Last Updated on July 3, 2021
The Jerusalem Post is under fire for using a photo of white men wearing combat vests featuring Confederate battle flags in an article about the armed standoff between the “Rise of the Moors” black militia group and Boston law enforcement.
The Jerusalem Post used the image of white men with Confederate battle flag emblems for its article, “Two arrested as armed militia group stands off with police in Boston”. The image shows two men, one clearly armed with a rifle, wearing vests and camouflage. One man has what appears to be a three-percenter militia emblem crossed with a Confederate battle flag.
Residents in a suburban #Boston neighborhood were asked to "shelter in place" early Saturday as an armed standoff between 8 to 10 militia members and police forced the closure of a #US interstate highway.https://t.co/M1OdSx4J7z
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) July 3, 2021
However, the “Rise of the Moors” militia group appears to be comprised of black men. While their belief structure is unclear at present, including whether it may revolve around Islam, it appears the militia believed they were legally exercising their Second Amendment rights to possess and carry firearms.
According to local media, a man who identifies as Jamhal Talib Abdullah Bey live streamed part of the standoff on YouTube. “They specified in the news that we’re anti government, but we’re not, we’re not anti police, we’re not sovereign citizens, we’re not black identity extremists,” said Bey, who asserted that no laws were being broken by the armed group. “We haven’t violated any laws, the police seen us on the side of the road with our guns secured, we were afraid so we got out with our arms.”
“We are on interstate 95 in Massachusetts…The police seen us on the side of the road with our guns secured. We were afraid so we got out.”
A man who identifies himself as Jamhal Talib Abdullah Bey is also on YouTube streaming this on the Rise of the Moors account. @wbz pic.twitter.com/PfaqzUTjxR
— Anaridis Rodriguez (@Anaridis) July 3, 2021
Radio host Dave Reilly slammed the publication’s decision to use the image, which he said shows a man named Andrew Dobson. “The group today in Boston were BLACK people and you’re using a photo of a GOOD man @ Charlottesville who’s now DEAD because he relapsed because of hit pieces about him from ppl like you!” Reilly added, “Scum!”
Harrison Smith, the host of Infowars morning show The American Journal, added, “What a despicably deceptive image for the @Jerusalem_Post to use. Pure blood-libel.”
https://twitter.com/realDaveReilly/status/1411423023681339397
https://twitter.com/Harrison_of_TX/status/1411442588469673985
National File contacted the Jerusalem Post to determine if the image was used by mistake, and, if so, whether the publication intends to use a different image. National File also asked if Jerusalem Post is aware that Twitter allows individuals to rapidly change the image used in a Twitter post, if it intends to apologize to the individuals pictured in the image, and if it believes the image is a fair and accurate way to describe the “Rise of the Moors” group. National File did not receive a response in time for publication.
