001 – From Gaza to Gen Z: What the TikTok Ban Exposed
Episode Description:
In this opening episode of Forbidden Narratives, host Julien Roussel unpacks the political firestorm behind the U.S. push to ban TikTok—and what it reveals about censorship, the erosion of democratic values, and the media’s role in manufacturing consent.
Though framed as a national security threat, the TikTok ban signals something deeper: state control over information, suppression of dissent, and the silencing of Palestinians—as well as those speaking out against their mass killing and displacement.
This episode makes its case primarily through the lens of TikTok—drawing from firsthand footage, expert commentary, and viral posts that broke through corporate media silence.
Episode Notes:
In This Episode:
• How TikTok became a frontline platform for documenting the war in Gaza—bypassing traditional gatekeepers.
• The rise of Gen Z and student movements reclaiming the narrative, resisting disinformation, and challenging state-sanctioned narratives.
• The criminalization of peaceful protest and the conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism in law, media, and academia.
• The deliberate dehumanization of Palestinians and normalization of war crimes and crimes against humanity across digital and institutional channels.
• U.S. complicity through arms transfers, financial backing, UN vetoes, and unwavering diplomatic cover—despite violations of domestic and international law.
• The use of Israeli spyware like Pegasus and Graphite by U.S. agencies to surveil and suppress dissent within American borders.
• The influence of pro-Zionist lobbying groups like AIPAC in shaping TikTok legislation, foreign policy, and the silencing of critical speech.
• Testimonies from doctors, scholars, journalists, and whistleblowers—offering firsthand accounts that defy official narratives.
• How corporate media is losing control of the narrative to independent journalists and decentralized platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
• The violent and unlawful repression unleashed by Western governments in response to growing public awareness and organized dissent.
• Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation as a searing expression of moral clarity—and the emotional toll of injustice on a generation raised online.