Antisemitism campaigner and occasional Israellycool contributor David Collier has released his latest work – an analysis of a secret Facebook Group called Palestine Live, which he was able to infiltrate. His findings are alarming, yet in some ways not surprising:
Antisemitism is a key motivating factor in anti-Zionist activity and it spreads like a
virus within it.
➢ The concentration levels of anti-Zionists who share hard-core antisemitic ideologies
registered at 64%. With Jewish activists excluded the figure was even higher at 73%.
➢ Behind the closed doors of a hidden Facebook Group, major political figures such as
Jeremy Corbyn, Jenny Tonge and David Ward engage with hard-core antisemites,
even while in public making emphatic denunciations of this racism.
➢ The network is large and effective.
➢ A small, but highly vocal group of Jewish anti-Zionist activists is engaged in using
Jewish identity as ‘a weapon’ to deflect accusations of antisemitism.
➢ These Jewish anti-Zionists in turn teach their compatriots to insulate themselves
from the charge of antisemitism by substituting the word ‘Zionist’ for ‘Jew’. They
rarely (if ever) address the antisemitism itself.
➢ A key anti-Israel figure involved in the Mavi Marmara incident privately supports the
Israeli version of events, stating that the Israeli soldiers were attacked before any of
them discharged a weapon.
➢ Key peace activists place ideology above horrific antisemitism. There is little or no
reaction to other activists sharing Holocaust Denial. If there is a reaction, it is to say,
‘do that specific activity elsewhere’, rather than ‘get out of this group’.
➢ Anti-Zionists view Zionists as ‘global manipulators’, ‘thieves’, ‘bloodsuckers’ and
‘intent on destroying the world to fulfil their own evil agenda’. It is a precise copy of
antisemitism.
➢ In anti-Zionism, far-right and far-left are interchangeable.
Besides Corbyn, Tonge and Ward, other group members include some names probably familiar to you for either being in the news for the wrong reasons, or featuring on my blog (including in my anti-Zionist-not-Antisemite series):
- Jackie Walker, who has claimed the problem of antisemitism in the party had been deliberately exaggerated to undermine Jeremy Corbyn (!)
- Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace
- Avner Gvaryahu, head of Breaking the Silence
- Pamela Hardyment
- Alison Weir
- Gilad Atzmon
- Paul Eisen
- Greta Berlin
- Ken O’Keefe
- Cynthia McKinney
- Tony Greenstein
- David Carter
- Richard Silverstein
This is explosive and heads may roll.
The Labour Party have confirmed they have begun “disciplinary processes” after a report into a secret Facebook group containing Holocaust deniers and antisemites – and of which leader Jeremy Corbyn was also a member.
The party was forced to take action after the report by researcher David Collier showed details of antisemitic postings and discussions on the Palestine Live group.
Well done to David on the excellent work. Let’s all help to keep the pressure on.
