Fiasco In Islington
Part 2 is available here
Richard Hugus
Gilad Atzmon
Jazz saxophonist and writer Gilad Atzmon was recently banned from playing at an assembly hall in Islington, a borough of London, by order of the Islington Town Council. This came about as a result of an e-mail from one person – Martin Rankoff – saying nothing more than that if Atzmon was going to be at the venue on December 21 he would give a ticket that was given to him to someone else.
Rankoff wrote, “Mr Atzmon’s news and beliefs I personally find repulsive and do not wish to be in the same place as him, let alone listen to his music.” Rankoff included links to ADL and Israeli news outlets accusing Atzmon of antisemitism. Incredibly, on the basis of this letter alone, the Islington Council went way out of its way and contacted the show’s promoter to get Atzmon banned—something Rankoff didn’t even ask for.
Imagine the situation in reverse: Gilad Atzmon writes a letter to the Council saying he is uncomfortable with Martin Rankoff appearing in the audience at Islington assembly hall. He refers to Mr. Rankoff’s pro-Israel Twitter page where Rankoff calls Jeremy Corbyn “A F***ing Antisemite and Racist” and where Corbyn is pictured on a bike with a comment suggesting Corbyn should be rammed by a car. Atzmon says that he doesn’t feel safe with Rankoff in the audience. He finds Mr. Rankoff’s support for Israel repulsive because Israel was founded on genocide against the people of Palestine. As proof he provides links to news reports on the slaughter of unarmed protestors in Gaza since March 30, 2018, and a story on the Deir Yassin massacre of 1948.
This imaginary second complaint would have been scorned as an abridgement of Rankoff’s rights. Indeed, since the Islington Council has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, in which criticism of Israel is deemed antisemitic, the Council would probably feel obliged to forward the letter to the authorities as evidence of hate speech.
The Council provided a statement on the banning in which it says: “under the Equality Act 2010, the Council must, in the exercise of its functions, have due regard to the need to foster good relations between different races and religions within the borough. The Council took account of the fact that Mr Atzmon’s presence at the Hall, and knowledge of his presence among residents of the borough, might harm such relationships, as well as the Council’s duty to tackle prejudice and promote understanding within the borough.”
This begs the question — in what way would either the “presence” of Gilad Atzmon or “knowledge of his presence among residents” harm the relationship between different races and religions in the borough? Atzmon was to appear at the venue as a saxophone player in a jazz group. It’s hard to imagine a more severe inversion of the concept of discrimination. On the basis of the feelings of one complainant, the right of a musician to work or even be present in Islington is taken away.
What lies behind this is a familiar tactic. Zionists have no argument to counter critics of Israel, so they try to shut them up by attacking their character and robbing them of their livelihood. Now AIPAC and other lobbies are working to make it illegal to criticize Israel, as we see in the recent case of a Texas speech therapist whose yearly contract was denied because she refused to sign a pledge not to support a boycott of Israel. One might ask, what does a teaching position in Pflugerville, Texas have to do with one’s opinions about a country seven thousand miles away? And why does that country have the right to compel anyone in the US to sign a loyalty oath?
If the BDS movement doesn’t do it, zealotry and fanatacism will be the undoing of the Zionist project. People don’t like being told what they are allowed to think and say. When our words and thoughts are policed, it makes us question all the more. What were once decent leftist positions against racism and discrimination have been twisted into a new kind of totalitarianism, one in which it is racist to question the racist, and discriminatory to question discrimination; one in which we are told to think something doesn’t exist when we can see with our own eyes that it does. The self-righteous members of the Islington Town Council have set a very dangerous precedent, and have been used as fools on top of it.
SUPPORT OFFGUARDIAN
If you enjoy OffG's content, please help us make our monthly fund-raising goal and keep the site alive.
For other ways to donate, including direct-transfer bank details click HERE.
Judging by the tenor of this thread I believe that most of the commenters have become confused due to an understandable if somewhat ‘olde worlde’ error.
Many are het up at a council which appears to have resiled from its duties to collect the rubbish, maintain the roads and resource libraries and instead this posse of alderpersons prefers to make pointless and obviously facile (since a small local government authority lacks the where ithall to enforce announcements concerning distant foreign lands) tilts at crooked windmills.
I’m afraid this issue is down to a total misunderstanding by citizens of the contemporary role of local government.
The underwhelming, over-ambitious & worthless souls who comprise members of local government of whatever ilk, stopped subscribing to the belief their tole was rubbish roads and books yonks ago.
As far as they and all within their circle of acquaintance are concerned, local government exists solely for the purpose of providing useless tossers with an opportunity to become professional politicians – MPs of safe constituency seats.
Years of insidiously gathered data has informed them that blocking Atzmon is a no-brainer.
It is unlikely anyone will change who they vote for if they had allowed him to play, just as no one with half a brain would change their vote against them on the basis this since all those who loath such sly opportunism would have deleted these grovelling carreerists from their list of prospective candidates long ago.
However there is one mob who not only never vote for them, had Atzmon been allowed to blow his horn, they would actively campaign against the the alderpersons for eve rmore.
The lack of patriotism which zionists feel toward their various homelands is aptly demonstrated by the cynical way that zionists happily sacrifice their home nation’s political viability. Frequently over a storm in a teacup such as this
Zionist don’t seem to give a flying fuck about any sacrifices britain may have made to stop nazis, too bad if the brit political structure is destroyed by their cynical abuse of it ‘cos that is all meaningless compared to zionism’s right to silence, restrain & punish any critics of the apartheid state.
Dear friends, please excuse my bad english.
Semits don’t exist. Only the family of semitic languages. Most important arabic. This means, the term Pro-Semit or Anti-Semit is nonsense.
Zionism. Mainly organised from Moses Hess, a friend of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. But his concept was to disolve the specific “choosen people”. Theodor Herzl and Zeev Jabotinski used it in the european dark-night of nationalism. And we see it with Cecil Rodes and Winston Churchill.
Jewish people. Only, if the follow the strict regulation of the Thora. People, they follow the jewish religion and use it every day. Jewish as people don’t exist. In the christianism we have the same.
Based on this we see a completely other background in Islington. I know, that Gilad Atzmon don’t like this interpretation. I understand, he grow up in West-Palestine, i in germany. I search for ways to a total equivalence of people, he found a completely rassism in his child and youthtime. Maybe, you have the same in England, Great Britain and UK.
Requirement for all Jews living in the UK to sign to remain as citizens:
1) The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Noerthern Ireland will be, as of 1st April 2019, once again be a sovereign nation.
