Red Ken – Anti-Semite, Despicable Creature
July 20, 2005 | Aussie Dave | Comments
It’s official. London Mayor Ken Livingstone is a despicable human being, of the lowest moral character. I say this after the remarks he has made to Sky News, justifying terrorism against Israel – barely weeks after London was hit by multiple terrorist attacks.
Less than two weeks since the London terror attacks, the city’s Mayor Ken Livingstone has sparked controversy by defending the use of suicide bombers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and charging that Israel had indiscriminately slaughtered Palestinians in acts that “border on crimes against humanity.”“Given that the Palestinians don’t have jet planes, don’t have tanks, they only have their bodies to use as weapons,” Livingstone told Sky News in an interview.“In an unfair balance, that’s what people use,” said Livingstone, who has often been strongly critical of Israel in the past.—-Livingstone said that Israel has “done horrendous things which border on crimes against humanity the way they have indiscriminately slaughtered men, women and children in the West Bank and Gaza for decades.”Livingstone also said that he does not distinguish between members of Likud and Hamas, branding them “two sides of the same coin.”“I think it is the Israelis who are leading the stubborn line,” said Livingstone. “The Likud and Hamas members are two sides of the same coin. They need each other in order to attract support.”“Each side emphasizes the extremism of the other in order to attract sympathy,” Livingstone said.Livingstone agreed to the interview in the wake of the media frenzy surrounding the possible visit of controversial Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has voiced support for Palestinian suicide bombers and has been banned from entering the United States.Livingstone denied that Qaradawi will visit London,.“I believe it is forbidden to take human life,” Livingstone said. “I will welcome and meet with senior members of the Israeli government if they come here because they serve their country’s government even though I believe they have done terrible things bordering on crimes against humanity.”
Livingstone has also been running off at the mouth with the BBC:
Mr Livingstone said he did not just denounce suicide bombers.He also denounced “those governments which use indiscriminate slaughter to advance their foreign policy, as we have occasionally seen with the Israeli government bombing areas from which a terrorist group will have come, irrespective of the casualties it inflicts, women, children and men”.He continued: “Under foreign occupation and denied the right to vote, denied the right to run your own affairs, often denied the right to work for three generations, I suspect that if it had happened here in England, we would have produced a lot of suicide bombers ourselves.”
And here are his remarks to Channel 4:
Livingstone said a double standard has “infected” the way people view Britons who may join the IDF or embark on jihadist activities.“If a young Jewish boy in this country goes and joins the Israeli army, and ends up killing many Palestinians in operations and can come back, that is wholly legitimate,” he said. “But for a young Muslim boy in this country, who might think: I want to defend my Palestinian brothers and sisters and gets involved, he is branded as a terrorist. And I think it is this that has infected the attitude about how we deal with these problems.”
The Jerusalem Post has even more on the Livingstone diatribe(s):
“I think the Israeli hardliners around Likud and Hamas [members] are two sides of the same coin; they need each other to drum up support, they point to the excesses of the other to recruit and I don’t make any distinction because I believe the taking of human life is wrong. In particular, when you think of the illegal invasion of Lebanon, the illegal invasion of Egypt and Jordan in the Six Day War, all these exercises of going into Palestinian refugee camps and indiscriminately destroying homes simply because a bomber came from that area,” Livingstone said.
“I don’t believe in an eye for an eye. I don’t believe in that punishment.”
Make no mistake about it. Ken Livingstone is an anti-Semite, and Islamic terror apologist. His statements do not really dignify a response. But for the sake of those who have found this site wanting to know more about Livingstone’s statements (I have been registering many such google hits today), I will respond – by dissecting many of Livingstone’s statements.
Livingstone Statement #1:
“Given that the Palestinians don’t have jet planes, don’t have tanks, they only have their bodies to use as weapons”
Besides the fact that this is palpably false – he is ignoring the heavy grade weaponry and arms that the PLO Arabs have been directing against us – Livingstone does not seem bothered by the fact that the PLO Arab terrorists are deliberately murdering and maining innocent civilians. He might be able to hide his anti-Semitism better if he justified terrorists targeting Israeli military positions, but he can’t even draw that line. To him, the PLO Arabs are justified in deliberately killing anyone, due to his perception of an inequality in weaponry between the two sides.
Livingstone Statement #2:
Livingstone said that Israel has “done horrendous things which border on crimes against humanity the way they have indiscriminately slaughtered men, women and children in the West Bank and Gaza for decades.”
While Israel has inadvertently killed civilians in its efforts to combat the terrorists, Livingstone’s statement ignores the facts that Israel does not deliberately target innocent civilians, Israel tries to minimize collateral damage where possible (often at great risk to her own troops), and that the terrorists deliberately operate out of civilian population areas.
Livingstone Statement #3:
“I think it is the Israelis who are leading the stubborn line,” said Livingstone. “The Likud and Hamas members are two sides of the same coin. They need each other in order to attract support.”“Each side emphasizes the extremism of the other in order to attract sympathy,” Livingstone said.
