Israel
Scandalous statements at the Venice Film Festival
Filmmaker Sarah Friedland sparked outrage with her comments at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on Saturday.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on Thursday he felt members of the Muslim and Arab communities in the tech industry were uncomfortable speaking about their recent experiences, in an apparent reference to the impact of the ongoing war in Gaza.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, Reuters/Carlos Barria
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on Thursday he felt members of the Muslim and Arab communities in the tech industry were uncomfortable speaking about their recent experiences, in an apparent reference to the impact of the ongoing war in Gaza.
"Muslim and arab (especially palestinian) colleagues in the tech community i've spoken with feel uncomfortable speaking about their recent experiences, often out of fear of retaliation and damaged career prospects," Altman wrote on social media network X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Microsoft-backed ChatGPT maker's high-profile boss urged the tech industry to treat members of those communities with empathy.
A user on X asked Altman in a reply how he felt about the experiences of the Jewish community.
Altman responded: "I am jewish. i believe that antisemitism is a significant and growing problem in the world, and i see a lot of people in our industry sticking up for me, which i deeply appreciate. i see much less of that for muslims."
Rights advocates note that antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen sharply in the U.S. and elsewhere since Oct. 7 when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza has killed more than 22,000 Palestinians, almost 1% of its 2.3 million population, according to Gaza's health ministry.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said last month that in the two months after the war began, incidents motivated by Islamophobia and bias against Palestinians and Arabs rose by 172% in the United States compared to the same period last year.
The Anti-Defamation League said in December that between Oct. 7 and Dec. 7, U.S. antisemitic incidents rose by 337%.
Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Jamie Freed
Filmmaker Sarah Friedland sparked outrage with her comments at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on Saturday.
The head of the CIA, who is also the chief U.S. negotiator for an end to the Gaza war and release of hostages held by Hamas, said a more detailed ceasefire proposal would be made in the next several days.
A document reportedly found on the computer of Yahya Sinwar, a senior Hamas leader, reveals the organization's strategy of abusing hostages to strengthen its negotiating position.
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