2) It has never been, is not currently, nor will it ever be subservient to the State of Israel.
3) Jews as a people are no less likely to offend others than any other grouping in the UK and as such have no dispensation from the right of others to criticise them in robust but respectful ways.
4) Actions of the State of Israel in general have nothing to do with the Jewish Torah and any criticism of Israeli Government action has nothing to do with the daily religious lives of Jews around the world. Criticism of the Israeli Government, when appropriate, is a healthy duty of concerned citizens worldwide. Jews who claim it is offensive to them personally should seek therapy whose outcome should be the splitting of their unhealthy personality from their baby-like attachment to the Jewish State, which for whatever reason they have used as a mother substitute.
5) Jews who believe their race is instrinsically superior are racists unfit to hold Uk citizenship.They should emigrate or give up their BNP-style attitudes.
6) The term ‘anti-semitic’ is only applicable to actions applied universally against Jews. It is not antisemitic to criticise an individual Jew, the decision of a Synagogue, the political actions of AIPAC, the actions of Mossad.
This does not cover employment practices of firms owned and controlled by Jews, which should also come under the microscope, to endure that non Jews are not discriminated against.
There should also be strong restrictions on the Rights of Jews to promote racism by the State of Israel. Jews unwilling to subject the State of Israel to forensic anti racist examination should have no rights to reside in the UK.
None of what I have written is anti semitic. Nor does it imply any alloance with Islam. Requirement for Muslims should be every bit as robust, if not more so.
What I have written says that Jews should face the same political examinations as everyone else and that being a UK ctizen requires them to undergo that.
If they cannot cope with that, they are not very reasonable are they? I have not suggested any violence, any blackmail, any looting, any ghettos.
I have just placed clear limits on the State of Israel and Jews in terms of what they can and cannot do if they wish to interact with the Uk or be a Uk citizen.
Better start with male Pakistani-UK passport holders; plenty more of those around including some “explosive” characters!! All islamists believe they are superior, first above their own women, children and animals and next above there rest of the planet. Their main interest is life after death, with the 72 virgins (or white grapes) – the here and now is disposable.
And the main interests of the Zionist Apartheid Regime are genocide, terrorism, extortion, defamation, corruption, influence peddling, drug pushing, sex trafficking, and organ trafficking.
Like the shocking story of the British taxpayer funding the organ-trafficking of eighteen thousand children, this event concerning Jeremy Corbyn’s own council has been met with deafening silence by the mainstream media.
Why?
Who do you think owns the MSM, lock, stock and barrel?
Gypsies? Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Imagine if the UK had in its statutes, and the USA had in its constitution measures to ensure only white people had the right to immigration [one of Israel’s basic laws [1950] is only Jews have the right to immigration into Israel]. Continuing the analogy with Israel’s recently passed ‘Nation-State’ [basic law]. Also last week the Knesset rejected an Equal Rights Bill – Jewish MKs vote by 71-25 to reject equality between Jews and non-Jews.
1. “The states of the UK and the USA are the nation-states of the ‘white people”.
2. “The actualization of the right of national self- determination in the states of the UK/USA is unique to white people”
3. “The UK/USA will labour to ensure the safety of sons of white people”.
4. “The UK/USA will act to preserve the cultural, historical and religious legacy of white people among the Diaspora”.
5. “The UK/USA views ‘white’s only’ settlement as joint national values and will labour to encourage and promote its establishment and development”.
Now let us look at one of the IHRA examples which members of the Labour Party, some of Jewish origin, some not, have incorporated into the Labour Party rule book:
“Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination – e.g. by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavor”.
Who could deny that examples 1 to 5 above together with Israel’s Jews only immigration law if incorporated into UK and US law would prove 100% that the UK and US were inherently racist and that their ‘existence were racist endeavors’, and that anyone in the UK/US [including Jeremy Corbyn] who disapproved of 1 to 5 above, and said so, would fall foul of the IHRA definition, be accused of being Anti Semitic and drummed out of the Labour Party and possibly ostracized from society for life. The Labour party capitulation to the Israel lobby is disgraceful, they will come to regret it.
I am sick to the back teeth about Jews. Can’t stand them
There’s a world of difference between Jews and zionists; best not to confuse them.
I keep hearing that “anti-zionism is the same thing as anti-semitism”. The tiny minority of self-identified Jews who are willing to contradict this claim, could be described as the exception that proves the rule. Apparently, the world of difference between Jews and Zionists is not at all apparent to the large majority of those who inhabit these largely overlapping categories, who are exceedingly eager that they should be confused, at all times, by everybody.
Why is that?
>There’s a world of difference between Jews and zionists; best not to confuse them.<
The "Jews" are as confused by their identity as much as they cause confusion.
No excuse. You can be a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, but if you support “israel” in Palestine, you are criminal.
Not all Jews are zionist. But since most Jews support the illegal occupation of Palestine, every Jew must be suspected of being zionist.
Keep prejudiced, narrow-minded and discriminatory statements like that to yourself.
Well, I am out of here. I can’t be part of a forum where people are able to make anti-Semitic statements and then get ‘thumbed down’ when trying to confront it. Shame.
What people like you can’t understand is that when you DO bad things, people SAY bad things about you.
You’re basically defending anti-Semitism, then?
Obviously, but for some reason unmentionably, one’s attitude to anti-Semitism depends entirely on one’s understanding of the nature of the Semitism that it is opposed to.
Traditionally, one is pathologized as an anti-Semite as soon as one begins to investigate the various symptoms and manifestations of Semitism, about which it is impermissible to know anything in detail. However, there are increasing indications that this defence system is starting to break down; the shrieks of “anti-Semite!!!” grow louder and more hysterical, as less and less attention is paid to them. Clearly, this is a self-reenforcing process; the natural outcome of anti-Semitism inflation will be that its ideological value declines to zero, and can no longer be exchanged for even the smallest quantities of ignorance and obedience. A sad day for Venetian merchants and their various shills, flunkeys, and stooges, but not necessarily for anyone else.
From my experience being a critic of Israel’s genocidal criminal behaviour makes you an anti-Semite, so could you tell us exactly what is it that one should not be ‘anti’ about when it comes to Semitism?
No, I’m defending humanity against genocide, terror, corruption, defamation, extortion, lies and all forms of criminality associated with sub human Zionist filth.
I think you’re confusing the Ubermenschen with the Untermenschen. According to the current scheme of things, it’s the dirty goyim who are the subhumans.
