OPEN LETTER: In Defence of Chris Williamson
Noam Chomsky, Norman Finkelstein & over 100 other prominent Jews refute the allegations of Antisemtism against the Derby North MP
Image credit: The Canary
We the undersigned, all Jews, are writing in support of Chris Williamson and to register our dismay at the recent letter organised by Tom Watson, and signed by parliamentary Labour party and House of Lords members, calling for his suspension (Anger over return of MP who said Labour was ‘too apologetic’ over antisemitism, 28 June).
Chris Williamson did not say that the party had been “too apologetic about antisemitism”, as has been widely misreported. He correctly stated that the Labour party has done more than any other party to combat the scourge of antisemitism and that, therefore, its stance should be less apologetic.
Such attacks on Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters aim to undermine not only the Labour party’s leadership but also all pro-Palestinian members.
The mass media have ignored the huge support for Chris both within and beyond the Labour party. Support that includes many Jews. The party needs people like him, with the energy and determination to fight for social justice.
As anti-racist Jews, we regard Chris as our ally: he stands as we do with the oppressed rather than the oppressor. It should also be noted that he has a longer record of campaigning against racism and fascism than most of his detractors.
The Chakrabarti report recommended that the party’s disciplinary procedures respect due process, favour education over expulsion and promote a culture of free speech, yet this has been abandoned in practice. We ask the Labour party to reinstate Chris Williamson and cease persecuting such members on false allegations of antisemitism.
Noam Chomsky, MIT
Norman Finkelstein, Lecturer and writer
Ed Asner, Actor
Prof Richard Falk, Princeton University
Leah Lavene and Jenny Manson, Jewish Voice for Labour
…and more than 100 others.
For the full list of signatories, click here. This letter was previously published in The Guardian, but was removed “pending investigation”.
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.
I recommend people read a small but powerful book called “How I learned to Stop being a Jew” by Shlomo Sand. He talks about the ‘Holocaust Industry’ and other related issues lucidly and brilliantly. It is worth the read, it is small and easily accessible.
Jezza should have adopted the Trump approach.
Just respond to criticism with ad hominem personal attacks, the more vicious the better.
The Jewish Labour Movement [JLM] of whom Gordon Brown is an associate member, are affiliated with the World Zionist Organization [WZO] who fund illegal settlements in OPT and also with the Israeli Labour Party, which when in government also backed the building of illegal settlements on Palestinian land for decades, and still do. These are grave war crimes in breach of the 1949 Geneva Conventions [Article 6] it being a grave war crime to transfer citizens of the occupier into occupied territory. This was confirmed by the International Court of Justice [ICJ] in 2004 when in its opinion the [wall case 2004] all 15 Judges agreed that the building of settlements was against International Law. Because Gordon Brown and other ‘friends of Israel’ know all this, they knowing support, and are complicit with war crimes and crimes against humanity, Gordon Brown and the LFI by backing the JLM are aiding… Read more »
Yes, its quite extraordinary Labour war apologists in convulsions over faux ‘antisemitism’ while previously oblivious to it until Corbyn became leader – this despite the fact levels of antisemitism were actually higher before 2015. So on the one hand we have right-wing Jewish groups and a cadre of MPs who have infiltrated a party that once aspired to a diluted form of socialism and on the other left/liberal Jewish voices trying to explain why the media witch-hunt cannot be divorced from the political motivation driving it. Presumably the likes of Jess Philips, Stella Creasy and of course whispering Tom Watson are hoping to fill the post-Corbyn void as Labour looks like selling out lock, stock and barrel to reactionary forces on the right. On the plus side although it signals the end of socialism in Britain at least highly paid women across the higher echelons of the workplace will be… Read more »
Sorry to say this, but if you ever needed any evidence of why Corbyn has not got what it takes to lead any nation, with a sense of vision and priorities , this must suffice: and moreover the Guardian’s actions ! LEVESON 2:0 What the fuck else does Corbyn need to know first or David Lindsay of the ‘People’s Voice’ ? Well actually, apparently loads, but if Corbyn or Lindsay do NOT get this much and it needs gatekeepers like Chomsky, who comments on WTC 7 with a blithering scientific ignorance , all I can say for any beginners in Media Research & Analysis & Linguistics is that you seriously need to listen to Lord Justice Leveson and analyse the legal distinction between a Platform and a Publisher first, after a thorough examination of Media Ownership & Bias & manipulative brainwashing lies & machinations before you get to the complex… Read more »
My sympathy for Williamson diminished when I read the following.
