Standing against UK riots is now antisemitic.

Right, so has the Israel Lobby basically become in and of itself a racist entity, because if standing against racist anti-migrant riots is now antisemitic according to some, then they’ve long passed the point of incredulity, any accusations of antisemitism from them absolutely should fall on deaf ears, or is this all some form of collusion to help do away with yet another Labour MP too left wing for Keir Starmer, because as usual there’s a connection that doesn’t take too much effort to uncover. Fundamentally a pro Israel, supposed defender body of the Jewish faith has taken a comment speaking up for Muslims, that doesn’t mention Jewish people and called it antisemitic. If we’re at the point that such an accusation, ostensibly Islamophobic as that is, is taken seriously as Jew hate and Starmer acts accordingly, the hierarchy of racism in Labour under his leadership will have soared off the charts and once more antisemitism will have been weaponised for nothing more than petty factionalism.
Right, so things are just getting ridiculous now as the riots, disproportionately aimed at Muslims, brown skinned people, accusations of being asylum seekers or migrants being weaponised seem desperately by some pro Israel bodies to be attempting to drag the whole argument back to antisemitism, like they’ve become petulantly jealous of another form of racism getting the attention and frankly if you’re going to act like that, you aren’t interested in dealing with the real thing, with actual racism, you just have an agenda to keep antisemitism at the top of the pile. Its attention seeking and when you’re doing that to try and mute actual racist attacks against other forms of racism, you’re frankly sick, when all should be equally condemning all forms of racism and working together, but that of course implies that is what is actually going on here and this example is so blatant and so ridiculous that isn’t what is happening here at all.
The Labour MP at the centre of all of this is soft left MP for Norwich South Clive Lewis, a former army officer, he’s a member of the Socialist Campaign Group of left wing MPs, though he’s not usually seen as being as big a leftie as some others. He’s certainly not anything like Starmer and his right wing faction though.
The group attacking Lewis for making an antisemitic comment, which I’ll come onto, is the Labour Against Antisemitism group, or LAAS, are demanding Lewis be expelled from the Labour Party for antisemitism, but this is what he tweeted out:
‘The link between the daily inhumanity being meted out to Palestinians and rising Islamophobia in the UK, are not unconnected. The inhumanity being shown to one is giving ‘permission’ for the other.
These actions diminish us all.’
That comment was made whilst sharing an article about the recent school bombing in Gaza that killed more than 100 people. No mention of Jewish people, an inference towards Israel’s treatment of Palestinians could I suppose be drawn, but again no mention of them, the tweet simply points out attacks on people of colour in one part of the world, begets attacks on people of colour in other parts of the world. That inhumanity shown towards one, gives others of a certain racist mindset permission to behave towards other similar people in a likewise fashion and there’s some truth in that. If bashing a certain demographic, Muslims for example, as most of the people are in Gaza, and the attacks here in the UK during the riots have disproportionately targeted Muslims too, it’s not racist to ask the question of whether there is a connection. I believe so and Lewis is himself a person of colour who thinks so as well, I certainly wouldn’t deign to say I know better than he on such things, not with my white privilege, but then I’m not the LAAS.
Their p*ss weak claim is that Lewis has inferred something himself. By daring to bring up Palestinians in relation to UK riots, by connecting the dots, they are saying this is antisemitic. It is not, because there are no mentions of Jewish people or Jew hate in anything Clive Lewis said. There is an inference towards Israel however and therefore as I’m sure you’re already realising, the actual accusation is one of anti Zionism, of blaming Israel for something and conflating that with antisemitism. That in and of itself is a racist thing to say, I would suggest the racism problem is one the LAAS have therefore and not Clive Lewis. Being critical of Israel, being critical of the Israeli state, critical of the actions of that government in relation to Palestine, to Gaza, is not racist, it is holding a political body to account, just as we happily seem to do in relation to Russia and Ukraine, but Israel can’t be treated as a rogue state quite like Putin’s can in the eyes of some and they’re wrong. Zionism is a political ideology, being against it is no different than choosing to be against Communism or Conservatism, or Environmentalism, or indeed Fascism, which is certainly the ideology we’ve seen being meted out on our streets in these riots.
One of Labour Against Antisemitism Ltd’s Co-Directors – because of course it’s a limited company, they do seem popular in politics of late don’t they? A chap called Alex Hearn, according to Skwawkbox who have covered this story, put out a brief statement saying:
‘It is very concerning that people across the political spectrum, from “anti-racists” to the far right, have fantasised that ‘Zionists’ and Israel are to blame for unrest across Britain,” he said.
