Home Politics & Debate
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Options

Ken Livingstone accused of anti-semitism

1235789

Comments

  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    :yes: what struck me especially was: "Following the twisted logic of the Jewish Board of Deputies: offending one Jew is an assault against the entire 'chosen race'." - it's the way he says chosen race, like he's got an inferiority complex and dislikes Jews because he beleives they think they are better. But that's what I picked up in a glance, so don't hold me to it :p

    The whole ‘chosen people’ thing is something which has caused a lot of misunderstanding and fuelled a lot of hatred. That writer because of his background will know damn well that there is no mainstream attitude that Jews are superior in the Jewish community. It’s a misconception and it’s shameful that he’s playing on it.

    To quote from here the idea is explained well..(Just tapped it in on google, feel it explains it well. Don't know much about the source)

    "The Jews are often referred to as God's chosen people. This does not mean that they are in any way to be considered superior to other groups. Biblical verses such as Exodus 19:5 simply imply that God has selected Israel to receive and study the Torah, to worship God only, to rest on the Sabbath, and to celebrate the festivals. Jews were not chosen to be better than others; they were simply selected to receive more difficult responsibilities, and more onerous punishment if they fail."
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    That article is horrible. The writer is making deliberate misinterpretations and his tone has an anti-Semitic undercurrent. Were his background different I think he’d find it harder to get away with writing that sort of stuff.
    :yes: what struck me especially was: "Following the twisted logic of the Jewish Board of Deputies: offending one Jew is an assault against the entire 'chosen race'." - it's the way he says chosen race, like he's got an inferiority complex and dislikes Jews because he beleives they think they are better. But that's what I picked up in a glance, so don't hold me to it :p

    Gilad Atzmon, as a Jewish person, is allowed to write stuff that other people couldn't write, according to Disillusioned. Guess what Gilad would have to say about that........

    According to the Delusional one, its Gilad making the "deliberate misrepresentations", which interestingly enough is exactly what Gilad is accusing the Board of Deputies of. Gilad backs up his argument. The Delusional one doesn't.

    As always, there are competing narratives.

    Why is it that many Israelis have the same narrative as the Palestinians, whilst a zionist Palestinian is a rarity?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru

    As always, there are competing narratives.

    Why is it that many Israelis have the same narrative as the Palestinians, whilst a zionist Palestinian is a rarity?

    That is a great point to think about, I've met many of the Israelis like that but never a zionist Palestinian. Never really thought of it that way. :thumb:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru

    Why is it that many Israelis have the same narrative as the Palestinians, whilst a zionist Palestinian is a rarity?

    They do exist :)

    Saw an interview with one last time I was in Israel. What he explained though was that in Israel people can freely dish out their opinions whilst it's not accepted and punished in the Palestinian communities.

    Either way, regarding the "Chosen People" what we were always told was that being chosen to do something is not always idea. Like the elder kid allowed to go out til 10 pm at night, but then again has to do the dishes.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    They do exist :)

    Saw an interview with one last time I was in Israel. What he explained though was that in Israel people can freely dish out their opinions whilst it's not accepted and punished in the Palestinian communities.

    I know they exist - but they're rare - and they can never be Jews in a Jewish state..... can they?

    I have a slightly different perception to you about the "freedom of speech" issue in Israel.

    Palestinians are very keen for Internationals to go to the West Bank and find out for themselves.

    Israel tends to regard that as a deportable offence.......

    :yes:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Noone said it was perfect, but regard it better than getting dragged behind a car on the roads...
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Noone said it was perfect, but regard it better than getting dragged behind a car on the roads...

    Thats never happened in Israel, and it always happen in Palestine?


    :confused:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thats never happened in Israel, and it always happen in Palestine?


    :confused:

    Where did I say always?
    It has happened though.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Where did I say always?
    It has happened though.

    Indeed.

    Palestinians do unspeakable things and Israelis don't.

    Right?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Indeed.

    Palestinians do unspeakable things and Israelis don't.

    Right?

    No. And I'd appericiate if you didn't constantly try to stuff words into my mouth (writing) :)
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No. And I'd appericiate if you didn't constantly try to stuff words into my mouth (writing) :)

    So, the relevance of being dragged behind cars was what exactly?

    I suspect it was a racist knee-jerk reaction.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    So, the relevance of being dragged behind cars was what exactly?

    I suspect it was a racist knee-jerk reaction.

    No, it was a parallel to what has happened with Palestinians uttering their pro-Israeli beliefs.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No, it was a parallel to what has happened with Palestinians uttering their pro-Israeli beliefs.

    Source please
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Source please

    Can't provide one. I did read it though.
    Your problem if you don't believe me.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Can't provide one. I did read it though.
    Your problem if you don't believe me.

    Its not the best standard of evidence I've ever come across to be honest.

    And BTW, you do understand that collaborators are not the same as zionists, don't you?

    :no:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    And BTW, you do understand that collaborators are not the same as zionists, don't you?

