactly is this democratic value that the West holds so dear?

By any measure, the interpretation of American, British, German or even French democratic values is that it is a fluid, ever changing narrative, shaped by what they – the powers that be – have decided is right.

It is a value they like to share with the rest of the natives and barbarians populating the world around them.

This everchanging interpretation is also heavily influenced by the Orwellian concept of Newspeak – ambiguous, euphemistic propaganda.

This Newspeak is turned into talking points, with the main aim of subverting counterpoints and shifting the goalposts.

Ask why over 1,000 Palestinian children have been killed during Israel's latest offence, and the same talking points will be parroted out: Hamas started it, Hamas took people hostage, Hamas was the brutal one.

Israel, meanwhile, is only reacting.

When the truth sounds hollow, be prepared for lies: Hamas beheaded 40 Israeli children. This lie was even used by US President Joe Biden, who confirmed that he had received intelligence which established this lie as a truth.

When the lie was proven to be a lie, the US intelligence backtracked. Biden was mistaken. He misspoke. A forgetful leader for a nation that perhaps has a lot to forget.

Another aspect of democratic value shared and conveniently forgotten is of course how freedom of speech is only allowed when it fits the narrative.

Meta, for instance, has become the arbiter of truth and the beacon of upholding morality. Go against what it deems to be truth and rightful, according to its new community guidelines, and your voice will be silenced.

On one hand, the West tries hard to pretend it can distinguish between Hamas and Palestine.

But supporting the Palestinian cause is akin to applauding terrorism.

That's another talking point: Hamas is now even more barbaric than ISIS. The Israel Defense Force said it, Israel PM Netanyahu said it and the Pentagon chief said it. They all repeated this phrase, ad verbatim.

The same sequence followed further lies, such as with the 40 children who were "found to be beheaded". Exercise restraint on both sides is another common line.

From an outsider's point of view, it seems these lines are fed. Each speaker appears to read off an invisible teleprompter in front of the pulpit they brandish their preachings from. How is everyone saying the same thing? It's a prettily-packaged outraged. 

And as they keep repeating the falsehoods, it turns true for many.

And the crackdown on free speech continues.

Cracking down on a pretend democracy

"We have seen an unprecedented crackdown on Palestinian activism across the continent," Anas Mustapha at CAGE, an independent advocacy organisation based in the UK, told TIME in an email.

This followed after pro-Palestinian demonstrators were warned of the flag they carried in London, with the end being 15 arrests.

Mustapha said "support for Palestine is being incrementally criminalised." 

Esther Major, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Research in Europe, has also called on European authorities to protect and facilitate everyone's right to express themselves and peacefully assemble. 

Germany and France – which house the EU's largest Jewish and Muslim communities - have cracked down on pro-Palestinian groups since 7 October.

The governments say the curbs are to stop public disorder and prevent antisemitism.

For Germany, and similar for a lot of Western countries, it is another passing the torch of guilt – creating a problem and then blaming someone else. It's almost as if the brutal expulsion of European Jews did not predate the creation of Israel.

Europe perpetrated the gravest of antisemitic actions, but it is the middle east that has to pay the steepest price – one that they have to keep paying over and over again.

Meanwhile, in Israel, dozens of Arab-Israelis have been arrested.

Back in France, three footballers were suspended for supporting Palestine on their social media.

They are among a slew of celebrities who have come under fire for their support of Palestine.

When a player for Tottenham Hotspurs, an English club, called for near genocide of the Palestinian people, it was only met with silence.

Only a year ago, the European football world was up in arms about being political. Support Ukraine or face suspension.

But when it came to Gaza, football again became apolitical yet draconian.

It was the same situation that we saw when Mesut Ozil, a German footballer, spoke up for Uighur Muslims. Football, much like the rest of Europe, only has space for politics when it benefits them. Democracy is what Western leaders decide, open to hypocritical alterations.

What next?

In lessons from Gaza, Iraq and Afghanistan, one thing needs to be emphasised – the erosion of trust in West's leaders is the culmination of a history riddled with lies.

It is the numerous hypocritical, and at times outright, racist behaviour that has emanated from the so-called leaders of the free world that need a re-examination of who gets to call the shots.

For instance, even as America calls for an end to the war, they increase the defence spending for Israel, arming the aggressor further.

It is clear that colonialist cases should not set the terms of any discussion.

If Israel, for instance, is a land reserved for Israelis, then what about the United States of America and Australia? Who do they belong to?

Why did Australia recently reject giving a right to Aboriginal voices in how their affairs are dealt with?

What about Hawai's call for self-determination, alongside other Pacific Islanders?

What about the around 55 colonies still under the rule of Australia, Denmark, Netherlands, France, UK or the US, among others?

These examples show why the East need not get caught in the West's hypocrisy.

There is a reason there has been a spree of reporters resigning from Western media outlets.

There is a reason why private universities in America are getting threats of withdrawing donations from rich benefactors – whose support for Israel isn't masqueraded -- if protestors exercise their rights of free speech.

There is a reason why the threats of coups, counter-coups and sometimes outright invasions, still dangle over the heads of South Asian leaders.

Western democracy appears on the throes of death. Or maybe that has always been the case.

For now, it is time for the East to ensure that it can hold on to its own narratives, make its own decisions and not take sides with those who only know how to divide and conquer.

Yashab Osama Rahman is the Web Editor, The Business Standard.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.