Leader of Jewish Voice for Labour Richard Kuper: Criticism of Israel Is Not Anti-Semitism
This is yet another great video from RT, which shows why we need it and other alternative news channels so very badly.
This short clip, of one minute 20 seconds, is an extract from host Afshin Rattansi’s interview with Richard Kuper, the head of Jewish Voice for Labour. The JVL has resolutely backed Jeremy Corbyn, and so Rattansi asks Kuper the obvious question: How can he back ‘a f***ing racist and anti-Semite’. Rattansi qualifies this by saying that Hodge has now denied using the expletive. Kuper replies by stating that Jeremy Corbyn is not and has never been an anti-Semite, and it is disgraceful that Margaret Hodge has attacked him in this way. It doesn’t matter whether Hodge used the expletive or not, that is not how things are done in the Labour party.
Rattansi then mentions that Hodge has plenty of support from the Blairite factions in the Labour party. Kuper rebuts this by saying that it doesn’t matter. As far as his organisation is concerned, anti-Semitism is hatred of Jews as Jews. Criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic, unless it includes hatred of Jews as Jews. Otherwise it is political argument, and needs to be confronted and dealt with as such.
Kuper’s exactly right. Jeremy Corbyn has always been a very committed opponent and activist of all kinds of racism, including anti-Semitism. But what frightens the Blairites in the Labour party and the Israel lobby is that he supports the Palestinians in their battle for dignity and equality. The Blairites, the Tories and the lamestream media also fear and despise him because he’s a genuine socialist, who wants to undo all the damage Thatcherism has done to this country under the Tories and Blair. And so they are determined to destroy his leadership. The anti-Semitism smears and libels are merely another means to this end.
As for the definition of anti-Semitism used by Kuper, this is the one adopted by the Jewish philosopher Brian Klug. It is also the definition of anti-Semitism used by the very man, who coined the term, Wilhelm Marr, the founder and leader of Germany’s vile League of Anti-Semites in the late 19th century. The I.H.R.A. definition of anti-Semitism, which includes criticism of Israel among its examples, is being used by the Israel lobby to silence criticism of Israel. This is particularly vile now, after Netanyahu has passed his law making racial discrimination against Palestinians and others perfectly legal.
The anti-Semitism smears and libels are a politically motivated charade, a campaign to vilify decent, anti-racist men and women, including self-respecting Jews, simply so that the Blairites can cling on to power in the Labour party, and Israel’s multiple crimes against the Palestinians can remain hidden. It’s time this was stopped, and the people behind it were exposed and discredited instead.