Yes, I wonder what the reaction of Islington Council would be if those talentless, self-publicising sluts of Pussy Riot applied to do a gig at Islington Town Hall? Of course, the Councillors would be falling over themselves, knocking over their lattes to oblige. Tickets advertising the gig would be available in the Gruan. There is an information/cultural war going on and the Labour party has been targeted for infiltration and has been infiltrated. I recently read an article in a Labour party sympathising publication which consisted on nothing other than the usual Russophobic bile. The author, a senior member of another London CLP, had, prior to this publication, been working for the Foreign Office in Afghanistan. Hmm, I wonder what she was doing in Afghanistan exactly? On an adjacent page was an article by someone, another female member of the same CLP, denouncing Putin and all his works, who hailed from Kazakhstan.
Yep, there’s money, kudos and a career structure in Russophobia.
The Labour party capitulation to the Israel lobby has been painful to watch, Len McCluskey [Unite Union] hoped that the party could keep the attacks on Corbyn at bay by agreeing to all the examples in the IHRA [working definition of Antisemiism] at the NEC, more fool McCluskey. Israel is clearly a racist state, from its Jews only immigration policy [basic law 1950] plus 65 laws which discriminate against Palestinians https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/7771 up to the recent and blatantly racist Nation state law, also within the last week By 71 votes to 38 the Knesset rejects Equal Rights Bill – Jewish MKs vote by 71-25 to reject equality between Jews and non-Jews.
Labours Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell was interviewed by Jewish News/Times of Israel not long ago and made these comments on Corbyn sharing platforms with so called Anti-semitic groups over the years, McDonnell said “you have to look at why he was sharing platforms, it was not to endorse them, it was to try and engage with them”. So for all those many years Corbyn has traversed the country speaking up for the Palestinians in so many meetings it would be difficult to count them, McDonnell has the effrontery to claim he did not endorse them. This interview proves that McDonnell is a craven, spineless, lick-spittle with no respect for his colleagues or any self respect. Many leading Jurists who have examined the IHRA definition have said it is not fit for purpose, I am beginning to think the Labour party is not fit for purpose.
I am beginning to think the Labour party is not fit for purpose.
Tony bLiar’s regime didn’t succeed in convincing you?
Of course, if you assume that the purpose is serving the needs of the neoliberal ruling class, then they are extremely adept at it.
a craven, spineless, lick-spittle
Aren’t those the primary qualifications for advancement in the Slave Labour Party?
McClusky tried to appease zionist antisemites? Gutless bastard. he and that spineless whelp Corbyn should ban zionists for the same reason that racists and fascists are banned. Reformist boobies.
You can never appease these people. Fight 5 wars for Israel and you are anti semitic because you haven’t fought 10 wars for Israel. Give Israel $50 billion and you are anti semitic because you haven’t given it $100 billion. Jesus Christ himself couldn’t please these people when he walked the earth 2,000 years ago, so what chance has anybody else got?
The power of the Zionist lobby relies on its power in the USA.
And there it is so powerful there, because the American Joe Six Pack and other large parts of the US society (Trump to me is also a Joe Six Pack, only a rich one) think, that (nowadays!) Israelis are “God’s people”.
And it is exactly this what makes those disgusting, mass murderous, cruel, illegal (to international, but possibly also to Israeli law) attacks of Israel possible.
And to change this Joe Six Pack should take those false “Judaic” pastors in the US to responsibility. Because for REAL Christians not even the old Hebrew were “God’s people” – the less nowadays Israelis, having totally different roots.
For REAL Christians even the old Hebrews were not “God’s people” because with his resurrection Jesus said (Mark 16:15): “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation“.
So for Christians ALL(!) humans are “God’s people”.
But these false Judaic “Christian” pastors ignore Jesus’ words, because they follow the HEBREW religion – and not the CHRISTIAN faith, as they are supposed to do..
Also Israel’s murderous and buzzard’s acts and attitude trough all its relatively short existence is not Christian, but anti-Christian.
Also insofar these false pastors ignore Jesus’ words, because they follow the HEBREW religion – and not the CHRISTIAN faith.
And we have to make clear to Joe Six Pack that he is still a heather. And that his United States of America is as little “God’s land” as Saudi-Arabia is “Allah’s land”.
And we have to tell Joe Six Pack that if he wants his country to be “God’s land” he has TO MAKE IT “God’s land”! And this means a clear separation from or even protest against the Jews. With “Jews” I always mean followers of the Religion (so also black-skinned Ethiopians) – and never a “race”.
Their Religion, by the way, claims to be that of the old Hebrews – but is this not at all! Usually Christians think that the main Holy Book of Jews is the Old Testament. And, yes, that was true for the old Hebrews – two thousand years ago. But for at least a thousand years it is only Talmud, Thora and Kaballah: “The principal sacred text of the Kabbalah is the openly Satanic Zohar, which states the following: “Israel must make sacrifices to Satan so that he will leave Israel unmolested” (Zohar 2:33a). Also this: “The evil impulse is good, and without the evil impulse Israel cannot prevail in the world” (Zohar 1:61a).“. Source: “THE SAKER INTERVIEWS MICHAEL A. HOFFMAN II” – http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/50785.htm .
Also Joe Six Pack and his/her “Judaic”-Christian priests think of a “Jewish race” which are “God’s children”. But by race only THE PALESTIANIANS are the true descendants of the old Hebrews – not the nowadays Israelis. The nowadays Israelis are descendants of the “Khasars”, a Turk (not “Osman”!) empire north and east of the Black Sea that took over the Hebrew religion at about 600 A.D. This is why there were pogroms in Russia already some hundred years ago (because there were a lot of Jewish Khasars in Russia – probably much, much more than had ever been old “Israelites” in historical Palestine). This is why the Nazis could murder so many “Jews” in eastern Europe (Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania and so on). Those who use the Word “Jew” as a racial definition (Nazis, Zionists) must notice that the ancestors of Bob Dylan (“Zimmernann”) came from Russia – not Palestine! The ancestors of Rosa Luxemburg came from Poland – not Palestine!
When the Romans had occupied Palestine they didn’t expel the Hebrews at all. But obviously the economic situation there was very bad. So at about 100 A.D. a lot of Hebrews left for nowadays Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey (“East Rome”), southern France. But then no one left for the Black Sea area – dominated be the Scythians, a nomadic herds people. There these economic emigrants could never have survived. Only much later the Khasars conquered that area.
And thus we should inform Joe Six Pack (with this I also mean ‘black’ Joe Six-packs!) that he/she has to request of his Pastor or Catholic priest to unmask and protest against Israel.
