Palestine Activists Pushed Boycott of Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G Sequel

Key Points:

• The release of Sacha Baron Cohen’s sequel Ali G: Who Iz I? sparked significant online backlash, with critics like Afua Hirsch condemning the film for perpetuating outdated stereotypes and offensive portrayals of Black and working-class women.
• Cohen anticipated controversy and responded with satirical posts, including a character promoting "ethical comedy," highlighting the film’s intent to critique cultural appropriation among white British youth.
• A UK-based activist platform, NewsCord, led a coordinated boycott campaign against the film, labeling it as "blackface" and mobilizing tens of thousands of emails to cinemas to refuse screening, achieving some success with certain chains like Picturehouse.
• NewsCord is linked to Tech for Palestine, an organization known for its activism related to the Israel-Palestine conflict and efforts to influence media and public opinion, including campaigns against films and content perceived as supportive of Israel.
• Cohen, a prominent Jewish figure in Hollywood, has faced targeted attacks amid the controversy, with his collaborators expressing concern over the scale and coordination of the backlash, which they view as partly motivated by antisemitism.