In the Fight Against COVID, Consistency Is Key

Although there are differences between BDS and the anti-COVID movement, we are aligned in our struggle against mass death perpetrated by empire in the pursuit of power and capital.

Lessons We Can Learn from BDS Student Solidarity in the Face of Mass Death

Throughout history, many of the most transformative social movements have sprouted their roots in the margins of society. Pioneers and early adapters in these groups worked tirelessly in the wings, preparing for the moment when the mainstream could no longer ignore their message. One such organization is Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS), a movement founded in 2005 by Palestinians fighting for freedom and justice. BDS has capitalized on the media attention after mass student protests raised awareness in spring 2024. Students occupied courtyards and quads to protest the ongoing Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people that intensified following the events of October 7, 2023. Through consistency of message and action, BDS and activists occupying campuses have seized the moment and are reshaping the popular narrative constructed by the apartheid state of Israel. Although there are differences between BDS and the anti-COVID movement, we are aligned in our struggle against mass death perpetrated by empire in the pursuit of power and capital. The anti-COVID movement must learn from BDS and unite around a clear message bolstered by decisive action. In doing so, we will spread our message throughout our communities, and–as a movement–ready ourselves for the moment when the spotlight turns on us.

Changing the Narrative

From its inception, the state of Israel has succeeded in creating and disseminating a false narrative around the nature of its existence. Rooted in European colonialism, Zionism is a racist, genocidal political ideology that has maintained a chokehold on Western discourse for over 70 years. We have been indoctrinated with Zionist propaganda through our school systems, religious institutions, and the mainstream media for decades. USAians and other citizens of the West have been bombarded with damaging lies, such as, “any opposition to Israel is anti-semitic,” and “Israel has a right to defend itself by any means necessary,” and “Israel’s existence is critical to the safety of Jews everywhere.” Indeed, we have heard these falsehoods with such frequency and ferocity that–up until recently–most of us took this rhetoric as gospel. While these dangerous myths are completely untethered from reality, Israel and its cohort of disingenuous, opportunistic goons have been successful in shaping the narrative that the Israeli state is a benevolent, virtuous authority, while its detractors are blood-thirsty, racist terrorists. They crafted a clear, simple message and never deviated from it. And it worked in tricking nearly everyone in the West; until it didn’t.

Against the backdrop of the first ever live-streamed genocide, student protesters have used direct action to bring the plight of Palestine to center stage. Their presence on campuses drew attention from the whole world. As their ranks grew in number, the media flocked to colleges for soundbites. Journalists who were complicit in Israel’s lies prodded individual protesters: attempting to bait them, catch them in contradictions, extract emotional reactions, and expose the whole movement as ignorant, violent, or antisemitic. Instead, the students came up with an effective plan to preemptively ward off tactics that were designed to smear or misrepresent their movement: any individual questioned by the media was to simply point the interviewer to a designated spokesperson. That spokesperson would stick to a clear, concise message: “Israel is an apartheid state that is committing genocide; therefore we must boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel, and any institution that supports them.” The students correctly identified the problem (Israeli apartheid and genocide) and the collective solution (direct action against the Israeli state until all Palestinians are free). By sticking to their message they created a united front. Not only did this strategy eliminate the “Gotcha!” element that the media was trying to elicit, but it created a centralized, singular message based on facts anyone could see to counter the centralized, singular lie that Israel had advanced for so long. Consequently, Israel’s decades-long chokehold on the narrative has begun to weaken, and a new narrative has broken through the Overton Window with previously unimaginable success.

