Antisemitism is not new and is one of the oldest prejudices in existence. Fuelled by religious bigotry and sometime economic jealousy and in more modern times part of a world conspiracy to control the world through either capitalism or communism depending on which end of the political spectrum the hate originates from the nonsense of the world Zionist conspiracy has its supporters ranging from the far right to the far left and amongst Islamists all seeking to blame "the Jew" for their failures.
At one time when growing up in a small market town in Surrey back in the sixties antisemitism was really only prevalent amongst a few cranks on the far right plus a few ignorant followers of religion. One friend of mine could never make her Irish Catholic mother realise Jesus was Jewish not a Christian. A theological prejudice.
In the seventies there was a rise of antisemitism as the National Front took off and for the first time I received telephone threats from one of their supporters whilst still living at home. That threat was beaten off as people mobilised and fought back against the racists who mostly attacked Black and Asian people.
Yet as the eighties opened the theory of anti-Zionism began to take hold on the far-left. At first it simply criticised the Israeli state a two state solution was still on the agenda at this time despite the efforts of some. However anti-Zionism soon morphed into something else and by the nineties was clearly more than that.
The origins of anti-Zionism clearly lay on the racist right of politics with its talk of a world wide conspiracy with Jews controlling the banks, the media, being behind everything as a malevolent force. The Tsarists forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion helped establish this conspiracy theory. The left were never immune to such prejudices. The anarchist Bakunin was a rabid antisemite and Marx was no better referring to one of his opponents as a "Jewish Nigger".
The anti-Zionist movement in Britain has always been riddled with cranks. Whist not all anti-Zionists may be antsemitic it goes without saying that all antisemites are anti-Zionists.
This all came to a head with the rise of Jeremy Corbyn and his movement. Corbyn a self confessed friend of the genocidal Hamas and Hezbollah organisations and with a long history of anti-Zionism brought with him the worst the left has to offer like who saw the world through one issue that of the destruction of Israel. No compromise just war, terrorism and a complete disdain for that Jewish people whether they lived in Israel or not.
Jewish MP's like Lucian Berger faced rabid antisemtism in her constituency along with threats that no one should have to face in a decent society. Her old Constituency labour Party remains a hotbed of pure racism and hate that remains to be dealt with.
Corbyn has finally "gone" though he won't shut up and Keir Starmer has begun to deal with the problem of racism in the Labour Party but there is so far to go. Even now former Corbyn supporters try to deflect the issue whenever raised showing their inherent racism is still existant. The party has a long way to go before it is a place where members of the Jewish community can feel safe.
Most of us never thought that we would see such hate raise it's head on such a scale especially in the UK of all places. Yet the hard/far left has adopted antisemitism in it's outlook. The demonisation of one country above all others, the of the term "Jewish privilege" as if we're all rich and haven't suffered discrimination, pogroms and murder. No other ethnic group wold be treated like that.
I have been described as a "self confessed Jew" amongst other things by people of the left. Not those I would expect this kind of talk from. How long would one of these comrades get away with talking the same way about Blacks or Indians? Jews however are fair game to the comrades. The horseshoe model of politics meets.
In practice there is no difference between communism or fascism and let'snot even start on Islamism which the left has capitulated to in the name of so-called anti-imperialism. Iran is never condemned for it's barbarism. Indeed Corbyn and the leaders of the misnamed Stop the war Coalition appear on the regimes TV channels and at rallies of their supporters as did one Labour NEC member Yas Dar.
Meanwhile gays are hung, women are imprisoned for not wearing headscarves tortured and raped as are trade unionists, political activists and members of religious minorities. Not a word of protest. Iran sponsors war and terror across the Middle East reviving old imperialism. Silence.
Fortunately the news has been less bleak as the UAE and Bahrain sign peace treaties, Chad opens a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem and more to the chagrin of the left's war mongers and the corrupt Palestinian leaders who have become multi-millionaires on the back of their own peoples poverty.
The time has come for peace and more than that antisemitism to be pushed back to the fringes and out of decent society forever. The far left are harbingers of hate. The likes of the SWP, the various entryist organisations and the quislings of the JVL need to be kicked to the sidelines where their hate can fester in the bedrooms of the deranged rather than in the Labour Party.
Let's make this New Year be a New Beginning. Stand up, Fight back. Kick Racism out of Labour and elsewhere forever!
Shalom Aleichem.
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