“I am told that in various blogs and in speeches he (Gilad Atzmon) has adopted
anti-Semitic language. I wasn’t aware of this until after I tweeted the petition. As soon as
I was informed, I deleted the tweet. I’ve always condemned all forms
of racism, including anti-Semitism, and strongly disassociate myself
from Atzmon’s anti-Semitic views.”
Isn’t Williamson using the same tactics as those directed at him.? He
says “I am told”. He did not read any of Atzmon’s views. I have read
Atzmon’s views and see no evidence of anti-semitism but this is not my
point. Why did Williamson accuse Atzmon of anti-semitism on the basis
of hearsay?
I agree. At that point I wrote to Williamson telling him to get up and fight despite the pressure that would come on him. As professor Ilan Pappe said, there might well be a price to be paid if you support justice for Palestinians.
Gilad Atzmon is not an antisemite. The Zionists just do not like the way he reveals the truth.
“Gilad Atzmon is not an antisemite. The Zionists just do not like the way he reveals the truth.”
and there is the rub: Atzmon cannot be “anti-semitic”, as by defintion, he is a “semite”. (he isn’t even that, but that’s another story) Is he anti himself?
He is an anti-zionist. This is a totally separate thing (as you and everyone here already knows) the former is based on ethnic grouping; the latter is purely, and exclusively political.
“I’m a zionist” Joe Biden. Zero % Jewish. QED.
Mendacious, supine, lying media (and the ADL etc etc) are quite happy to have these terms confused
War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength
This is a frequent response from people targeted by Zionist intimidation and smear campaigns. Issue grovelling apologies and beg for forgiveness for imaginary crimes. This was quite common in the Stalinist show trials. It never works. They always double down and become even more arrogant and implacably vicious. Nothing is ever good enough for these people. They just want to completely destroy anyone who “offends” them. The Board of Deputies and the Mossad Office at the Embassy and their legions of bought and paid for 30 shekel whores like Tom Watson state quite openly that they will not rest until they have driven Corbyn out of public life, as they already have done with Ken Livingstone, Marc Wadsworth, Chris Williamson and a number of fellow Jews who have failed to toe the line. The BBC is going to ratchet up the smear campaign tonight. Seumas Milne is next on their… Read more »
I’m afraid what you are relating is a common experience for me too. I am excited to find a writer who talks sense but then come up against the most galling limitations. I was happy to read Tony Greenstein’s expose of Zionist hack David Collier, here: http://azvsas.blogspot.com/2018/03/exclusive-lies-of-david-collier-gnasher.html And then I read down and see this: “Conspiracy theorists and advocates of Holocaust denial are a wider problem on the Internet and they are not confined to Palestine related groups. Many people, lacking any explanation for imperialism and its wars and devastation of the Middle East and Africa, instead of looking to simple explanations about international class relations, look to conspiracy theories or what they perceive as Jewish lobbies. Part of the reason for this is that Zionist lobby groups like AIPAC or the Board of Deputies of British Jews openly proclaim that their support for Israel is in the name of… Read more »
One possibility for an investigation may be that one of the signatories had not consented and contacted the Guardian.
George Soros probably.
