As a Labour councillor, what do you do if the crowd starts chanting "down with Zionism!"?
After hearing "Nazi Israel" abuse and the ritual “from the river to the sea” calls for Israel’s annihilation? Oh, and support for stone throwers?
Why, ask to speak, of course! 1/4
Meet Wolverhampton councillor Qaiser Azeem. He goes for the “we stand for humanity” pitch seen so often at these awful rallies, including from other speakers at this one. No prizes for guessing what that makes the other side. 2/4
And he is rewarded with - yes, naturally - more “from the river to the sea” annihilation chants.
He also calls his fellow Wolverhampton Labour councillor Obaida Ahmed “sister”. After she led “from the river to the sea” chants herself. 3/4
This rally was organised by the self-styled “Palestine Solidarity Campaign” (PSC). It is a key hub of the hatred movement that is disfiguring our country. A decent party would ban its representatives from joining up with the PSC.
The problem is that Labour is no such party. 4/4
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Assassination - assassination! - must be a red line for all politicians. No one in decent politics should have anything to do with the chancer Mohammed Shafiq.
Yet the Bradford Labour MPs Imran Hussain and Naz Shah spoke at an anti-Israel rally he led in Bradford on 30 May. 1/11
Shafiq likes to tour hate preachers around the country. Here is one of his favourites from Pakistan.
This is dire. Ur-Rehman supported Mumtaz Qadri, the religious fanatic who assassinated the Pakistani politician Salman Taseer in 2011 for "blasphemy". No "love" for him. 2/11
You don't need to speak Urdu to sense Ur-Rehman's sickening fervour in this tirade for Qadri, with a big picture of the assassin hanging on the wall behind him. 3/11
Ghani's profile was already well-known back then. The London imam was prepared to go to bat for terrorists. Even rank antisemites close to al-Qaeda, convicted of attempted murder in open court with full due process. 2/4 hurryupharry.net/2014/02/07/the…
In these circles, "freeing the prisoners" is seen as a divine obligation. If they're terrorists, mind. Common criminals don't make the grade.
Then, when they are free, join them, all smiles. 3/4
First, note the use of "infiltrate". No, antisemites have been at the heart of the demonstrations. They are very welcome and sometimes on the stage itself, raging.
As we saw here. - do not let "infiltrate" distract you for a second. 1/5
In this video, you will see a man holding the megaphone for the woman shouting her violent racist prayers. The crowd back her. There are no objections.
Naz Shah reduces this to "not a speaker but gained access to a microphone" - how dishonest. 2/5
That man was a rally organiser. You'll see him holding the megaphone for Naz Shah herself in this clip.
The way to "never tolerate" antisemitism, as Shah assures us she does, is never to attend ugly rallies where antisemitic fury is very likely. 3/5
In this Unite meeting, Louise Regan of the NEU illustrated why her union is not just useless in the fight against antisemitism. No, it is actively and enthusiastically harmful.
She dismissed Gavin Williamson’s urgent letter to schools about the abuse pupils and students... 1/7
...are facing outright. Indeed, she found the letter “quite shocking”.
She even made the absurd claim that “shutting down education” is in play, rather than appropriate and badly needed safeguarding. 2/7
Specifically, this is what she rejects: an appeal for sensitive discussions, no intimidation, and awareness of bias, including the rejection even of Israel’s right to exist. 3/7
One of the most malicious forces in the UK's Israel hatred movement is "Friends of al-Aqsa", headed up by Ismail Patel. He is a Hamas fan. And a supporter of the nasty Bristol professor David Miller, to give you an idea.
So, do Labour MPs have time for him? Oh yes, lots. 1/8
Naz Shah, tasked by Labour with looking after "Community Cohesion", is among them.
On 30 May, she spoke at a “Friends of al-Aqsa” rally in Bradford which raised funds for Patel's group.
Imran Hussain MP and the Bradford council leader, Susan Hinchcliffe, also spoke. 2/8
Here she is leading a group including several young children as they arrive at the rally. The group shouts “There is no God but God, Mohammed is his messenger” in Arabic, “Allahu akbar!”, and “takbir!”. 3/8
"God, make us part of the mujahideen in Palestine!"
"God, purify al-Aqsa from impure people! God, make the earth quake under their feet!"
"God, lift the curse of the Jews off the Muslims in Palestine!"
A Hamas rally in Gaza? No, a demonstration in Bradford in May. 1/5
More:
"God, support Muslim youth to protect al-Aqsa! God, support them with your soldiers! God, we ask you to make the Jews lose!"
"God, make Islam win!"
The blood chants heard across the UK in May followed. "With our soul, with our blood, we will redeem you, al-Aqsa!” 2/5
The customary annihilation call too. "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."
It is no surprise to find the disgraced former Liberal Democrat MP and incorrigible racist David Ward at this hatred rally, behind a "Palestine Solidarity Campaign" banner. 3/5