Similar to the propaganda blueprint used by Israel and its supporters, the government has created and perpetuated a false narrative surrounding the ongoing dangers of COVID. Through official government channels that are amplified by a media ecosystem built on an unwavering devotion to consent manufacturing, the masses are bombarded with insidious phrases like “the virus has evolved to be mild,” and “back during the pandemic…,” and “we can’t stay locked down forever,” and “it’s never going away, we have to learn to live with it.” These messages have largely gone unchallenged in the mainstream and even among the “left”, allowing for dangerous myths about COVID to ossify into incontrovertible truth in the collective consciousness. This propaganda runs cover for a disgraceful public health policy that leaves us repeatedly ravaged by endless waves of COVID infection that have caused the disability and death of tens of millions. And like the unscrupulous ghouls who are party to Israeli genocide, legacy media obscures the truth about COVID with their own simple, powerful propaganda: “COVID is over.”

Our Message

So we find ourselves in a parallel situation to our counterparts in BDS, fighting an omnipresent media class that expertly carries water for a corrupt state that is perpetuating mass death. It follows, then, that our anti-genocide comrades have gifted us with a blueprint to victory in our own fight against COVID denialism and minimization. We need a clear, concise message that addresses the problem at hand and provides an actionable solution: “COVID is a deadly, disabling, airborne disease to which everyone is vulnerable; therefore, we must all wear an N95 respirator at all times in the presence of anyone outside of our household.” Using BDS as a model, anti-COVID activists can work as a collective, displacing the prevailing myths about COVID through consistent messaging and action. In order to achieve success, we must all work from the same script, and never stray from our message.

Every time you encounter a new person while maskless, you are exposing yourself to every person they have encountered maskless.

Of course, there are differences between our struggles. While the biggest obstacle in spreading their message of Palestinian liberation is a media seeking to discredit them, our greatest challenge in fighting for pandemic justice is a media class that largely ignores us. But as an increasing number of people are faced with the reality of permanent illness and disability due to Long COVID, our message becomes more urgent than ever. We might not be staging large-scale protests on college campuses (yet), but we can all act as individual spokespeople for our cause through our message and actions. We stand as a contradiction to the dominant narrative. In every space through which we move–whether that be a grocery store aisle, a birthday party, a job site, an interview on the local news–there is an opportunity to spread our message. And this message is not just expressed through words. Our N95 masks have come to serve a dual purpose. Of course they are the cheapest, easiest, and most effective way to protect us from illness, but they are also the symbol of our movement. Wearing an N95 has become an act of resistance; a rallying cry shouted into the face of denialism, misinformation, and societal pressure. Every person who sees us wearing our N95s is forced to confront the reality that the pandemic is still raging, and the more of us they see, the harder it becomes to ignore this reality.

Thus, it is critical that we work collectively as a movement to maintain a united front. Should you find yourself with an opportunity to spread our message, it is essential to not stray from or detract from it. Anti-COVID activists must take a page from our BDS comrades and remain steadfast in our convictions. A Palestinian Liberation activist would never undermine or compromise their message by posting a selfie with their SodaStream, because they understand that BDS can only work if it becomes a way of life for many. They strive to set an example for others, and to show people that making a small personal sacrifice–like foregoing a treat from McDonald’s–can create a ripple effect that leads to societal change. Consistency is the key here. BDS activists do not waver. They don’t take a break from caring about Palestinians on the weekends to fill their tanks at Chevron or show off their new hideous PUMA x GHOSTBUSTERS Suede XL Slimer sneakers. They remain ideologically committed to their movement by making it a way of life. To put it simply: they walk the walk and they talk the talk. Anti-COVID activists can achieve our goals by doing the same, but we must be consistent. And unfortunately, this is where we have faltered in the past.

