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8 tweets,
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[thread] Don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t be talking about Palestine at this time. There is nothing, no @UKLabour rule, no code of conduct, no moral imperative that says that speaking about the plight of a wronged, occupied & brutalised people, is wrong. (1/8)
It would be a huge betrayal of the Palestinian people if we kept quiet, in the hope that it would pacify their oppressors. These are a people who face more racism, more marginalisation & far harder punishments than anyone of us can imagine. They deserve our vocal solidarity (2/8)
Some people might try to create a toxic environment where rightful criticisms of Israel’s actions are seen as shameful or racist. That’s exactly the opposite of the truth, which is that criticism is the only honourable stance for a socialist, internationalist, to take. (3/8)
Where antisemitism exists, we must root it out. It’s a poison. But false, or malicious, accusations of racism are just that: as proud socialists & defenders of human rights, we must not be intimidated into silence by them. If we are, the end for our movement looms large. (4/8)
Of course, to be able to legitimately talk about a subject as divisive as Israel & their treatment of the Palestinians, we should not only stick to the facts (horrific enough in themselves) but learn more about the issue. We should understand what is helpful & what is not. (5/8)
We should learn that when a small number people use antisemitic tropes, or argue in a way that could legitimately be interpreted as antisemitism, even unwittingly, that is not just unacceptable to us as anti-racists, but unhelpful in highlighting the Palestinian cause (6/8)
Honesty about the collective learning needed to speak justly about an oppression which scars our world, is a responsibility for all of us. Social media shaming is unhelpful in changing behaviour: what would really do so, is a positive, proactive campaign of education. (7/8)
If those collective codes are adhered to & we stay strong in the face of false allegations, there’s no need to stay quiet on Palestine. Quite the opposite: like @jeremycorbyn throughout his career, it should be upfront & at the top of our agenda for a peaceful, just world. (8/8) 
