Propaganda oblivious to Jewish tears as it stokes the fires of anti-Semitism

[King_David]

Cloaked as concern for the Gaza injured and dead, anti-Semitism is on the rise in Belfast, in London, in Paris, Berlin and many other European cities. In Belfast the violence has been restricted to smashing windows in a north Belfast synagogue, but hatred of Israel and of anyone who defends it fill the airwaves and the social media.

Sinn Fein, is, of course, the natural home for anti-Semites. After all, in Dublin they still honour Sean Russell, the IRA chief and Nazi collaborator who died on his way to Ireland in a U-boat in 1940.

My grandmother, a devout republican, had a photograph of Hitler at the bottom of her bed until her death in the late 1950s. Her excuse, when I was old enough to point out what he'd done to the Jews, was to insist that was British propaganda.

When I participated in the West Belfast Festival a couple of years ago I was on a panel with George Galloway, who played skilfully to the gallery with eloquent stuff about Palestinian suffering. He showed his true colours when he bullied a young pregnant woman who had the courage to say she was a Jew and a supporter of Israel.

When I suggested that the organisers might think of having an Israeli spokesman among the line-up on their Palestine Day, I was hissed by some in the audience. And, of course, my most virulent republican critics on Twitter are knee-jerk anti-Zionists who are among those flooding social media with photographs of dead and maimed children who may or may not be Palestinian.

Now I understand that many decent people are very upset by the terrible suffering in Gaza. I hate it too, as I hate it anywhere.

But I can't understand how people can be so selective about their outrage. It's not whataboutery to point out that we need some sense of perspective and a cool head.


http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/news-analysis/propaganda-oblivious-to-jewish-tears-as-it-stokes-the-fires-of-antisemitism-30454657.html

[King_David]

1. "Sinn Fein, is, of course, the natural home for anti-Semites. "

[Warpy]

3. Then again, the mayor of Dublin in the 50s and late 80s were Jews named Briscoe, father and son

Support for Hitler was an inch deep and a mile wide. He was bombing the British, and that suited people who had very clear memories of the Troubles before the partition, scant 20 years earlier. Trying to cobble that into antisemitism requires a great leap of illogic and a lack of knowledge about Irish history.

That the Irish would support the people of Gaza is no mystery and again has nothing to do with antisemitism. It has to do with being outmatched and overrun by an expansionist neighboring power.

Anti Israel feeling means one deplores what that country is doing. Antisemitism means trying to evict Semites (Jews among them) from neighborhoods, jobs, and even countries. Unless you can point out those conditions existing in Ireland now or in the 1940s, you don't have a case.

[King_David]

4. Is attacking a Synagogue in Northern Ireland supporting Gaza ?

Or is it old fashioned hatred of Jews ?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113472664

The "support if Gaza" worldwide maybe comes from "another place" which seems tone the case nowadays more often than not but especially illustrated in Northern Ireland where a synagogue was attacked.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

5. From the article.

Like all attacks on places of religion – the Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Newtownabbey was also attacked at the weekend (again), and Belfast's Islamic Centre has recently been targeted too – this needs to be condemned utterly.

It seems that other places of worship were also attacked. Could be the same group of hooligans and social misfits, but if it must be a wider picture of anti-semitism then perhaps you should find an article that doesn't list other places of worship being attacked as well.

Is attacking a Catholic Church and a Mosque supporting Gaza?


There's a lot of conjecture in the article that doesn't point any place. There's a lot of assumptions and accusations though, but I guess if you find solace if posting it to further your crusade then who am I to stop you?

[Warpy]

7. Thanks. I saw it was in the Torygraph

and popped over to the BBC to see what actually happened.

Some windows were broken. There were no swastikas, no slaughtered pigs on the doorstep, and no fire. It's the kind of mischief stupid louts do to most places of worship in NI from time to time.

[Warpy]

6. Some windows were broken

It was hardly burned to the ground.

Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionist leadership both condemned the attack. No one has claimed responsibility.

Please note my information, unlike yours, didn't come from the "Torygraph." Also note that no one knows who did the deed, it was likely young toughs from either side full of too much beer and with no useful work to keep them occupied.

Again, your reach has greatly exceeded your grasp. In whipping up approval for Israel, try not to fall prey to the temptation to drag everybody else down.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

8. But that's the purpose of these devious posts.

An accusation is made without proof, and poor poor Israel.

[Warpy]

10. Yes, using the most inflammatory language from the most biased sources

Same old same old for the usual suspects.

[King_David]

9. Oh it's just an isolated incident. , nothing to see here .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113472682
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12231199
http://www.democraticunderground.com/113472062
http://www.democraticunderground.com/113472069
http://www.democraticunderground.com/113471776
http://www.democraticunderground.com/113471298
http://www.democraticunderground.com/113468222
http://www.democraticunderground.com/113470431


Etc etc etc etc

[Warpy]

11. But none of them are IRISH, Slick

You've still failed to say anything about the Irish, even in NI, except that you've tried to throw mud to try to make Israel look moral.

You failed.

Don't bother trying again. Got your number.

[2naSalit]

12. Indeed...

nothing to see there.

[shaayecanaan]

16. keep on throwing tiger

I'm sure something will stick one day

[King_David]

18. Of course it will never stick ,

These are attacks on Jews in different countries.

It's not a new thing, it never sticks .

That's the reason for Israel's existence .

[4now]

13. Maybe their outrage is about IDF slaughter of children.

What is it now. 160 + children killed by IDF.
Maybe look to the cause of the outrage

[leftynyc]

17. So all the non-Israeli Jews

just deserve whatever these barbarians throw at them?

[LeftishBrit]

14. On antisemitism in (Republic of) Ireland

Last edited Fri Jul 25, 2014, 06:28 AM - Edit history (1)

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/One-in-five-Irish-express-anti-Semitic-attitudes.html

About 20% express consistently anti-Semitic views (as compared with 8% in the UK). As with the UK, a higher proportion express specific prejudices, but don't subscribe to the whole thing. It is not 'the most anti-Semitic country in Europe' as sometimes claimed; that would be Greece at the moment, with Hungary and Poland not far behind.

I am not sure how Northern Ireland compares with the rest of the UK on the one hand, and the Republic on the other. I suspect that NI would be worse than the other parts of the UK, due to the influence of religious sectarianism (both Catholic and Protestant).

[LeftishBrit]

15. But please don't quote Ruth Dudley Edwards on the subject of any sort of bigotry

She has plenty of her own. She isn't an anti-Semite, but she is an anti-immigrant bigot and a supporter of the Orange Order in Northern Ireland.