But now nearly all US states made it a crime to call for a boycott of Israel and its commercial products. See the map in this article: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/50785.htm
In 1935, my gradparents, seeing which way the political wind was blowing, sent their only child from Manhiem in Germany to England. She made two visits back, (brave or what!) until she lost contact with them in late 1938. During the war she joined the British Army to fight the Nazis and it was in Catterick Yorkshire that she met our father.
They married in 1946, after he had served in Palastine and they remained married until his death in 2009.
She asked that her remains lie next to her husband’s in the Jewish cemetary but the local synagogue refused her request because he was not Jewish and so she was forced to make other arrangements.
How can a man’s ashes be any religion, Christian, Jewish or Moslem, to name but three.
And what do you call people who refuse such a request? Anti-Goy?
Or am I and Anti-Semite/Self Hating Jew for even bringing the subject up?
And to the rest of you, I have been a manual labourer all my life and wouldn’t know a Rothschild if I fell over one.
I have been a manual labourer all my life and wouldn’t know a Rothschild if I fell over one.
Consider whether “Jewish” isn’t, more than anything else, a political category. That would certainly explain why the large majority of people who identify as such, believe that zionism is part of the package.
If your political sympathies differ greatly from theirs, then maybe you aren’t actually “Jewish”, in the same sense that they are.
am I an Anti-Semite/Self Hating Jew?
You might be interested to read Gilad Atzmon’s book, The Wandering Who?, if you haven’t already. Being an ex-Jew seems like it might be a more productive option, than being a self-hating one.
For a wider context, see the “forbidden” documentary from “Al Jazzera”
https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/thelobby/
which details the aims, methods and lack of scruples of the Israeli lobby in UK
Considering that the BBC is financed by licence payers to the tune of over £3bn a year this should be shown on TV, but it won’t and never will.
Not one word in the rag Guardian about Israel attacking Syria on Christmas day.
Oy vey they have been shut down from any Criticism of the “chosen tribe”
Professional hit by Martin Rankoff & the Sussex Friends of Israel. Council bought and paid for.
I visited Martins YouTube channel hoping to learn about his passion for Jazz.
63 videos .. no jazz .. all zionism. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLD6zZseLGxoaV_406Yd_Vw/videos?disable_polymer=1
I’m sure it was just coincidence Rankoff bought tickets for this particular artist without researching his political affiliations?
In such orchestrated, sorry, I meant accidental circumstances, the only logical thing was to involve the council leader not to mention the finest lawyers the public purse can stretch to.
Islington may not be able to house vulnerable families but there will always money available for vexacious complaints especially when there is a slight risk the views being expressed are not in line with those approved by Margaret Hodge or other intolerant activists.
Just to add the council leader and his lawyers have pissed off the Blockheads as well – the band seem rather dubious about Rankoff purporting to be an ‘avid’ fan (bearing in mind Gilad has played 100s of gigs with the Blockheads including 2 previous shows at Islington Assembly Hall).
https://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/2018/12/19/the-blockheads-are-outraged-at-the-ruling-by-islington-council
Maybe the punk loving Rankoff didn’t notice Gilad before, or maybe he has only been an avid fan during the period it takes to satisfy Margaret Hodge’s crazed demand for a Labour party bereft of actual socialists or internationalists?
Dear friends, what is off-gurdian?
If you wnat to inform to Gilad Atzmon, then you have tu use hist writings blogs.
A Christmas Miracle in Islington
Gilad Atzmon, 24.12.2018
https://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/2018/12/24/a-christmas-miracle-in-islington
An open Christmas Greeting to a few Labour Politicians
Gilad Atzmon, 25.12.2018
https://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/2018/12/24/a-christmas-miracle-in-islington
“Sax Discrimination” …A Christmas Miracle In Islington, UK
24.12.2018
https://stgeorgewest.blogspot.com/2018/12/sax-discrimination-christmas-miracle-in.html
Santa Claus has played the Sax. And the people there was very happy. Not you.from Off-Guardin, and not the Labor mafia.
???
Sad to see that this nonsense is taking place on both sides of the Atlantic. I’ll save the government and all their ancillary thought control groups the trouble and just admit outright that I did have a – “pro-Palestinian thought” – today! I admit it, I’m sorry, I’ll do my best to keep my thinking within acceptable bounds in the future. I don’t know what comes over me, but sometimes out of nowhere I just find myself thinking that – “Palestinians are human beings too” – and I can’t seem to totally shake it no matter how much MSM I read and how much corporate television news I watch. —– Why does it feel like Western public discourse has somehow morphed into Orwell’s surreal question of – “how many fingers am I holding up?” Please, someone tell me a nice bed-time story about “Western democracy” and Western “respect for human rights” and Western “respect for international law,” or any of the other surrealist fairy tales we hold so dear.
I’m shocked by your revelation, Gary, but thanks for sharing. The nonsense may be mitigated here now that the student body at the U. of Chile has signed up to BDS, and the fact that we have the largest Palestinian population outside the Middle East.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/05/chile-giving-citizenship-palestinian-refugees-180515114630102.html
any of the other surrealist fairy tales we hold so dear
— since The Day When Surreal Faery Tales Came True.
To Islington Council Dec 20, 2018 — “Your decision to dis-allow Gilad Atzmon’s attendance/performance with the Blockheads is wrong. You have unwittingly been tricked by Zionists. You should change your minds. Do the right thing…. Say NO to Zionism.”
From Islington Council, Complaints Assistant, Customer Service Division Dec 21, 2018 — “Thank you for your online form.
We acknowledge receipt of your complaint. Please see the Council’s statement on this matter which can be found here: https://www.islington.media/news/statement-gilad-atzmon
Kind Regards, …”
Here are nearly 5000 signatures telling Islington Council what an abomination was their decision to ban Gilad Atzmon. Which community, exactly, is Islington Council working for?
https://www.change.org/p/devon-nola-gmail-com-hands-off-gilad-atzmon?recruiter=3196660&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition&fbclid=IwAR2eVj1QK0gPPTJDr31_sXxDgEE9oVta22OWM4PF-HDrFmg1CHNb5EF4Y2w
The big story here is that this saga started with a request from Likud-UK Director, Martin Rankoff and when things got complicated, the compromised Council not only hired London’s most expensive law firm, it turns out they also represented the notorious Likudnik, Sheldon Adelson. Isn’t this too many Likud connections for one Progressive Labour Council?
Accordingto Francis Lee below, that “Progressive Labour” council is packed with the remnants of “New Labour”. Israel Firsters — or rather, Rothschild Firsters, like TB.Liar himself the cynical Middle East Peace Envoy who held jobs in 3 different Rothschild companies.
