Steve3007 wrote: ↑November 27th, 2019, 5:58 am
(A UK General Election related question.) Now that claims of antisemitism against the Labour Party have been brought back into the headlines again, just in time for the General Election in just over 2 weeks, is anybody here swayed by them? My own view of these claims is the same as it has been previously. I think that they are largely unjustified and are simply a convenient stick with which to beat the Labour Party. I think criticism of the policies of the government of the State of Israel, and/or support for the plight of Palestinians, does not constitute antisemitism. We may or may not agree with those criticisms, but there's nothing wrong with making them. We may or may not agree with the political direction in which the Labour Party has moved in recent years, but this is not the way to express that.
But I don't think the response by the Labour Party should be to accuse the Tory Party of anti-Islamic prejudice. I think both sides should get on with debating the actual issues which genuinely divide them.
There is a bit of low key "Rothschilds world domination of the banks" sort of myth flying around social media. Most of the complaints to the Labour party revealed the sources of these not to be Labour members. Though in a party of half a million members a 100 or so genuine cases from people not in any positions of power in the party is to be expected.
But the hysteria has led to many Jews in the party being expelled for irony, along with a tiny number of real anti-semites.
But these facts remain:
1) Labour has never had a racist policy
2) No party has done more against racism than Labour
3) It is unlikely that Labour shall ever have a racist policy, and shall never make a racist law.
4) Other parties do not get the same attention on this matter, eventhough they have shown themselves to be far more racist with the leader of the Tories using phrases such as letter-box faces to describe Muslim women and mellon-smiled pickanninies to talk about black children.
5) Labour is openly critical of Israel and its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, fouting of UN resolutions, and large scale human rights abuses of Palestinians.
6) Jeremy Corbyn himself has been a lifelong campaigner against racism. Possibly no other MP has done as much in this fight.
But you have only to reflect on the words of The Chief Rabbi to know he is taking craopology as he makes claims that not only cannot be true, but even if they were he could never be party to the information necessary to make such statements, and despite continued requests to meet with Labour on the issue they (The Jewish establishment) have refused to agree.
I know many Jews in the Labour party and they are hopping mad, but the limits put on free speech by the definitions of what AS is supposed to be make it near impossible to speak out on this issue.
Labour has been too soft. Labour people are far too keen to root out any un-PC comments are self-flagellate. For what is basically tittle-tattle they are allowing themselves to be racked over the coals and have shown themselves quite willing to participate in their own oppression.
The party has also entertained internal Jewish sub-groups; JLM and JVL who have been busily fighting amongst themselves and tearing the party apart. JLM has, in the past, been found guilty of taking money directly from Israel.
Although there is also a lot of negative publicity concerning the aims of Al Jazeera, they are committed to bringing democracy to the middle east; it is worth watching The Lobby - a four part documentary about Israel's attempt to meddle with British politics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceCOhdgRBoc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3dn-VV3czc
I also quote a letter from a friend (A Jew) who has responded to the Chief Rabbi's recent comments.
Dear Chief Rabbi,
You have shamed you office today and rendered the Jewish people even more vulnerable to real antisemitism by reinforcing the fake, media-induced antisemitism that you recklessly impute to Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party.
To interfere politically at this point in an election in a way that could affect the only party that could bring hope and social justice to this country is beyond contempt and renders you unfit for office.
As a Jew and a Labour Party supporter, I am proud to be part of a venture that I see as a continuity of so many of my Jewish forbears who have fought for social justice here and in Europe.
You talk about 'the soul of the nation being at stake' YET have you not noticed what has happened to that soul over the last nine years where:
1. The poor have been vilified
2. The ill have been attacked
3. The mentally ill have suffered
4. Inequality has soared.
5. Greed and financial rapaciousness has flourished
6. Austerity has been unnecessarily applied after a financial crisis brought about by an out of control finance sector that has benefited the wealthiest.
Where was YOUR voice about the nation's soul then? Yet you inveigh against a decent and honest man who, even now, maintains integrity in the face of manifest manipulation, deceit and digital sleight of hand from the Tories.
You have shamed your office, the justice loving tradition of the Jewish people and laid the grounds for future tensions in the most irresponsible way.
You seem to lack the acuity of intellect to even spot the most obvious use of this bogus antisemitism as a political weapon. Justin Schlossberg of the Media Reform Coalition called the antisemitism saga 'a disinformation paradigm' and made a detailed study of the issue. The great scholar, Norman Finkelstein, likewise, sees this a purely politically motivated attack.
How dare you, amateurishly intervene in this, betraying the great Jewish scholarly tradition of intellectual and analytical acumen embodied in the Talmud and the exegetics of the Chumash.
With profound sadness and considerable disgust,
Simon Cohen
I understand it is going viral.