Author Ta-Nehisi Coates questions if he would resist participating in violence against Israelis
Ta-Nehisi Coates, in a podcast with Trevor Noah, expressed empathy for Hamas militants, speculating that, under similar circumstances in Gaza, he might have participated in the attacks.
Author Ta-Nehisi Coates recently expressed sympathy for Hamas militants attacking Israel, describing the conditions in Gaza and speculating over whether or not he would have joined in the Oct. 7 attack.
Coates made the statements while on a podcast with Trevor Noah, a prominent television personality and former host of The Daily Show.
“And I haven’t said this out loud, but I think about it a lot,” Coates said on the podcast, referring to his position on the war between Israel and Hamas.
🚨Progressive Icon Ta-Nehisi Coates Says That He May Have Participated in Oct 7 Massacre🚨
Speaking hypothetically, Coates said he may not be above participating in the Oct 7 Hamas massacre. pic.twitter.com/8DSNxiviXP— Shelley G (@ShelleyGldschmt) October 10, 2024
Coates began by describing his perception of the conditions in Gaza, and highlighting the difficulties faced by Palestinians in the territory, calling Gaza “a giant open-air jail.”
“And what I mean by that is if my father is a fisherman, and he goes too far out into the sea he might get shot by Israeli boats,” Coates explained. “If my mother picks the olive trees, and she gets too close to the wall, she might be shot. If my little sister has cancer, and she needs treatment because there are no facilities to do that in Gaza, and if I don’t get the right permits, she might die.”
After describing the difficulty faced by Palestinians, Coates discussed the war between Israel and Gaza, and the decision he would have to make as a Palestinian citizen were he “20 years old.”
“And if I grow up under that oppression and that poverty, and the war comes down,” Coates stated on the podcast. “Am I also strong enough? Or even constructed in such a way where I say, ‘Is this too far?’ I don’t know that I am.”
“I don’t know that I am,” Coates repeated.
“Progressive Icon Ta-Nehisi Coates Says That He May Have Participated in Oct 7 Massacre,” stated an account entitled Shelley G in a post to X alongside the clip of Coates talking about the war. “Speaking hypothetically, Coates said he may not be above participating in the Oct 7 Hamas massacre.”
For more than half a decade, Coates has been a prominent author and speaker in the U.S., including at colleges and universities across the country.
He has recently spoken at Howard University, Xavier University, Norfolk State University, the University of Pennsylvania, Hofstra University, the University of Vermont, and Princeton University, according to his website online.
Campus Reform has contacted Ta-Nehisi Coates for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