If there is something bad happening anywhere in the world four countries and two peoples will be up to there necks in it; America, Britain, Israel and the Saudis and the people’s are so called Anglo Saxons and Jews
Thank you for an excellent article about free speech and the danger of smear campaigns. I notice with interest that in 2011 the Guardian was helpful in giving us the truth by providing a platform to Andy Newman to warn us about Mr. Atzmon and antisemitism in the Labor Party and on the left.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/sep/25/gilad-atzmon-antisemitism-the-left
Significant date, 2011. Launch of NATZO’s ruthless ISIS terrorists in attempt to implement Zionazi Oded Yinon plan to dismember Syria and hand over its hydrocarbon resources to Rothschild companies such as Genie Energy (shareholders include notorious Anglo Zio Caitalists such as Rothschild, Cheney, Murdoch et al).
“Atzmon was born in a secular Jewish family in Tel Aviv, Israel, Ashkenazi on his father’s side, and grew up in Jerusalem. His great-grandmother was a victim of World War II, but he refuses to assign her death a special Holocaust status. His grandfather was, he states, a commander in the paramilitary Irgun during the period of the British Mandate in Palestine, who subscribed to the doctrines of Ze’ev Jabotinsky, hated Germans, despised the British, was angry with Palestinians for living on land that God had given to Jews, and loathed Jewish leftists. For Atzmon he was a ‘veteran Zionist terrorist’, and he himself grew up in what he describes as a ‘happy childhood’ imbued with a spirit of ‘militant enthusiasm.’
“Atzmon was conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in June 1981. He began his service as a combat medic and participated in the 1982 Lebanon War. Aztmon was transferred to a position within the Israel Defense Forces Orchestra and spent most of his military service in the Israeli Air Force orchestra. He explains this as a reflection of the fact that ‘’(p)laying scales at the speed of light seemed to me far more important than killing Arabs in the name of Jewish suffering.’ Three weeks before the end of his military service, in the wake of the war, his troupe visited an IDF detention camp at Ansar, Lebanon. He later wrote that this was a ‘life-changing’ experience, coming into direct contact with the conditions of captured Palestinians, some locked in solitary confinement in what he took at first to be 1 metre square concrete boxes for guard dogs. During a guided tour, he states that, as he peered across the barbed wire at the POWs, he felt that ‘the place was a concentration camp. The inmates were the ‘Jews’, and I was nothing but a ‘Nazi’.’ As soon as he was demobbed from the army, he took flight to Europe in December 1984, living as a busker.”
-Wikipedia
The real reason why Gilad Atzmon was banned; he refuses to take part in the oppression of Palestinians, was disgusted by his experiences and speaks out against it.
But but but but **looks round desperately for some kind of evidence, STRUGGLES** erm UNTEH SHUMURTISM
The self-righteous members of the Islington Town Council have set a very dangerous precedent, and have been used as fools on top of it.
The term of art for such functionaries is “sabbat goyim”.
A sabbat goy is one of the untermenschen, the slaves created to serve the master race*, who has been temporarily delegated to perform menial tasks that the Chosen People find necessary for their comfort, but beneath their dignity to engage in, themselves**.
* “Goyim were born only to serve us. Without that, they have no place in the world; only to serve the People of Israel.”
** “With gentiles, it will be like any person: They need to die, but God will give them longevity. Why? Imagine that one’s donkey would die, they’d lose their money. This is his servant. That’s why he gets a long life, to work well for this Jew.”
— Ovadia Yosef, Chief Sephardi Rabbi of Israel
https://www.jta.org/2010/10/18/israel/sephardi-leader-yosef-non-jews-exist-to-serve-jews
Thank you for yhis fairvreport
Hello everybody, Gilad Atzmon here.,,, .. I’m thankful for your support.. It seems as if thousands of people are now interested in this fiasco and are tuned to every development …I myself posted this video and will publish another one today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwTWlKmQX2I&t=45s
A powerful, lucid and progressive speech — makes “Progressive” Camden Labour look like troglodytes or Leftovers from the Dark Ages.
Hello everybody, tx so much for your support (I am Gilad,,,) Following the orchestrated vast smear campaign against, me, my work, my writing and my music I decided to tackle my most controversial quotes. As you will see, I don’t back down. I own my words with pride! I do accept that some of my ideas are challenging, however, everything I do is free of racism or hatefulness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=735SaKwez2A
Much respect, Gilad, and Happy New Year.
I am 81 years old. I live in the London Borough of Islington. I am member of Islington North Labour Party. I am ashamed.
I wrote to Islington complaints department and asked to be given the name of the Councillor responsible for the decision to ban Gilad. They failed to answer my question. It turns out that the decision was made by Richard Watts, leader of of Islington Council (49 Labour councillors, 1 Green councillor) who employed a firm very expensive lawyers to act on his behalf. This offends me as a resident of this cash strapped borough. It offends me as a Labour Party member.
To keep up to date as news unfolds please go to:
https://www.gilad.co.uk/magazine/
Times are way beyond above kind of verbal fence riding … NO : MAKE PUBLIC : WHO …BY NAME …ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE ISLINGTON TOWN COUNCIL ? WHERE DO THEY LIVE?… WHAT ARE THEIR PRIVATE ADRESSES ? … EVEN BETTER … SHOW SOME PICTURES OF THEM …SO PEOPLE CAN RECOGNIZE THEM IN THE STREET ! And ofc .. this Motherfucker MARTIN RANKOFF … should be published with NAME , ADDRESS , PHOTO ;WORKPLACE ; WHICH SYNAGOGE etc etc .. as a recurring Journalistic feature
I do as a commentator stated above.I don’t buy merchandise produced in Israel.Because I’m an anti Zionist but I’m not an anti Semite. Many a Jew is an anti Zionist even in Israel.
You don’t buy merchandise from Israel, it is a good job you do not reside in the US, then under a US bill sponsored by both Democrat and Republican politicians [the bill failed this time around] you could have spent 20 years in prison.
“A group of 43 senators — 29 Republicans and 14 Democrats — wants to implement a law that would make it a felony for Americans to support the international boycott against Israel, which was launched in protest of that country’s decades-old occupation of Palestine. The two primary sponsors of the bill are Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland and Republican Rob Portman of Ohio. Perhaps the most shocking aspect is the punishment: Anyone guilty of violating the prohibitions will face a minimum civil penalty of $250,000 and a maximum criminal penalty of $1 million and 20 years in prison”. https://theintercept.com/2017/07/19/u-s-lawmakers-seek-to-criminally-outlaw-support-for-boycott-campaign-against-israel/
“israelis” are bad people or, should I say, people who by continuing to take part in a monstrous crime are behaving badly. Gilad shows the way: the good “israeli” is an ex-“israeli”. Just get out of Palestine and attempt to be human! You don’t have to continue shooting the inmates.