The Importance of Representation

Let’s take as a recent example a panel discussion that aired on the Canadian news program The Agenda. In a video uploaded to the TVO Today Youtube channel on October 2, host Steve Paikin chats with Dr. Dawn Bowdish, Dr. Isaac Bogoch, and the brilliant Dr. Kwame McKenzie about the importance of masking, the risk and severity of Long COVID, and pandemic denial. At one point, Paiken directs the conversation to the topic of masking. He points out that both Dr. Bowdish and Dr. McKenzie had arrived at the studio that day wearing masks, but each had chosen to forego masking while appearing on air. He poses the question: “are you taking an inordinate risk by taking the mask off right now?” By simply asking this question, Paiken has illuminated a critical inconsistency in the doctors’ messaging. The audience's focus shifts from the vital insight that the doctors are providing on COVID safety and the importance of masking, to the fact that none of the panelists are wearing masks, despite sitting feet apart in an indoor space. Both guests explain that they each made an individual risk assessment in that moment, with Dr. Bowdish stating that she felt comfortable unmasking around a small group of people. Dr. McKenzie admits that he had an initial impulse to mask on air, but worried that the audience wouldn’t be able to understand him. This was a missed opportunity! While he goes on to provide excellent insight into the dangers of COVID later in the panel, Dr. McKenzie’s message is ultimately undermined by the fact that he and Dr. Bowdish aren’t wearing masks. Here’s why:

Send a message to everyone around you that it’s repeated COVID infections - not masks - that are limiting their lives and capabilities.

• Foregoing a mask was counterproductive. The doctors had an opportunity to lead by example and mask on air. The decision not to mask while delivering the precise message that masking is critical highlights a glaring inconsistency between their words and their actions. When given the platform to advocate for our cause, we must always reinforce our message through the action of masking.
• Precious time was wasted. Dr. McKenzie is a hero in the fight against COVID, and he has so much important insight to impart. But because he had to spend time explaining why he wasn’t wearing a mask, he ultimately spent more time contradicting his message than actually delivering it. As a result, he also had less time on the panel to share useful information with the audience. If Dr. McKenzie had stuck to his initial impulse to mask on air, he wouldn’t have had to spend valuable time rationalizing his own individual risk assessment. And while we’re on that topic…
• Individual risk assessment is an inherently libertarian concept. For years, COVID minimizers have been trying to replace public health standards with the idea that COVID precautions are somehow customizable based on individual whims and desires. But since individual actions can create devastating ripple effects on a society as a whole, a pandemic response demands collective action. The legitimacy of individual risk assessment is what COVID realists like Dr. McKenzie are trying to fight in the first place. We must be united in dismantling this dangerous rhetoric, not giving weight to it.
• Every individual in that room assessed risk differently. Recall that the third individual on the panel was well-known COVID minimizer, Dr. Isaac Bogoch. The host points out that Dr. Bogoch was not wearing a mask when he arrived at the studio that day, and Bogoch later goes on to state that he frequently goes maskless, even when working in hospitals. It’s clear that he uses a very different rubric for assessing risk (one that, it bears emphasizing, is fully detached from reality), which leads us to the real danger in this situation. At any given time, you do not know what anyone else’s risk assessment looks like. Drs. Bowdish and McKenzie may have calculated their individual risk assessments based on their own behavior, but Dr. Bogoch (or anyone else in that studio) could have easily been pre- or asymptomatic as a result of not masking. This is why consistent masking is so important. Every time you encounter a new person while maskless, you are exposing yourself to every person they have encountered maskless. This panel was the perfect opportunity for the doctors to drive this point home, but instead they potentially exposed themselves to COVID. As a result:
• Psychological comfort was centered over material reality. People in our society are notoriously bad at risk assessment. We are terrified of plane crashes, but rarely think twice about the dangers of driving a car. We are conditioned to rely on a feeling or gut instinct to calibrate what our safety level is in any given situation, but this is essentially a form of magical thinking. One’s perception of safety is not always tied to material reality, especially when the danger is invisible–like in the case of an airborne virus. During the panel, Dr. Bowdish explains that she felt comfortable unmasking in the studio, probably because she didn’t perceive any symptomatic COVID cases in the room. But as we all know, COVID spreads with or without symptoms, so it’s impossible to accurately gauge the risk based on symptoms alone. Adding to this…
• This was a missed opportunity. We can’t ignore that there were other problems with this panel. Specifically, the damaging and dangerous misinformation spread by Dr. Bogoch throughout. But if we remember the tactics used by our comrades in BDS, we see a powerful path to countering these false narratives: we must organize to consistently present a clear message bolstered by definitive action. Imagine that Drs. Bowdish and McKenzie had consulted with one another before going on air, and decided to present a unified front by keeping their masks on during the panel. It would have made for a compelling image that would have undoubtedly stayed with many viewers. Our movement must take every opportunity as a chance to lead by example. Remember, we are up against a powerful alliance of corporate and state entities intent on normalizing mass death and disability–every inch we take from them is an inch, but every inch they take from us becomes a mile. We do not have the luxury of exchanging inches for miles in this fight. We must seize every opportunity we are given and work together. Through consistency of messaging and actions, each one of us can act as a guiding light in the fight against COVID.

