Swedish media: 'The world's leading genocide researcher' claims genocide in Gaza – is a loosely assembled activist group

In recent days, some of the country’s major media have referred to an alleged research group claiming that Israel’s war against Hamas – which the terrorist group started in October 2023 – constitutes a genocide. Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that the group is anything but a serious organization.

Among others, Sveriges Television, Dagens Nyheter, and Expressen on Monday brought up the International Association of Genocide Scholars, IAGS, which was said to have 500 members researching genocide. It was also stated that a large majority of the group supports the resolution asserting that Israel’s warfare in Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide according to the UN Genocide Convention.

What is referred to as ‘a large majority’ was in fact that 28 percent of the total number of members participated in the vote, and 86 percent of these then voted in favor.

This amounts to about 120 people out of a total of 500. In cases where the members actually conduct research, it is primarily on other topics such as colonialism, gender, social anthropology, human rights, LGBTQ, and more.

The website clearly states that anyone can join – for example, if you define yourself as an activist. All that is required is to sign up and pay a membership fee, the size of which depends on how much you earn.

The list of members consists mainly of Arabic names, most of whom claim to conduct research in countries such as Iraq, Pakistan, and other Muslim countries where hatred against Israel is widespread.

One of those who highlighted the media hoax is Rebecca Weidmo Uvell:

To demonstrate how easy it is to become a ‘prominent researcher,’ economist Mange Schillis joined himself:

On Tuesday, new details emerge that further worsen the judgment of Swedish media – including a member of the group criticizing the voting process. Usually, a debate precedes a decision, but this time the vote was not preceded by such a debate. The whole process has been handled so poorly that it is referred to as ‘a disaster.’ It is also stated that the claim of genocide is erroneous: