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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

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Defector

The Defector Crewneck Sweatshirt Is Back In Stock

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Merch v3

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Samer Kalaf

Jonathan Greenblatt of the ADL speaking at a dinner.

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Politics

The ADL Was A Farce Long Before It Made Excuses For Elon Musk

<p>Mohammed Mhawish is a Palestinian journalist and writer from Gaza. He is currently a contributing writer for <em>The Nation</em>. Mohammed, a contributor to the book <em>A Land With a People</em>, has reported for Al Jazeera, <em>The Economist</em>, MSNBC, +972 Magazine, and more. Subscribe to his newsletter <a href="https://www.mohammedmhawish.com/">here</a>.</p>


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Mohammed R. Mhawish

The rubble of the author's house in Gaza. A child's toy is visible.

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Stories

One Year Ago, Israel Buried Me Alive. I’m Still Clawing My Way Out.

<p>A Rockies fan by birth and a White Sox fan by geographic proximity, Annie Howard spends her non-suffering sports moments ardently rooting for the Nuggets and the Orioles.</p>


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Annie Howard

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Perform At The National Stadium

Music

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Works Hard To Hope

Joe Biden holds a copy of The Hundred Years' War On Palestine by Rashid Khalidi.

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The Next History Book On Palestine Will Have Joe Biden In It

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Tom Ley

1940s YOUNG BOY STUDYING IN ROOM WITH ARMY NAVY PENNANTS ON WALL

1940s YOUNG BOY STUDYING…

Journalismism

How To Be Sure You Are Reading Some Dumb Bullshit

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Billy Haisley

Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv stage a pro-Israel demonstration at the Dam Square, lighting up flares and chanting slogans ahead of the UEFA Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in Amsterdam, Netherlands on November 07, 2024. Maccabi fans clashed with pro-Palestinian citizens and ripped off Palestinian flags hung on the streets. In the lead-up to the Ajax vs Maccabi Tel Aviv match, several areas of Amsterdam have been designated as security risk zones.

Pro-Israel Maccabi fans stage demonstration in Amsterdam, at least ten arrests

Soccer

The Media Can’t Figure Out Why Some Racist Israeli Soccer Hooligans Were Beaten Up

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Patrick Redford

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The Truth Is An Inconvenience For Jake Tapper And Dana Bash

A picture taken on September 24, 2024, shows the debris and destruction at the site of an overnight Israeli strike on a neighbourhood in the Lebanese city of Baalbeck

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Israel Uses The Same Pretense For New Bloodshed

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Patrick Beverley Reveals More Than He Intended About Life In Israel

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David Roth

Manhattan sky is seen after the rain storm in New York City.

Rainy day in New York City

Podcasts

Some Kind Of Summer Vibes

Attendees calling for a ceasefire in Gaza demonstrate as President Joe Biden deliver the keynote speech during the first day of the Democratic National Convention on August 19, 2024,

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Everyone At The DNC Speaks For Palestine, Except For Palestinians

<p>Heather Chen is a former Defector intern and the managing editor at the <em>Columbia Daily Spectator</em>. She loves hockey, photography, and the good ol’ state of Michigan.</p>


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Heather Wei-Xi Chen

A surfer in a blue wetsuit carries a light blue surfboard with him as he walks into the ocean. He is holding a Palestinian flag in his right hand and wearing a keffiyeh around his head.

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The Great Outdoors

Surfers Show Solidarity At A Paddle-Out For Palestine

Delta Airlines planes sit parked at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

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Wings Week

Who’s Afraid Of A Palestinian Flag Pin?

A photo of the west side of the South Lawn in front of Columbia University's Butler Library at the Morningside campus. This picture, taken right before sunset, depicts an encampment set up by protestors on a lawn with turf and a big event tent. Students are scattered throughout, and there are multiple banners and signs depicting pro-Palestine statements.

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Why Did I Sleep On The Turf?

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Ruairí McCann

Still image from the movie The Canticle of the Stones.

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Defector At The Movies

‘Canticle Of The Stones’ Grapples With The Difficulty Of Artistic Representation Inside Occupied Palestine


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Typing

Sabrina Imbler

Pro-Palestinian protesters opposing Israel's participation in the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) demonstrate in Malmo, Sweden, on May 11, 2024, with a poster saying : NEJ TILL FOLKMORD, Welcome to the Genocide Song Contest

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Arts And Culture

The Myth Of An Apolitical Eurovision

Normal Gossip: portraits

Alex Sujong Laughlin

South African singer and songwriter Tyla arrives for the 2024 Met Gala in a Balmain gown meant to evoke sand in an hourglass. She is being helped by a procession of men in tuxedos who are holding the train of her gown in order for her to walk.

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How Do You Compartmentalize The Spectacle?

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

An NYPD officer in riot gear looms over a student protestor on the ground and appears to be gripping her arm.

Columbia encampment

Margin Of Error

Going Off Script

A line of police at City College during pro-Gaza demonstrations

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Interviews

A City College Student Journalist Shares What He Saw During The NYPD Crackdown

Counter protesters attack pro-Palestinian protesters at a pro-Palestinian encampment set up on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as clashes erupt, in Los Angeles on May 1, 2024. Clashes broke out on May 1, 2024 around pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the University of California, Los Angeles, as universities around the United States struggle to contain similar protests on dozens of campuses. (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP)

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UCLA Chooses Violence Over Divestment

NYPD officers in riot gear enter Columbia University's encampment

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The Outside Agitators On Campus Were The Police

A group of Columbia University students, advocating for Palestinians, access the iconic Hamilton Hall building as they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York, United States on April 30, 2024. Protests are sweeping college campuses across the US following a police attempt to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, resulting in the arrest of over 100 students. Columbia University asked students on Monday to 'voluntarily disperse' amid stalled talks, threatening the students with suspension.

Columbia University students gather for Palestinians and enter iconic Hamilton Hall

They Are Insecure For A Reason

The Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University.

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The Crackdown Explains The Protest

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Lauren Theisen

2023 PEN America Literary Gala – Inside

PEN America Chooses The Most Cowardly Words

A big outdoor sign reading USC University of Southern California, with a student riding a skateboard in the background.

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The Speech-Free Campus

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