How not to deal with anti-semitism

[Behind the Aegis]

The 2005 NATFHE (college and newer universities lecturers’ union) conference passed a motion — written by a member of the Socialist Workers Party — which declared, “to criticise Israeli policy or institutions is not anti-semitic.”
But many of the criticisms of Israel are anti-semitic. That the conference did not recognise this is one indication of the disease of “left” anti-semitism that currently exists in the union. Rather than oppose the motion, general secretary Paul Mackney (a former member of the SWP, then called IS), “interpreted” the clause to mean, “to criticise Israeli government policy or institutions is not automatically anti-semitic”. That was in clear breach of the rules of the English language!

Another relevant experience. When I arrived at the Saturday 18 March London Regional Council, a discussion was taking place about the Region’s delegation to national NATFHE conference. Various speakers objected to one proposed delegate, Ronnie Frazer. Ronnie is a religious Jew and does not attend Saturday meetings, although he is a delegate to the Region from his branch.

Pete Green (ex-SWP) from Kingsway College said Ronnie should not be a delegate because he was a “Zionist and a racist.” I interrupted, saying that calling Ronnie Frazer a racist was a disgrace, and that the remark should be withdrawn.

Eventually Pete Green did “withdraw” the remark but in such a way that the allegation was both withdrawn and re-stated: Pete Green declared that Ronnie Frazer was not a racist, but that Zionists are racists and that Ronnie Frazer is a Zionist.

more...

[rpannier]

1. Employing that double-speak, plausible deniability stuff

Never said he was a racist -- directly.
Sounds like shill o'lielly speaking. All he needed was "some people say..."

[Behind the Aegis]

2. .

:shrug: