He was responding to a question about the cancellation of his exhibition by the Lisson Gallery in London in November following comments on social media referencing the Israel-Hamas conflict.

His post, which was subsequently deleted, suggested the “sense of guilt around the persecution of the Jewish people” had been transferred and used against the Arab world.

Referring to his own family’s exile when he was one year old, the activist said: "I grew up within this heavy political censorship.

“I realise now, today in the West, you are doing exactly the same.”

He drew parallels with the disastrous purge under Mao, which took China to the brink of anarchy.

Criticising the suspension of two New York University professors for comments related to Gaza, Ai said: "This is really like a cultural revolution, which is really trying to destroy anybody who have different attitudes, not even a clear opinion.

Ai’s art often addresses political issues in China and he has frequently criticised Beijing’s record on human rights and democracy.

  • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
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    9 months ago

    Which is also untrue because in the West we also execute people and lie about it. When someone blows the whistle they get thrown in jail. See Edward Snowden and Julian Assange. You act like people are free to speak about our war crimes while Biden is actively trying to throw people in prison for exposing them.

    You must support actual Nazi style Genocide or you get deplatformed, demonitized and removed from government positions.

    The irony is in how our government and media kept praising Ai for speaking out against censorship in China but then turned on him when he criticized subjects that we like to keep censored here.

    Sky News is a UK outlet so it’s not American mainstream media covering this.

    The punishments might be slightly different, but that is just so people like you keep screaming about “free speech”.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      America is not The West. Stop ignoring the rest of the western world and pretend he said America. He did not.

      He said this: “I grew up within this heavy political censorship. I realise now, today in the West, you are doing exactly the same.”

      What you have shown is that you do not know what the terms “heavy political censorship,” “the West,” “exactly” and “the same” mean.

      Either that or you’re pretending you don’t, but I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt.