I have had my differenceswith Norman Finkelstein who, despite his pedigree as an ex-Maoist, is really an old time John Stuart Mill radical, over such things as BDS but no one can doubt that Norman is a powerful and brave intellect. It is therefore with some shock that I read that he was brutally arrested in the middle of the night by New York Police, because of criticism he has made of 2 corrupt lawyers and a corrupt judicial system.
Norman is 64 years old. He was, in his own words, treated like a ‘sack of potatoes’, handcuffed, thrown to the ground and his head banged against the wall by these police thugs. This is no doubt normal in the Trump State of America.
It is a lesson that even leftist intellectuals are not immune to the attentions of the State if they step of line. It would appear that Norman did exactly that.
I’ve taken this article from Norman’s site. It appeared in something called the New Nationalist. As I’m not a nationalist I’ve edited certain phrases that could be considered anti-Semitic however the substance of what the article says should be widely disseminated.
Tony Greenstein
Dr. Norman Finkelstein Subjected to Knock-on-Door Arrest in Middle of Night
Dr. Norman Finkelstein has been an activist for Palestinian rights for decades, he has been a real thorn in the side of the Zionist machine. He’s decisively anti-war and an ardent defender of First Amendment rights to free speech. He has called Israel a “lunatic state” and asks, “Why should these Palestinians, who have lived in Jerusalem for hundreds of years, be evicted from their homes so that Jews from Brooklyn can live in them?”
For his troubles, Finkelstein was ultimately removed from his professorship. He’s a prime example of what happens to Jews who are opposed to Zionism.
He has also dwelled on the politics of the holocaust and wrote the books “The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering” and “Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History.” He has an acerbic tongue and tells it like it is, as demonstrated below.
He is not afraid to go head to head with police state Zionists like Alan Dershowitz and Bernard Levy. See the next video in which he effectively called them overrated mouthpieces. In an NPR interview head to head with Dershowitz, he called the latter a plagiarist. Finkelstein was able to show rather convincingly some highlighted sections of Dershowitz’s book that were lifted directly from previous works without citations, including the same ellipses and spelling errors.
Dr. Finkelstein has a natural tendency to go to bat for those who are suffering from true (versus faux) injustices. In observing Finkelstein over the years, he sometimes wears his emotions on his sleeve. He also does not suffer fools lightly and can be combative.
Recently he was involved in defending a Guyanese medical doctor who was once one of his students. According to Finkelstein, Dr. Rudolph Baldeo had fallen prey in a divorce case to a couple of Long Island matrimonial lawyers named Michael Chetkof and Allyson Burger. The case and the affronts are discussed on Finkelstein’s blog.
Finkelstein also gives the background at a site where he is organizing a petition to disbar these attorneys. For those who dislike injustice, you know what to do. Finkelstein states.
'They concocted this grotesque story that he (Baldeo) was a psychopath who had committed “countless” acts of “unspeakable violence.” I sat down to read the entire Court record. I sat in the Courthouse during the trial. I was shocked. It was a transparent frame-up! Their Court testimony flagrantly contradicted their written submissions to the Court. (See www.NormanFinkelstein.com for irrefutable proof of their lies.)'
When I told these vulture-lawyers that I was writing an article to expose the shakedown, they threatened to “open Pandora’s Box” and destroy Dr Baldeo “Personally and Professionally.” Michael Chetkof and Allyson Burger are blackmailing Dr. Baldeo to silence me.
On Oct. 9, the situation took a turn for the worst in what can only be described as star chamber justice. Star chamber justice is a topic we have written about before. Not surprisingly what is being put forth here is NOT being covered in any major media.
That night Norman received “the knock at the door” in the middle of the night. He was arrested by two Nassau County detectives who jailed him.
Update: Oppermann Report has the case details. Nassau First District Court Case # CR-022532-17NA Defendant Finkelstein, Norman
TOP CHARGE: Class A misdemeanor, two counts, arrest charge, arraignment charge description Aggravated Harassment 2, threat
So now we know Norman was arrested in the middle of the night in his undershorts for a misdemeanor, a vague one at that, of “harassment” and “threat.”
Curiously, he was due to appear in court the next day at his friend’s case. TNN can find no charges or due process for justifying this type of arrest. Finkelstein called the lawyers involved “mafiosi,” serial liars and the female half, Burger, “a normally loquacious yenta wannabe.” But libel cases are civil and don’t involve middle-of-the-night arrests. Nor do failures to answer a non-felony summon. Norman is now accusing his enemies of being behind these strong-arm star-chamber tactics.
He states, “It’s unclear whether these mafiosi want to punish me, silence me, or — I mean this literally — kill me.”
He recounts the incident in his blog and in this video clip. Norman is 64 years old.
Two Nassau County (Long Island) detectives barged into my apartment in the dead of night without a search warrant. I was only wearing my boxer drawers. I refused to put on clothes. They pinned me up against the wall and handcuffed me. For the next 18 hours, I was relentlessly brutalized by these thugs. The next day at 2:30 p.m. I came before Hon. Judge William Hohauser. He was shocked! He was appalled! How could I be wearing my boxer drawers in court?! The judge demanded $7,500 bail and ordered that I get a full psychiatric evaluation.