Collective Power Begins with the Individual

At this point, you might be wondering how you can effectively spread our message without a large platform. Most of us will never appear on a talk show panel or in an interview on Youtube with thousands of views. But the beauty of this grassroots movement is that each one of us can be a spokesperson for our cause. Of course, we can and should encourage our most visible and influential anti-COVID activists to always wear an N95, especially when they are given a platform to speak. Ed Yong flawlessly navigated such a situation in a recent talk at the XOXO festival, in which he kept his N95 on for the full duration of his lecture, and did so without a hint of self-consciousness or apology. We can all be inspired by this action, even in our everyday lives. Because if we all commit to masking in the presence of anyone outside of our household, our message can spread through many different vectors. In addition to the obvious safety benefits of masking, here are several more reasons why all anti-COVID activists must wear an N95:

• You can show others that masks are a gift, not a barrier. All of us who mask regularly know that wearing an N95 doesn’t limit our ability to participate in the world. You can go for a jog, run errands, hang with friends, give a best man’s speech at a wedding, present a slide deck in a board meeting, ride the bus–all without risk because of your mask. When you resolutely take up public space in your mask, you are fighting the manufactured idea that masks are a restriction. As the excellent journalist Julia Doubleday recently wrote, masks are “a gift and a privilege.” Wearing a mask allows you to move through the world without contracting or spreading a deadly, disabling disease, while also telegraphing our message that wearing a mask is the path to a full life, not a barrier to one. Be the runner or cyclist wearing an N95. Show every driver and pedestrian you pass that your mask isn’t holding you back. Send a message to everyone around you that it’s repeated COVID infections–not masks–that are limiting their lives and capabilities.
• Wearing a mask brings visibility to a pandemic that the state and media are trying to hide. The government and the mainstream media have spent an unconscionable amount of time, resources, and funds trying to make this pandemic disappear. Why help them do their dirty work? Don’t let your maskless face reinforce the false narrative that we are “back to normal.” Instead, stand committed as a reminder to others that this pandemic is an ongoing threat that has the potential to cause disability or death to anyone who is exposed.
• There’s more power in standing out than fitting in. If you choose to socialize in person, be proud to stand out in your mask. Be the lone dissenter, the early adapter, the bold one. There is incredible power in your conviction. Wield that power. Don’t give in to pressure. Don’t negotiate. This means with yourself, with the virus, or with others. Don’t waver in the moment, because COVID safety is so much greater than one moment. Wear your mask in a group photo. Turn down drinks at happy hour. Lead by example, and use these moments as opportunities to kindly but firmly spread our message. Remember, you are part of something bigger. We cannot effect change if we don’t present a unified front and stand firm in our actions.