The BBC is printing more rubbish today from Lords Darzi and Triesman, both of whom need to make specific allegations against specific names or be expelled from the House of Lords. Everyone is entirely sick of the following views being acceptable: 1. British Foreign Policy is decided in Tel Aviv, communicated to Washington where issues are ordered. 2. Israel can have 250 nuclear weapons without that undermining peace and stability in the Middle East. 3. Israel is in open contempt of global conventions concerning chemical and biological weapons, yet openly foments-, encourages- and cheer leads false flag accusations against other Middle Eastern states concerning alleged use of aforementioned weapon categories, all of which allegations turn out to be McCarthyite lies. The appropriate punishment should be a missile strike on the Knesset building.It might make Israel tell the truth……a similar bombing of BBC Wood Lane should also be encouraged the next… Read more »
You might have mentioned 6. Sponsors terrorism such as the Irgun Zvei Leumi commanded by Menachim Begin, and the Stern Gang (Lehi) – who made an attempt to murder Ernest Bevin foreign secretary of the Labour Government in 1946 but failed. Letter bombs were also sent to other members of the Labour administration but were luckily intercepted. LEHI was commanded by one Yizthak Shamir, who was later to become Israel’s PM. Lehi were even more fanatical than Irgun. The Irgun started the ball rolling by blowing up the King David hotel in Jerusalem in 1946 killing 91 people including 17 jewish imployees/residents. Then things really began to roll during the expulsion of the Palestinian from their homes – the Nakba catastrophe as it was called. The Deir Yassin massacre carried out by the zionist militias, during this episode, was a particularly gruesome episode. This sort of outsourced terrorism has been… Read more »
They also kidnapped, tortured and murdered two British army sergeants, then mutilated and booby trapped the bodies. The anniversary of the King David Hotel terrorist bombing was recently commemorated in Israel. Not to commemorate the British, Palestinian and Jewish victims, but to honour their terrorist murderers. It may be worth briefly recalling the events of 1947-8, in view of the Zionist propaganda version of history relentlessly peddled by them ever since. By 1947, Palestinian organisations, political and military, had been brutally and ruthlessly suppressed by British colonial authorities in accordance with long established policies of handing over Palestine to the Zionists. The Palestinians were virtually helpless, disarmed and leaderless, and easy prey for the burgeoning Jew terror gangs. They set in motion “Plan D”, a carefully preplanned campaign of atrocities and ethnic cleansing, characterised by mass murder, robbery and rape, atrocities of a Nazi character, committed on a Nazi scale.… Read more »
Read the book “STATE OF TERROR – how terrorism created modern Israel” by Thomas Suarez: http://thomassuarez.com/SoT.html
It gives 680 very detailed references to government documents on terrist attacks by the Zionists.
Suarez gave a talk to a local branch of Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Prior to 1948, British diplomats wrote that if Palestine were to be taken over by a Zionist Regime, it would never be anything more than a rogue terrorist state.
They were right.
Francis Lee – spot on. Politicans around the world conveniently forget that Netanyahu, Begin, Shamir and other members of the Israeli Government were actually terrorists killing people in the name of creating the State of Israel. Funny how the world leaders define terrorism isn’t it? It’s ok to deal with terrorists in the Israel Government but not with other political parties deemed by the USA to be so. As you pointed out, these terrorists are now perpetrating terrorist acts on the Palestinians and other nations probably. The USA, another rogue, terrorist nation, is fully supporting it to do so. It is true what Rhys Jagger said, Israel is a largely irrelevant country now and should be treated as such. Interesting that Trump has listed recently that one of his achievements is that he has made Israel Great.
All peanuts compared to your Sunni friends in Pakistan, KSA, Egypt, UAE,Palestine etc. They control more of London and Washington, posses more nukes, have contempt of any non Islamic nations domestic laws or culture, have more cash, run more terrorist organizations etc.
Non ever mentioned here on Off; rarely an article on the Sunni world grab (going on for centuries), but tons on tiny Israel trying to exist.
“…tiny Israel trying to exist.”
Tiny liile state, large illegal land grab, huge human bloodprint, trying to nonexist Palestinians…
_____
Proud to be antiFAsCemitic
You mean the fake Moslem crypto Jews in Shady Wahabia?
The ones who’ve been in bed with Nuttyyahoo for years?
There seems to be a war going on in the Labour party between factions who basically have nothing in common with each other and which unfortunately actually makes a coherent Labour government impossible. How do Corbyn and his left social-democrat following justify a continuing co-existemce with an openly hostile Labour Friends of Israel, a group which is little more than a Zionist front organization consisting of more than 80 Labour MPs and peers whose whole function is to advance Israeli policies – a war with Iran for example – together with the UK and US establishment and at the expense of British interests. These people are not going to stop even if it either destroys or neuters the Labour Party. Having a broad church is all very well but such an inclusive arrangement should not include hostile forces with their own blatant agenda. Viper in the next would not be… Read more »
Broad Church? Would that include synagogues? [Let’s not lose our sense of humour]. Zionism isn’t a religion or an ethnicity. Most Labour MPs aren’t actually socialists ~ that’s the problem. A career is not a political position.
Very well put.
The Labour Party is no longer a Broad Church.
It is a very Narrow Synagogue of the most rabid and extremist kind.
I wouldn’t say that. But in a Church it helps if you believe in the same or similar *God*. Some people only worship/hoard money/positions of power.
