Taylor Valentine

Overview

Taylor Valentine [Taylor Ann Valentine] has spread anti-Semitism and is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. She also promoted the University of South Florida (USF)’s 2017 BDS campaign (USFDivest).

As of August 2021, Valentine’s LinkedIn page said she was a video editor at Broadcast Management Group since March 2018.

Valentine’s LinkedIn also said she was a video producer and editor at Peace House Productions (Peace House) from 2014 to 2016.

Peace House is an anti-Israel media production group founded by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of South Florida (USF) activist, Ahmad Saadaldin. Valentine was also an actress for Peace House in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Valentine’s LinkedIn said she graduated from the University of Tampa (UT) with a bachelor’s degree in Film/Cinema/Video Studies in 2014, and was located in the Greater Chicago area.

Spreading Anti-Semitism

On January 21, 2016, Valentine was featured [00:02:23] in a Peace House YouTube videotitled “Stop Joe's Bill.” In the video, Valentine claimed [00:01:25] that Israel is “making a great effort to undermine democracy and hold up a giant middle finger to the First Amendment” and alleged [00:01:40] that American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was “paying off senators” to get legislation passed.

The stated mission of AIPAC is to “strengthen, protect and promote the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel.”

The implication that AIPAC buys political support for Israel has been described as playing into “anti-Semitic tropes” that led to “centuries of stereotypes about Jews using money to control the world.”

The video also featured [00:01:30] SJP at USF member, Mahmoud Ali Mohamed, who was wearing a “Hi I’m AIPAC” pin and a suit patterned with dollar signs, announcing: “We have money. Just tell us how much you need.”

Mohamed claimed [00:02:23] that AIPAC bribed [00:02:37] Florida State Senator Joe Negron and gave his wife, Rebecca Negron, a seat in the U.S. House of Congress representing Florida, in exchange for pushing a state-wide anti-BDS bill.

Supporting BDS

On March 7, 2016, Valentine shared a video produced by Peace House to Facebook and wrote: “Listen and learn #anotherone.” The rap video condemned American record producer, DJ and radio personality DJ Khaled for endorsing Sabra. Sabra is partially owned by the Israeli company, the Strauss group.

Valentine appeared [00:03:19] in the video and Saadaldin was the lead rapper.
A former SJP USF President, Saadaldin has promoted a terrorist and led efforts in 2015 and 2016 to spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

Saadaldin stated [00:00:23]: “The IDF [Israel Defence Forces] is lethal, they killing all your people” and [00:00:49] “you’re reppin’ a brand that’s helping bury kids beneath the earth.”

Saadaldin also accused [00:00:55] Israel of “apartheid” and claimed [00:03:54] “human rights being violated just for being Palestinian.”

On April 12, 2017, USF Divest posted a video to Facebook that featured [00:00:12] Valentine and Saaladin with other USF Divest activists aiming to pressure the then-USF President Judy Genshaft to adopt the divestment referendum.

On April 13, 2017, USF Divest posted another video to Facebook that featured [00:00:08] Valentine acting as Genshaft, dodging USF Divest activists who appeared to be pressuring her to adopt [00:00:12] the divestment initiative.

BDS

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.

One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”

Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”

In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”

The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.

BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.

The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.

Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.

BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.