• Your mask is a conversation starter. Building on the previous point: wearing an N95 provides new opportunities for educating others. It’s important to remember that not everyone who isn’t masking is anti-mask. Many people have simply been lulled into complacency through relentless propaganda and misinformation pushed by a media class that asserts that the pandemic is over. After enduring multiple COVID infections, many people are waking up to the sobering reality of Long COVID. If someone approaches you with curiosity, you have a perfect opportunity to share our message by explaining that, “COVID is more dangerous than ever, so I always wear an N95.” It’s that simple. Similarly, if someone (say, a doctor or an Uber driver or a manicurist) sees you in your mask and offers to put one on to make you more comfortable, absolutely take them up on it. Thank them for their consideration, and use that moment as an opportunity to encourage them to mask at all times. If you can, offer them an N95. Every interaction has the potential to prevent an exponential chain of illness, disability, and death.
• People are counting on you. Because we cannot rely on government agencies like the CDC to protect us or provide accurate information to the public, anti-COVID activists must take up the baton for our failing institutions. Unfortunately, a number of our comrades are abandoning their safety precautions for a variety of reasons: temptation, exhaustion, pressure from others. Many people who have stayed safe for years find themselves in a vulnerable state of mind. COVID realists don’t just struggle with loneliness and fear of infection, they often must grapple with the added pressure from friends and family who are pushing them to unmask. Many of us live with this burden, and it’s exhausting. But we can draw strength from solidarity. It is our responsibility and privilege to show our comrades compassion and encouragement, and to remind them that they are doing the right thing by continuing to mask. Modeling your determination and commitment to the cause will instill confidence in others.
• Your mask is a powerful symbol of resistance. Wearing a mask doesn’t just protect you from a deadly, disabling, airborne disease. Wearing a mask is taking a stance. It’s an advertisement for our cause. Everyone who sees you wearing an N95 understands that you aren’t afraid to do the right thing, even if it means being the only one. Your mask communicates to the world that you are resisting mass death and disability at the hands of Capital. It’s making a moral, political statement: you reject the increasingly fascist neoliberal state and its grotesque indifference to the horrors it perpetrates in the pursuit of profit. Your mask proclaims to the world that you will not be harassed or shamed or browbeaten into betraying your principles. You are committed to keeping yourself and others safe from death and disability, and no amount of enticements, propaganda, or pressure will tempt you into participating in social murder. Wear your mask confidently, inspire others to follow you, and take pride in the fact that you are part of a movement that is saving lives.

Lessons from BDS

When we look back on the events of recent history, it can be hard to stay optimistic. We see a world that seems on the verge of cataclysm; an ongoing and unchecked global pandemic that has killed and disabled tens of millions, runaway anthropogenic biosphere collapse that is making our planet uninhabitable for humans and animals alike, rampant corporate greed and income inequality surging as poverty submerges the masses–just to name a few of the seemingly insurmountable issues we face as a species. And all of this on top of the most brazen crime of all–the US taxpayer-funded genocide of an entire people in Palestine. It’s so easy to fall into despair and surrender to inaction and nihilism. But there is a glimmer of hope, and we see it on full display among our BDS comrades.

One of the most enduring images from the campus protests is hundreds of protestors linking arms. The encampments constantly faced violence and harassment from Zionist trolls and militarized police. To protect each other, individual protestors stood side-by-side linked to their comrades and their cause. They literally formed a line of protection with their bodies. But the wall they made wasn’t just a physical barricade, it was a symbol of their strength of conviction; an action of solidarity to fortify their clear and powerful message. They moved in lockstep, together in principle and in action.

Wearing an N95 has become an act of resistance; a rallying cry shouted into the face of denialism, misinformation, and societal pressure. Every person who sees us wearing our N95s is forced to confront the reality that the pandemic is still raging, and the more of us they see, the harder it becomes to ignore this reality.

This is the lesson that anti-COVID activists must take from our BDS counterparts. We may be individuals scattered across great distances, but we have to think of ourselves as a movement advancing in lockstep, linked not by arms, but by our masks, and by a singular message: “COVID is a deadly, disabling, airborne disease to which everyone is vulnerable; therefore, we must all wear an N95 respirator at all times in the presence of anyone outside of our household.” And just like the student protestors, we must work together to form a united front through our message and our actions. This is the only way to change the narrative. This is the only way to effect change. Don’t back down. Don’t give an inch. Countless lives depend on it.

Adam Tsuris and G.R. Tsuris are members of SCORE currently working on a longer series of articles about COVID resistance strategy.