• Gilad Atzmon has been accused of being a ‘vile Antisemite’ by [according to the BBC and the Guardian newspaper] a “spokesman” of the UK Labour party. Gilad has the right to know if this description of him is the official view of the LP. If the LP refuse to say who was responsible for this accusation, then it must be assumed that the statement is a true description of their views and proceed on the entirely valid assumption that the BBC and Guardian were correct to report that the LP “spokesman” did indeed state that Gilad was a vile Anti Semite. The LP cannot act against an individual [Harassment] without evidence [or even with evidence taken out of context as Gilad claims, and most importantly without that first rule of natural justice being applied i.e. ‘hear both sides’] as Judge Jury and Executioner in making him a pariah in his own country. Since Gilad has never been found guilty of any hate crimes it is beyond pernicious for the Labour party to harass him. An accusation of Antisemitism is very serious and has the potential to destroy a persons career and standing in the community, so also is a ‘false’ charge of Antisemitism, the former is treated seriously by teams of witchfinder Generals [see Labour party compliance unit] whereas the latter is commonly used as a weapon against anyone perceived to be critical of the state of Israel and is usually not punished due to the prohibitive costs of suing for defamation.
NB, a prosecution under section 2 or 4 of the ‘protection from Harassment Act 1997’ [a criminal offence] requires proof of harassment [I think on at least two occasions] In addition, there must be evidence to prove the conduct was targeted at an individual, was calculated to alarm or cause him/her distress, and was oppressive and unreasonable.
Section 2 offence – Harassment
The elements of section 2 offence are:
• a course of conduct;
• which amounts to harassment of another; and
• which the defendant knows, or ought to know amounts to harassment of another.See https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/stalking-and-harassment
If the Police refused to act, an individual could initiate a private prosecution as a ‘litigant in person’ for the criminal offence of Harassment under section 6 of the ‘Prosecution of Offenders Act 1985’.
Gilad could of course sue for defamation he would probably need to be crowd funded. In any case he needs to be lawyered up.
Hello Harry ,, look at this https://www.redressonline.com/2018/12/open-letter-from-gilad-atzmon-to-britains-labour-party-stop-slandering-me/
Zionist supremacy strikes again. After reading the twitter feed of @mrankoff , there is only one racist when comparing him and Gilad Atzmon.
Powerful influence can be brought to bear in making or breaking a career or reputation. Fear of being targeted ‘pays the piper’ to go away. A protection racket.
Those associated with power can merely express their person and have others dancing to support their wishes.
Those who call out the sins of the rich and powerful – openly and articulately – are then targeted and smeared as the ‘sinner’ by the power to set narratives and enforce them. The hate this generates in inarticulate reaction serves the justification of the smearing – and the assertions of victim status claiming sympathy for the right of defence in pre-emptive strikes and active denial of the rights of others.
Gilad Atzmon has chosen to not only NOT bend the knee, but to speak and publish openly in defiance of such corruptions of power and thought and so is being smeared, harassed and blacklisted. On his site is an open video answer (and transcript if I recall) to this event.
Is it in our power to not be baited and drawn into hate by hateful intent? But instead to love truth and abide in its terms? I feel yes – but that we meet the hatred that is in our own heart as part of choosing to NOT use it, but listening instead for the true that is given – rather than a specialness seeking to take – and fearing to be taken back.
Is it not the lie that is frail and in need of protection by the denial of communication.
And yet is it not the loveless world of the lie that we learn to adapt to and mask in as our strategy of survival?
Power given to lies, is self-subjection to tyranny – as the lesser evil in the face of the ‘unknown’ – onto which we each and all project our deepest fears.
And so fear of God operates as if fear of the demonic – because the ‘unknown’ is the freedom from the mapping and defining mind of predictive control that we have taken to be the power to know unlike or different to truth. Because such an experience is all on our terms and conditions – which of course Reality violates (or does not support), and so it is defied and denied by power-in-the-world, as the narrative identity at war with itself in secret – that must then be projected out and away from self to be acted out in ‘others’.
Who does not protect their self as they believe themself to be?
Identity conflict is not resolved by denial – but the conflict itself is kept secret.
Secrets and lies make a mind and world of manipulative deceit.
Far from being ‘too big to fail’, failure is built in or predicated as the inevitable context and outcome, and so failure becomes the means of success in terms of the defending and maintaining of a negatively identified self. Destruction as the means by which to raise a defiant power over and against hated truth.
But truth is not conflicted in itself and so cannot be conflicted with – in truth!
And so it is what we have made of truth (in our illusions) that we hate and fear and deny.
The energy and intensity of hate is of course a broken sense of love, that creates in its own image – and be-lives its own convictions.
Looking within does uncover the denied and hated and feared ‘self’ but only to the recognition that it is NOT you – but something you are using for purposes that ran blind. But now you can see because you desire to see – despite the tyranny of a mind in fear that seeks to shut down true vision.
The desire for the true is the desire for the peace of unconflicted truth and yet is easily lost to the desire for vengeance. Whoever has the more light – in any given moment – serves the means by which to shine into the mind-captured.
But loving to hate is in fear of light. A fear that brings on its own self-fulfilling destruction as denials that protect and project the fear (and its meting out in sacrifice and destruction) as the usurper of a projected vengeance. Giving or yielding vengeance up to that which is Lord, is the reversal of enacting vengeance as the idol of a Lord made in the image of fear, division and self-specialness.
God, truth, love, creates of itself and like itself. All else is our own nightmares – given precedence in our mind while we run backwards as the protected error of a mis-taken identity.
The shutting down of the true witness is not only an event seen in a world outside our self – but is a learned pattern of a narrative identity running as ‘normal.
If we become aware of the denial of light as our own act – we CAN awaken curiosity instead of hate, blame and the lockdown of judgemental fixation in reaction.
Of course I am pleading for mankind.
But what we have made has to serve a different purpose to vengeance if we are to open a different outcome – that we do not expect. (Is not in the image and likeness of a past made in anger).
Insofar as the ‘Media’ and the mind fixate on what is wrong – as if to generate a right by reaction, are we deceived to love hate as our saviour by accepting it as true. Checking in for truth is not thinking in terms of ‘constructed models for its definition and control’ – but is a direct alignment in self-honesty. The light is not less aware by what it shines upon – excepting we abandon it by reactions that short-circuit the undoing of the false – while we have self-investment there.