‘There seems to be a war going on in the Labour party between factions who basically have nothing in common with each other and which unfortunately actually makes a coherent Labour government impossible.’ – in other words, Corbyn vs the Blair rump. Those attacking Corbyn are Blairites so it is a given their sympathies are towards the right with particular deference shown to US and politicised Israeli ideologies, especially when it comes to supporting illegal wars. The media, and the Guardian in particular, have championed right wing elements even though Britains descent into a neoliberal dystopia has been documented by the UN’s rapporteur on poverty, Philip Alston amongst others. https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Poverty/EOM_GB_16Nov2018.pdf The dispproportionate attention given to nuanced statements by non-right wing Labour MPs, usually pertaining to egregious attacks on their character or Israels treatment of Palestine, illustrates all too clearly how politically motivated such attacks have become. In other words if… Read more »
What do emminent Jews know about antsemitism compared to whispering Tom Watson, Jess Phillips or Joan ‘lets call it a million’ Ryan?
Throwing Chris Williamson, Marc Wadsworth and Jackie Walker under a bus is simply the price that must be paid to appease the friends of apartheid, sorry, I meant Israel.
Add Ken Livingstone and Seumas Milne to that list.
Went to a Gilad Atzmon jazz gig the day after Livingstone was suspended. In the interval ex-Israeli Gilad said that it was disgusting that Ken, a long term member of Labour had been suspended simply for quoting the truth.
Put my name to that letter too – for I am in total agreement. This Antisemitism debacle is an absolute fiction, brewed and concocted by the most mischievous entities functioning in this world right now. We must defeat them, not with disparaging words, but with reason, dialogue and truth.
The Antisemitism debacle is a distraction. The real fight should be between the endless austerity promoters and the Financial/Colluding Class. But what can you expect from a party and a country who once elected Tony Blair?
This Australian, originally from Berlin, hopes for a speedy Brexit. A member like Britain is causing more problems than can be solved in three generations. The EU will need to speak with one voice, given the brew that is fermenting which is not possible with Britain inside.
It is such a shame that Neoliberal Right-Wing Labour MP’s who have no real purpose being in a Democratic Socialist Party in the first place work with militant Zionists who defend a corrupt Israeli Govt. with the full support of the most Right-Wing MSM in Europe. Neoliberalism DOESN’T work!
Neoliberalism works exactly as designed; you and I are just not in the small cadre that benefits.
Let’s not get too pessimistic here.
The same was true of the French Monarchy before, well, you know what . . .
It, too, worked exactly as designed, until the French people said, “Enough.”
Not all change is politically correct.
But it always comes.
Being a cynic and being genetically serphardic hebraic semite. Been their done that. My grandfather was a free lance journo in southern Italy I am also of neapoletan background. My grandfather refuted the whole the Nazi’s gassed any semite. See my grandfather was one of the founding members of the southern branch of the Gramscian party which was the birth of the PCI (Partito Communista Italiano). All,the Italian semites went totally out their way to ruin his life until his dying day of terminal cancer in 1963. Hence I for one am not holding my breathe that anything will come of this as hounarable that these popular characters are attempting to counter the narrative nothing will change. POST SCRIPTUM: “Their will always be an elite class” “He whom controls the narrative controls the outcome” Old Gianbattista Vico Quote. It was true then it was true 6 billion years ago it… Read more »
I have not read anything that would lead me to consider Chomsky a “gatekeeper of the left”, with one glaring exception: 9/11. Of course he is a linguistics expert and a genuine expert on a great many other things, but one could hardly expect him to be an expert on absolutely everything. That said, his rather terse comments about 9/11 display an astonishing scientific ignorance which to my mind cannot be reconciled with his otherwise brilliant grasp of world events. The normal perceptual experience of an educated human being simply cannot accept the official story, even though, I must admit, the official story makes an exciting movie. Perhaps it is indeed asking too much for us to expect him to be familiar with the common visual basics of architectural stress, melting points of metals and other engineering phenomena. More to the point, however, we might ask who among us has… Read more »
As you mentioned 9 11 and the zionist fascistic colony known as Israel. Speaks volumes . To each his own. KNOWN GATEKEEPER TO US ITALIAN GRAMSCIN LEFTIES
Addit did not do a thing with regards to Norman Finklestein. CRICKETS
Wayback machine copy:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190708170552/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/jul/08/jewish-support-for-chris-williamson
It has been censored:
https://www.theguardian.com/info/2019/jul/09/removed-article
FAB observations Andy 😉