This comparison is ridiculous. On one hand, you have a democratically elected government, whose policies have historically been dictated by Israel’s need to defend herself against existential threats (but has been willing to reach a peaceful settlement in the conflict). On the other side, you have a bona fide terrorist organization whose goal is to destroy Israel, and will settle for nothing less. If you don’t believe me, read the Hamas covenant. Now.
If these are two sides of the same coin, then clearly Livingstone is using a different moral currency than moral human beings.
Livingstone Statement #4:
“Under foreign occupation and denied the right to vote, denied the right to run your own affairs, often denied the right to work for three generations, I suspect that if it had happened here in England, we would have produced a lot of suicide bombers ourselves.”
All I have to say to this is as follows: Throughout history, Jews have been denied all kinds of rights in various countries, including the right to vote, work in certain professions, and move around freely. They have been subjected to violence and persecution, and led impoverished lives. Yet I do not recall one Jewish suicide bomber.
I should also add that if Livingstone truly wanted to understand the ideology behind suicide bombings and other forms of Islamic terror, he might understand that they are motivated by an ideology that seeks to make Islam supreme throughout the world, at the expense of Western ideologies.
Livingstone Statement #5:
In particular, when you think of the illegal invasion of Lebanon, the illegal invasion of Egypt and Jordan in the Six Day War..
Obviously, Livingstone needs to brush up on his history. Israel moved into Lebanon as a result of constant PLO attacks on Israel. The Six Day War began as the Arab armies were poised to attack Israel. In both these cases, Israel was acting in self-defence, and there is nothing illegal about that.
It’s official. London Mayor Ken Livingstone is a despicable human being, of the lowest moral character. I say this after the remarks he has made to Sky News, justifying terrorism against Israel – barely weeks after London was hit by multiple terrorist attacks.
Less than two weeks since the London terror attacks, the city’s Mayor Ken Livingstone has sparked controversy by defending the use of suicide bombers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and charging that Israel had indiscriminately slaughtered Palestinians in acts that “border on crimes against humanity.”“Given that the Palestinians don’t have jet planes, don’t have tanks, they only have their bodies to use as weapons,” Livingstone told Sky News in an interview.“In an unfair balance, that’s what people use,” said Livingstone, who has often been strongly critical of Israel in the past.—-Livingstone said that Israel has “done horrendous things which border on crimes against humanity the way they have indiscriminately slaughtered men, women and children in the West Bank and Gaza for decades.”Livingstone also said that he does not distinguish between members of Likud and Hamas, branding them “two sides of the same coin.”“I think it is the Israelis who are leading the stubborn line,” said Livingstone. “The Likud and Hamas members are two sides of the same coin. They need each other in order to attract support.”“Each side emphasizes the extremism of the other in order to attract sympathy,” Livingstone said.Livingstone agreed to the interview in the wake of the media frenzy surrounding the possible visit of controversial Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has voiced support for Palestinian suicide bombers and has been banned from entering the United States.Livingstone denied that Qaradawi will visit London,.“I believe it is forbidden to take human life,” Livingstone said. “I will welcome and meet with senior members of the Israeli government if they come here because they serve their country’s government even though I believe they have done terrible things bordering on crimes against humanity.”
Livingstone has also been running off at the mouth with the BBC:
Mr Livingstone said he did not just denounce suicide bombers.He also denounced “those governments which use indiscriminate slaughter to advance their foreign policy, as we have occasionally seen with the Israeli government bombing areas from which a terrorist group will have come, irrespective of the casualties it inflicts, women, children and men”.He continued: “Under foreign occupation and denied the right to vote, denied the right to run your own affairs, often denied the right to work for three generations, I suspect that if it had happened here in England, we would have produced a lot of suicide bombers ourselves.”
And here are his remarks to Channel 4:
Livingstone said a double standard has “infected” the way people view Britons who may join the IDF or embark on jihadist activities.“If a young Jewish boy in this country goes and joins the Israeli army, and ends up killing many Palestinians in operations and can come back, that is wholly legitimate,” he said. “But for a young Muslim boy in this country, who might think: I want to defend my Palestinian brothers and sisters and gets involved, he is branded as a terrorist. And I think it is this that has infected the attitude about how we deal with these problems.”
The Jerusalem Post has even more on the Livingstone diatribe(s):
“I think the Israeli hardliners around Likud and Hamas [members] are two sides of the same coin; they need each other to drum up support, they point to the excesses of the other to recruit and I don’t make any distinction because I believe the taking of human life is wrong. In particular, when you think of the illegal invasion of Lebanon, the illegal invasion of Egypt and Jordan in the Six Day War, all these exercises of going into Palestinian refugee camps and indiscriminately destroying homes simply because a bomber came from that area,” Livingstone said.
“I don’t believe in an eye for an eye. I don’t believe in that punishment.”
Make no mistake about it. Ken Livingstone is an anti-Semite, and Islamic terror apologist. His statements do not really dignify a response. But for the sake of those who have found this site wanting to know more about Livingstone’s statements (I have been registering many such google hits today), I will respond – by dissecting many of Livingstone’s statements.
Filed Under: General
About the Author: An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.
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