Jeremy - you've been accused of false 'anti-Semitism' - why do you keep silent when I am suspended for the same 'crime'?
Is John McDonnell the new Stafford Cripps?
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| And don't support an attack on the Left |
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| John McDonnell advises socialists to trust the Board of Deputies of British Jews - the same Board that opposed Jewish resistance in the 1930's and which urges uncritical support of Israel now |
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| Morris Beckman of the '45 Group which physically destroyed the Mosleyites after the war. They were ignored by the Board of Deputies |
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| The real anti-Semites who the Board of Deputies ignore - with an Israeli flag in one hand and Hitler salutes on the other |
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| The Jewish Peoples Council helped organise the Battle of Cable Street when Moseley was prevented from marching through the Jewish East End by 100,000 people. The Board of Deputies told Jews to ignore them and stay at home |
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| Board of Deputies advice to Jews in the 1930's - Keep Away from the Fascists - Don't Oppose Them - Leave it to the anti-Semitic London Police Force - thousands of Jews ignored them - McDonnell wants us to agree with them |
Having resiled from his earlier support for Irish Republicanism, McDonnell is now resiling from support for the Palestinians. Going along with false accusations of 'anti-Semitism' only aids those who are genuinely anti-Semitic. When Zionists cry wolf about anti-Semitism, people then begin to have genuine difficulties discerning the real thing. This is what we found when we tried to remove Gilad Atzmon from the Palestine solidarity movement. Time after time I was told, that accusations of anti-Semitism are what Zionists always say. I was even called a Zionist by those who had become so utterly confused.
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| Letter in Jewish Chronicle concerning the Board of Deputies |
Socialists however should be careful to make the distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. It isn't that difficult.
Tony Greenstein
Labour Party membership number: L1435959
Monday, 04 April 2016
To: Jeremy Corbyn,
Leader of the Labour Party
Dear Jeremy,
As you may be aware, I have been suspended from membership of the Labour Party on the basis of comments which it is alleged I have made. I have not been informed as to the nature of these comments, the allegations pertaining to them or the identity of the complainant(s).
Despite writing twice to John Stolliday of the Constitutional/Compliance Unit and both speaking and writing to the local Regional Organiser, Harry Gregson, I have been refused access to any details concerning the reasons for my suspension.
You can imagine therefore my surprise when this information surfaced in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph and Times, with the Telegraph boasting of having been given access to this information. From my contact with the Compliance Unit and Gregson, I am already aware that they have little appreciation or understanding of the meaning of natural justice.
The behaviour of the Compliance Unit in leaking information concerning my suspension, when I have been refused access to the same information, is both outrageous and unfair. I have written to Stolliday to say that in my opinion he should be suspended forthwith for gross misconduct pending an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the leaking of this information. I attach a copy of my letter.
The allegations of anti-Semitism which have been made against me are, to put it bluntly, crap. They are little from the allegations of anti-Semitism which were made against you over the summer. Having known me for over 30 years and having both spoken on the same platform on numerous occasions, I am sure you will confirm that I am an anti-Zionist and supporter of the Palestinians, not an anti-Semite.
Support for the Palestinians and opposition to Zionism are not the same as anti-Semitism. I would have hoped that both you and John McDonnell would have made that distinction when similar allegations were made against Oxford University Labour Club for having supported Israel Apartheid Week. Anti-Zionism is about opposition to the political movement that formed the State of Israel, a state which is Jewish only in so far as Jews have privileges over non-Jews. Anti-Semitism is about hatred of, discrimination and violence against and conspiracy theories about Jews as Jews.
The reason that your Zionist detractors will never be satisfied with your assurances that you do not tolerate anti-Semitism in the Labour Party is because you are speaking a different language. Their definition of anti-Semitism is not that which is commonly understood. The Zionist definition of anti-Semitism, which is sometimes called 'new anti-Semitism' is about opposition to the racist Israeli state, its policies and practices. That is why no amount of appeasement of Zionist groups will have the slightest effect.
Indeed it is quite possible to be both anti-Semitic in the racist sense and pro-Zionist. One of your main accusers, the editor of the Jewish Chronicle, Stephen Pollard, whilst attacking you as anti-Semitic was more than happy to describe Michal Kaminiski, the anti-Semitic MEP for Poland’s Law & Justice Party, as ‘one of the greatest friends to the Jews’ Guardian 9 October 2009 http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/oct/09/michal-kaminski-antisemitism. The BNP and English Defence League are both pro-Zionist and holocaust deniers.
I am writing to you in order that action will be taken over this leak of information, which I believe has also happened in other cases. The Compliance Unit should be immediately disbanded and Stolliday should be relieved of his position - either for incompetence or malevolence. The purpose of leaking this information isn’t simply to prejudice my position but to weak your own position as Leader of the Party
The choice of the Daily Telegraph as the newspaper to leak to speaks volumes. I trust that all those years of making speeches condemning witch-hunts and defending the Palestinians won't disappear into a black hole.
With best wishes,
Tony Greenstein