Thread by @therubykid

I’ve always stressed that antisemitism on the left has to be distinguished from the racialised antisemitism of the far right. Whilst the former is ideologically toxifying, the latter poses a far greater physical threat to Jewish safety. (1/9)

That’s still true, but if Williamson’s “Zionist teachers are violating children’s rights” rhetoric turns into any sort of serious campaign, I think that could also have implications for Jewish safety. (2/9)

The only way such a campaign could be enacted would be by demanding Jewish, or presumed-to-be-Jewish, teachers declare their views on Israel/Palestine, and if they refuse to respond, or fail to meet the “anti-Zionist” standard set by Williamson and co, hounding them. (3/9)

“Not all Zionists are Jews, we’re concerned about non-Jewish Zionist teachers too!”, I assume his acolytes would reply. But it’s just nonsense, isn’t it? What are they going to do, write open letters to all schools demanding all teachers be polled on their views? (4/9)

No other nationalism is being held up as the quintessence of racism that poses a unique danger to children, and the one that is just happens to be predominantly concentrated in Jewish communities, for historical reasons that these “anti-racists” pretend not to know about. (5/9)

Williamson is currently in an alliance with the Socialist Party/Tusc. The SP has some presence in the NEU. I’d be interested to know how SP NEU activist feel about their ally openly calling for a campaign to hound school workers that would inevitably target Jews. (6/9)

In practical terms, I think the possibility of Williamson getting very much off the ground here is slim; it’s yet another Twitter grift from a careerist charlatan to boost his profile, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there some attendant fundraising effort soon followed. (7/9)

But the fact someone who has these politics was a Labour MP, lauded by sections of the left, and currently in an alliance with the second-largest revolutionary socialist group in the UK is an indictment of the sorry state of a lot of left politics. (8/9)

TL/DR: Williamson’s “anti-Zionist” campaign is, unavoidably, functionally antisemitic and anyone giving him left cover is toxifying left-wing politics and, potentially, putting Jews at risk. (9/9)