I want to say something about #antisemtism within the two main UK political parties - @UKLabour & the @Conservatives - & the grotesque disparity in responses to each, from Jewish leaders & communities, the public, politicians, & especially the print & broadcast news media.
Any & all antisemitism is despicable, & has no place in contemporary society - & especially no place in political discourse.
Wherever it is found, it must ALWAYS be exposed & very robustly challenged, as we all know where the scapegoating & demonization of minorities can lead.
As a passionate anti-racist all my adult life, it was heartbreaking to find instances of #antisemitism within @UKLabour.
There are discussions around the point at which legitimate criticism of the Israeli Govt becomes antisemtism - but that is not what I want to address here.
Moral Panic theory is instructive. Contrary to popular usage, calling something a 'moral panic' does NOT deny the reality of the problem, but rather suggests distortions in representation of the true nature of the problem, which limit our ability to effectively tackle an issue.
Stan Cohen made a distinction between internal & external 'disproportionality': internal refers to the disjunction between the threat of a given behavior & the fervor or concern which that behavior generates. External refers to a comparison between other similar phenomena.
'Internal disproportionality' - the REAL extent of antisemitism within Labour, compared to the unprecedented news coverage, levels of public concern, & response from Jewish leaders, MPs, & communities - has been widely discussed.
Again, this is not what I want to address.
I want to discuss two forms of 'external disproportionality':
1) the comparison with other similar forms of bigoted speech & actions
2) (imho more significant & concerning), the differences in responses to @UKLabour's antisemitism, & the antisemitism of the @Conservatives.
In 2018, there was unprecedented print & broadcast news coverage of antisemitism, most of which focused either on Corbyn's perceived past misdemeanors, including the lamenting of the removal of a mural, or on social media posts by alleged Corbyn supporters considered antisemitic.
News became sensitised to the issue of #antisemitism to the extent that the broader issue of rising instances of bigotry & hate within the UK, in part triggered by Brexit & the rise in populist nationalist discourse, was surprisingly - relative to antisemitism - largely ignored.
While the news media focused almost daily & almost exclusively on antisemitism, it was reported that hate crimes in England & Wales had doubled since 2013, to 103,379 during 2018/19:
76% race-related
14,491 sexual orientation
8,256 disabled people
3,530 Muslims
1,326 Jews.
So this is my first point: that given the MASSIVE INCREASE in UK hate crimes - particularly around race, sexual orientation, Islamophobia, & against those with disabilities - why on earth would there be such a preposterously disproportionate focus on just ONE kind of bigotry?
My second, MAIN point, concerns the almost total absence of reaction within the UK press & broadcast news (& politics) media, to high profile, senior @Conservatives - including Boris Johnson - making clearly antisemitic statements & mobilising antisemitic conspiracy theories.
The THREAD that follows outlines some of the main cases of crystal clear #antisemitism from high profile, senior @Conservatives - almost all of which have been brushed under the carpet by the national news, & largely ignored by Jewish leaders, Jewish MPs, & Jewish communities.
Draw your own conclusions about the grotesque disparity in news coverage of antisemitism within @UKLabour & @Conservatives, but that the CRYSTAL CLEAR rise in dangerous populist nationalist rhetoric, unseen since the Nazis, is happening in the UK YET IS UNREPORTED, shames us all.
THREAD of some of the instances of #antisemitism from senior @Conservatives, which the news media have largely ignored.
If the "free press" is supposed to hold the powerful to account, then it is currently not fit for purpose, & voters are being conned.
A handful of selfish sociopathic billionaires and the populist politicians and media they fund have deliberately divided and radicalised millions of people across the world, solely to protect their wealth and power.
They claim to want to help “save children” while spreading distrust of experts, reputable journalism, climate science, and vaccines — which have saved over 100 million children since 1974.
By dividing the public, they protect their wealth and power.
Rather than justify how their wealth was earned, these elites cultivate scepticism of their critics and of expertise itself.
This deliberate erosion of trust shields their interests while undermining the science that saves lives and protects our planet.
Robert Jenrick closed his Conference speech with: “Let’s build this NEW ORDER. Let’s TAKE our country back.” Hitler's “New Order” was a vision for an Aryan-led Europe which involved exterminating or enslaving “undesirable” minorities.
In Britain, a group of prominent MPs—including Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson, Rupert Lowe, Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman—are normalising far-right discourse through three recurring frames/themes: invasion, scapegoating for cultural destruction, and demographic replacement.
Let's talk about chainsaw enthusiast, Musk buddy, and darling of the global free-market right, Javier Milei.
Let’s look at which UK politicians and news media have been most effusive in their praise for him, and at whats happened to Argentina since he was elected in 2023.
Milei’s election as President of Argentina in November 2023 was met with enthusiasm from right-wing news media and populist politicians who praised his libertarian, anti-establishment platform as a model for radical economic reform.
Support was often framed in the context of Thatcherite principles, with Milei seen as a disruptor against "socialism".
1. Kemi Badenoch celebrated Milei as a "template" for her own potential Government, aspiring to be "Britain’s version of Javier Milei".
A global evangelical Christian ARMY linked to TPUSA/TPUK, "fighting for the Britain whose church missioned & colonised the dark, demonic, heathen world with light, truth & salvation", founded by a former British boy band member addicted to cocaine until he found God?
WTAF!🤯
'The King's Army' is a non-denominational Christian evangelism and discipleship movement launched in the UK mid-2024 - a "spiritual army" of believers enlisted to combat sin, cultural decay, and "darkness" through aggressive street outreach, prayer marches and public protests. 🤪
Drawing on biblical military metaphors, it emphasises "virtue and valor" among Christians, urging them to "stop living like civilians and start fighting like soldiers!"
It targets young men for recruitment, standing against issues like secularism and "immoral culture"!
Two people have died and three are in a serious condition following a suspected terror attack on a Manchester synagogue. Muslim leaders have condemned the attack. The suspect was shot dead by Police.
Some @X accounts are blaming Starmer. What's this got to do with @elonmusk?
Since Musk bought Twitter in October 2022 and rebranded it as @X, the platform has transformed from a space for news and debate into a megaphone for hate, disinformation, and extremist ideology.
The consequences are now spilling into the streets.
Musk’s first act as owner was to gut @X’s safety and moderation teams, firing around 80% of staff responsible for enforcing hate-speech and misinformation policies.
Ellison (~$390bn), Musk (~£385bn), and Zuckerberg (~$260): the three richest men on earth.
Ellison is buying TikTok. He controls nearly 50% of Paramount Skydance and wants Warner Bros Discovery. Carrie Symonds's dad is a director of his Foundation.
For more than a century, some of the richest people on earth have bought up various media in order to shape politics and public opinion in a way that protects their wealth and power from democracy.
Musk, Zuckerberg and Ellison are doing precisely this on steroids.
These billionaires are reshaping the world into a dystopia that makes The Handmaids Tale look quaint.
Ellison owns 98% of one of the largest Hawaiian Islands, rolls out his total global surveillance system called 'The Oracle' to ensure 'good behaviour'.