A recent report by the Community Security Trust showed antisemitism in the last six months has gone up 105%, and that the pretext for these 1,978 incidents are often Palestine. This includes synagogues targeted 76 times and 121 assaults.
For a Labour MP to blame a conflict thousands of miles away for the recent racism in far-right riots in Britain is highly irresponsible.
When attacks against British Jews exploded following the Hamas 7 October massacre, no such link was made by Mr Lewis.
Labour Against Antisemitism call for his immediate suspension and for the whip to be removed while he is investigated. We believe that his comments in the context of sectarian violence and record attacks against British Jews warrant expulsion.’
Lewis didn’t overtly blame Israel or even Zionists for what is happening in Britain, his comments could just as easily be aimed at Hamas as well, given the only context he took from the situation in Gaza is that Muslim people are being killed there, being attacked and the same has been happening on our streets and saying when such things occur, it encourages others. This should be obvious, just by looking at the riots themselves. What began in Southport has spread around the country. Attacks beget more attacks. That was Lewis’ point and I really can’t see how it can be taken any other way, except in a bid to twist the narrative away from Muslim hate to Jew hate and weaponise the entire issue to take on another lefty MP over such an account.
It's truly pathetic, but then I think the LAAS are truly pathetic. It’s notable that Hearn brought up the Community Security Trust who, I discussed in another video the other day for their actions, their recent report and the timing of it to coincide with these riots again to take attention away from the real victims of the rioting going on and of course Starmer readily rushed to thank them for their efforts in combatting antisemitism, even though, just like the LAAS they conflate antisemitism with anti Zionism as well and work to promote Israel and actively campaign against other issues too such as Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.
Of course the real rub here, as much as we can point out the LAAS and CST’s conflation of antisemitism and criticism of Israel, unfortunately, the IHRA definition of antisemitism permits that, that Labour and so many other parties in the UK have adopted, hailed as the international definition of antisemitism by Zionists, despite the definitions own author calling it unfit for purpose and many other Jewish people condemn it besides.
Sadly, it gives Starmer in my view an opportunity to do exactly as the LAAS want, though the condemnation that suspending or expelling Clive Lewis would invite would be immense. He’d be a foolish man to take Lewis’ tweet as antisemitic, it would do catastrophic harm to Muslim communities because it would send a message that Starmer won’t tolerate condemnation of them being attacked in Gaza, therefore does he really care if they are being attacked here? Certainly if I were Muslim and he did this, I wouldn’t think so and given how much support Starmer’s Labour has already lost in Muslim communities, is he really stupid enough to make matters worse, for the sake of acquiescing to the Israel Lobby again or to launch another petty, unnecessary attack on a left wing member of his own party? Well, frankly yes I do believe he is, but we’ll see.
Certainly Jewish people and organisations have come out on Lews’ side here. Just Jews tweeted out:
‘Clive Lewis isn’t ’blaming Jews’ for the fascist targeting of Muslims here, but suggesting apartheid Israel’s dehumanisation of Palestinians resulting in its genocide - to which much of the world is indifferent/complicit - has «given permission» for Islamophobia & inhumanity here.’
Completely agree with that.
Jewish Labour councillor Martin Abrams has said:
‘As a Jewish Labour Party Member I would like somebody, anybody, to explain to me how this tweet by Clive Lewis is in any way Antisemitic? Honestly this is so tiresome. You've literally got gangs of neo-Nazis & fascists rampaging on our streets and this is what LAAS is busy doing’
It’s what they always do though Martin I’m sure you know that as well as I do. And Jewish Voice for Labour founder Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi tweeted:
‘The attacks on Clive Lewis for his humane and nuanced post reflect the entrenched Islamophobia of those who defend Netanyahu's racist state.’
Bang on. We’ll see who’s side Starmer is on by whether he chooses to do anything to Clive Lewis over this. Solidarity to Clive for speaking out on what is important, and balls to the pathetic whiners choosing to weaponise it for their own twisted agenda. Frankly if Clive Lewis gets censured in any way for his words by his own party, then Matthew Hopkins the Witchfinder general will have nothing on the likes of the LAAS and Keir Starmer.
Meanwhile in other statements not mentioning Israel, Keir Starmer might as well have just bent the knee to Israel with the pathetic statement he co-signed with France’s Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz of Germany
Urging Hamas to engage in ceasefire talks and release hostages, whilst making no such demands of Israel at all – in fact the statement didn’t mention Israel once! However did you manage that? And I’ll hopefully catch you on the next vid. Cheers folks.