    :no:

    Suddenly, this whole thing reminds me of Star Trek and the occupation of Bajor by the Cardassians. You should look it up some time :yes:. Eventually the Federation forced the Cardassians off, only to have the Cardassians get the biggest baddest empire in the whole universe (after the borg of course - they're called the dominion) to come and wage war on the Federation. So the Federation then put a minefield around the wormhole to stop them getting in, but that got destroyed, then captain (well, commander, but he gets promoted somewhere along the line Benjamin Sisko comes along and gets some cool Gods who live in the wormhole to get rid of the invasion fleet.

    Then the Klingons come and clear up the rest of the Cardassians (almost starting a new war of aggression) and in the end peace is kind of restored, with only a couple of thousand ships destroyed, each one holding between 50ish to a couple of hundred men and women.

    Don't know why it reminded me of that, but it was your use of the word 'collaborator' - Bajorans who helped the Cardassians during the dark occupation etc. Btw, this isn't a dig, although I know it looks like that, it's actually what happened in star trek deep space nine - look up the dominion war sometime. Just reminded me of it, that's all :p
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've not read all the replies here, I imagine they digress somewhat, but the most interesting, in my opinion, article I've read about the whole affair contained the following words of wisdom:

    Freedom to soeak offensive rubbish is the most important freedom of all, and it should not be qualified by demands to apologise for exercising it.

    And I quite agree.


    [Source: Lead article, New Statesman]
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Noone said it was perfect, but regard it better than getting dragged behind a car on the roads...

    Suddenly bodies being dragged is quite topical. Did the Israeli state not say that they were ending assassinations?
    The operation started around 5pm, Tuesday. The two men killed in what is unquestionably a case of targeted assassination were found hugging each other between two rocks below the Baraka settlement that looks over Huwara checkpoint in eastern Nablus. They had apparently been dragged there by an Israeli army unit that earlier surrounded the village of Kufor Kaleel in search of the men. At least one tank and a helicopter provided cover throughout. It is unclear if the men were dead or alive when they were dragged. Palestinian sources report they were not armed and no gunfight had occurred. Further, they claim that the men were apprehended, interrogated and then shot.

    Al Ahram 17/2

    I don't understand why you brought dragged bodies into this.....

    :no:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Know this thread is a little old now but there's a great article here from the Observer which I found an interesting and sensible perspective on all this.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It seemed to be OK then for Ken Livingstone to have written a restaurant column for the Standard in the last decade - and his partner to have worked for the same paper.

    A bit of consistency would be nice.

    And there are other newspapers who I believe guilty of flirtation with Nazism and Hitler eg the Times.

    The last person who we heard of using the same metaphor in public life was Berlusconi.

    Livingstone is not at Speakers' Corner - he is the Mayor of London.

    And we are told that he is going to make an apology. What sort of apology is it that is dragged out of someone. We all have to bite our teeth sometime and have to say that we are sorry if we hurt them - an apology never hurt anyone.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Breaking news:

    Ken: I will not say sorry

    Well, whether you agree with him or not, at least he has some principle and will do what he believes is right, rather than making a false apology.

    And for the record, he could perhaps shown regret to any unintentional offence caused to Jewish groups, but he should NOT say sorry to the journo concerned. Fuck him and fuck Associated Newspapers.

    About time a politician finally had the balls to stand up to the untouchable, God-like press in this country.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    THE STATEMENT IN FULL

    We love you Kenny, we do!
    Oh Kenny we love you! :D
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    Breaking news:

    Ken: I will not say sorry

    Well, whether you agree with him or not, at least he has some principle and will do what he believes is right, rather than making a false apology.

    And for the record, he could perhaps shown regret to any unintentional offence caused to Jewish groups, but he should NOT say sorry to the journo concerned. Fuck him and fuck Associated Newspapers.

    About time a politician finally had the balls to stand up to the untouchable, God-like press in this country.

    yup :thumb: thats why i voted for the guy, instead of the scum that works for jarvis, oh i mean the tory party! :rolleyes:

    and he did say he didnt mean to offend jewish community, just the journalist :D

    and his extra comments about how racist the mail are, is brilliant
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    THE STATEMENT IN FULL

    We love you Kenny, we do!
    Oh Kenny we love you! :D

    :thumb:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    erm i do think he was right to have ago at the mail for been the big pile of poo that is found in its HQ
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Although I think he went too far in his original comments, I agree with his latest statement. Empty apologies are pointless.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    PussyKatty wrote:
    Although I think he went too far in his original comments, I agree with his latest statement. Empty apologies are pointless.

    How do you think he went too far?
    I refer to the holocaust because it is the most extreme example of evil in my own array of moral reference points.

    As he pointed out, the Jewish Chronicle was happy to print a letter calling the Roses Kapos.....

    I've heard the term "little Hitler" bandied about quite a lot in this country.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think he made an unfair comparison.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    PussyKatty wrote:
    I think he made an unfair comparison.

    Between an employee of a racist right wing anti-asylum seeker news corporation and a concentration camp guard?

    I guess its all a matter of opinion then.

    I can see clear parallels.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yes, it is a matter of opinion, that's why I said "I think".
Sign In or Register to comment.