The curriculum is already set. Willingness to learn is a decision – and in this sense a willingness for the unlearning of so much we believed true. Truth, of itself moves as a wholeness of giving and receiving in which and of which we are not only identified truly – but share it.
Again a article about “The Zionists”: Boring!
There are plenty of worse people around, including in the UK: look no further than the paedophilia gangs active in certain “Christian” and Muslim circles.
One guy not allowed to play music once? In sections of Afghanistan you can get killed for playing any music any time – unIslamic. Jazz? Straight to Hell probably.
Yes, Islington is the home turf of the Guardian, so a place to best be totally ignored: plenty of UK remaining.
No, I am neither a Jew nor like Nethanyahu’s idiotic foreign policy or backward Haredi Judaism.
How ignorant can you get? This is not about Islington.This new McCarthyism is targetting
the politics of our country. Its purpose is to destroy the possibility of decent governance,
on behalf of a racist foreign country, afraid of Britain not being led by a collaborator.
In the process it is trying to destroy people’s careers and lives.
Your casual dismissal of the implications of this event is very foolish.
You are the same idiot who embarrassed themselves saying Americans need to speak… American on another OffG story earlier this week. Please return to this site after educating yourself.
Whether or not in your opinion there are worse people around or whether or not you were bored by the article, is not really relevant to me, or, i suspect, many other readers.
As far as I know, Mr Atzmon has not broken any of the criminal laws that regulate our right to free speech, yet the council prevented him from working on the basis that one complainant didn’t agree with his views. This restriction on Mr Atzmon’s (and by extension, the rest of our) freedom of expression by Islington council was novel and serious, and should not be allowed to happen again.
Your casual dismisal of Gilad Atzmon’s plight plays right into the hands of the council leader and expensive lawyers recruited by him (at public expense) to needlessly persecute an individual for simply holding certain political opinions – that’s not the sort of position any sane person should advocate providing said opinions or actions arising from them are WITHIN THE LAW.
In the meantime the complainant, Martin Rankoff has adopted Margaret Hodges hysterical characterisation of Jeremy Corbyn even though Hodge has since been forced to grovel after turning a blind eye to paedophilia when she was in charge at Islington (ignoring senior social workers who tried to warn her about it).
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/victims-of-child-abuse-say-hodge-did-not-listen-to-paedophile-claims-by-senior-social-workers-78151.html
Surely in these uncertain times the good people of Islington would much prefer the sophisticated musicianship of Gilad Atzmon rather than wasting public money to protect the delicate senitivities of those who are far from perfect themselves?
I didn’t see mention of paedophiles or Afghanistan but now you mention it , the behaviour of a certain army in respect of Palestinian children is raising many questions. In the civilised world, an adult must always accompany a minor when they are arrested, so why does Israel ignore this basic norm? If what they do to the Palestinian children in public is anything to go by, it’s frightening what they might do to them in a dark cell.
So far as Afghanistan traditions are concerned, we in the West are completely different. Your criticism of these restrictive conditions hasn’t been an issue when the Israeli’s were protecting people with very similar views in Southern Syria. On the contrary, Israel were arming and funding these criminal killers, not criticising them.
Whether you are a Jew or Netanyahu supporter is irrelevant, your bigotry shines through.
I am neither a Jew
sabbat goyism — it’s the hot new thing. all the cool kids are doing it, these days. earn extra cash and prizes, in your spare time!!!
You seem to have your countries mixed up: this is not Afghanistan but Britain, where people are supposed to be free under the law to pursue their livelihood, without discrimination on political or religious grounds, provided they don’t transgress the law. Tell me, what law did Mr Azmon transgress?
Oy vey! Vot about Afghanistan? Vot about anything? Just don’t mention Israel!
Islington’s on the board, but Israel has the monopoly.
Keep going Gilad we love you and your music.
This looks like an evil attempt by a seriously planned pro-Herbrew organisation to deprive a person of his livelihod by a supporter of the aforementioned affilation.
Surly, the people who consists of supporters of the ” public authority ” must be joint and severally pursued through the courts of the United Kingdom, and neither the legal authorities of the United States of America or the exaustedly UNO sanctions-breaking Israeli nation.
As this is a matter of British rights and it demands a legal protection and determination of ‘ British Law ‘.
“What were once decent leftist positions against racism and discrimination have been twisted into a new kind of totalitarianism, one in which it is racist to question the racist, and discriminatory to question discrimination; one in which we are told to think something doesn’t exist when we can see with our own eyes that it does. The self-righteous members of the Islington Town Council have set a very dangerous precedent, and have been used as fools on top of it.” – what else do people expect once the give and take of everyday life is comandeered by swivel-eyed adherents of identity politics?
The heavy handed attack on Gilad Atzman is a perfect example of an ideology that has caused so much damage to the left, and in part has contributed to the success of right wing politicians able to exploit the excessess of those addicted to a sufficating form of virtue signalling.
Our friends at the Guardian are very much on message, of course – name me an MSM outlet that has become more adept at smearing once someone infringes the many rules they impose.
If a celebrity, controversial cultural commentator or politician thinks or says the wrong thing we can expect snide insinuations in order to depict them as a failed human being – a technique that reached its apotheosis with ‘operation-Corbyn’.
What makes me laugh are endless claims (by the Guardian and others) that PC has NOT gone mad yet in Islington all it takes is one letter from a bigot to have your livelihood threatened.
If its possible Universities are even worse – some now produce lengthy contracts defining what can and cannot be laughed at!!
https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2018/12/12/the-death-of-college-comedy-university-of-london-tries-to-get-comedians-to-sign-behavioural-agreement-form-stipulating-that-they-wont-mock-anything/
an ideology that has caused so much damage to the left, and in part has contributed to the success of right wing politicians able to exploit the excesses of those addicted to a suffocating form of virtue signalling.
It’s almost like somebody planned it that way.
Islington eh? Figures. Islington along with Camden are two north London boroughs which are infested by centre-left Guardian reading ‘progessives’. This has been the result of gentrification of some of the old inner London boroughs by middle class professionals. Coming from south London, born and bred, I never feel comfortable when I cross Waterloo Bridge, feel like I am in enemy country, which in fact I am.
The old London working class is gradually being eased out of the capital due to impossibly high house prices. They exist in diminishing social housing estates which are being privatised and sold off (thanks Mrs T, not). London and the rest of the UK are beginning to look like two different entities. London is becoming an offshore ministate, famous among other things for financial chicanery and criminal money laundering, this whilst the rest of the UK is drifting along in a stagnant austerity.
Francis, in other words Islington Council, packed with New Labour Bliarites, jumped at the chance to put the boot in to an Israeli Britisher who is a prominent anti-Zionazi. Reminds me of the physical attack on George Gallagher, the physical silencing of Dr.Kelly and the metaphorical emasculation of the BBC. Expel these New Labourites before they destroy the Labour Party for the second time. How many more years must Labour spend in the wilderness? The party has barely made up for the ground lost by their disastrous policies in the Middle East. Against the weakest Tory regime ever!
This seems to be ludicrous and far worse than other examples I’ve come across. The person was involved as a musician not for his views.
We are sliding back to the times of McCarthyism.
You can’t criticise Israel (which incidentally bombed Syria on Christmas day) but you can make racist comments about Russia and its people and support an occupying army and Al Qaeda terrorists in Syria which directly impedes on that state’s soveignty and human rights of its people. Its utterly perverse and demonstrates how ideology causes brain meltdown and hysteria.
In 2019 I think we need to come up with some creative ideas to turn the tide back.
McCarthyism is now, generally, considered to be a vile, paranoid witch hunt. McCarthy attempted to destroy Arthur Miller and probably succeeded in destroying Paul Robeson. Both of these men, in my opinion, were staying true to their beliefs and were critical of the injustices of the status quo so had to be punished. This recent outrageous attack on Gilad Azmon seems to be repeating history. “Lest we forget” always rings very hollow in my ears.
.. complete with a dancing crew in a white van equipped with tripods and cameras to ‘document the accidental event’.
I wrote a complaint to Islington Council but received just a standard formulaic response. I shouldn’t have been surprised, they have a reputation (along with neighbouring Haringey) for being run by loony and zealous ideologues.
To add to the absurdity of all this it should be noted that Atzmon is himself Jewish. Further it seems that the unhinged Mr Rankoff doesn’t even reside in the borough..
If anybody else wants to complain this is the address: [email protected]
it should be noted that Atzmon is himself Jewish.
According to him, he was once, but is no longer. Those who deny his right to decide this, presumably believe, along with both zionists and nazis, that Jewish identity is a “race” category, whatever that might mean.
It is rather simple; to become an ex-Jew is to stop being chosen. It is not an easy task. I still have to practice on a daily basis. — Gilad Atzmon
O.K. No need to get your knickers in a twist. I’ll amend that to “it should be noted that Atzmon was once himself Jewish”. Deliriously happy now, pedant? Jesus wept, as the saying goes…
I didn’t suggest that you were among “those who deny his right to decide this”, but to dismiss the issue as “pedantry”, does seem to imply a certain degree of presumption.
The consequences for Mr. Atzmon are awful and persistent. The Islington council has with malice and prejudice aforethought judged against him without trial, and they have threatened and interferred, nay constrained his freedom of movement without reason or due process. Mr. Atzmon should sue the Islington council and by so doing would prove his integrity and defend us all from arbitrary discrimination and the outrageous mission creep of duplicitous pols and petty bureaucrats against the rights and freedom of citizens. It is difficult to believe the citizens (or is it the subjects) of Islington will countenance such outrageous behaviour by this authority on their behalf. Heads and sinecures must roll.
Michael Major\\
“Islington council has with malice and prejudice aforethought judged against him without trial”
A trial for what?
for ‘thought crime’?
Given Mr Martin Rankoff political and associated interests and connections, it now looks like there is a political conspiracy to attack and smear both the talented Gilad Atzmon, and the Labour party in Islington as well as its outstanding and nation-wide political leader Mr J Corbyn ?l
Mr Rankoff made a statement…not a comment. However the Council reacted they could be criticised.
The Council had no need to do anything other than note somebody’s private opinion. It’s like me complaining about an Israeli official visiting Islington. Do you think they would have felt any need to respond or ban them to avoid possible criticism? Get real. They did this because they wanted to.
I think the tactic of suppression of opinion will backfire in a big way if matters such as described in ‘Fiasco in Islington” continue. While I have not joined a divestment group I personally do not buy anything that I know was produced in Israel. I do it simply to not support in any way a country that carries out torture and which continues to dispossess the original population and replaces them with foreign settlers who qualify by being of one religion. I also do not buy anything that is produced in the USA which is carrying out war crimes in the Middle East and in some cases this is alongside and for the Israeli Government. I intend to make my scrutiny and rejection of products and services more intense in the future.
Catch 22. The Council acts promptly and decisively to a ‘complaint’ and an article is published pillorying them. Had they done nothing then they would have been pilloried for ‘ignoring the complaint’. If it WAS ‘only a commen’t. People don’t usually write to the Council announcing tbeir decision to give a concert ticket to someone else. And not care one jot how the allegedly abhorrent abhorrent views of the performer might affect the recipient. Mr Rankoff was making a statement. Throwing down a challenge. It put the council were between a rock and a hard place. Whatever they did could be criticised.
True, whatever the council did *could* be criticised; but their actions were wrong. Better to do the right thing – which is to maintain law and order and allow people to express whatever opinions they hold – and be criticised for that, than to anticipate criticism and cave into censorship.
It was not a situation of being between a rock and a hard place it was a ridiculous knee jerk reaction and part of the same sort of action long being carried out against anyone critical of the Israeli State in the USA. Even Jewish intellectuals like Norman Finkelstein are pushed out of their jobs and threatened with sanctions for telling the truth. Do you suppose the Council thought the saxophonist was going to play his saxophone in an anti Semitic manner. Am I supposed to think the Islington Council supported the South African apartheid regime when BSD programs helped bring about freedom for many South Africans?
you mean mr.Rankoff is part of an Israeli lobby troll farm
Hmm. Then please explain Ms. Cook why MY complaint to Islington Council was answered by a formulaic response instead of an instant change of policy as with Rankoff . Is Rankoff’s complaint more important than mine? And if so, why?
If I had complained do you think they would have taken any notice of me – I think not
When (if) Mr Rankoff booked his ticket, I assume online since he didn’t live in the district, did he not see the picture of Gilad at the top of the page? Mr Atzmon has featured with the Blockheads for many years, any real fan of the group would know this. If I booked a ticket for the Spice Girls (God forbid) and then complained that I objected to the political views of any of them, would there be a ban put in place?
The real crux of the matter is the relationship between the current council (or some of them) with the discredited Margaret Hodge and pro Israeli groups intent on silencing critics of the rogue regime in Tel Aviv. This whole sham was fabricated to stop Gilad Atzmon from earning a living.
Notice that Mr. Rankoff made a point of saying he was “given” a ticket. On the advice of his legal advisor presumably.
Sick
Sick.