Anti-Semitism or doublethink? The war on freedom of expression
Yet another batch of news headlines connecting the British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with anti-Semitism flooded the British media this morning.
I should start by saying that I am no fan of the Labour Party or of politics. I used to be interested in politics, but I've lost confidence in it, and I no longer pay attention to the "news headlines".
However I was curious to see what the latest media manipulation tactics were. Had Corbyn spoken about Jewish people in a negative way? Had he denied the Holocaust?
Open letter
The reason for the headlines was an open letter sent to the Labour Party by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council. It appears to form part of a protest campaign labelled "enough is enough".
Despite all the furore, it took me quite a bit of searching to find a copy of the actual letter that had sparked the headlines. You can read the full text of the letter here.
Anti-Semitism? It seems more like verbal gymnastics to me. I can't see any mention in this letter of anything that Jeremy Corbyn has done in the past 24 hours – or even the past week – to merit his photo being all over the media linked to anti-Semitism.
Most of the press coverage focuses on a mural that appeared on a London wall in 2012, painted by an artist called Mear One.
I remember seeing a photo of this mural years ago, probably on Facebook. The recession was still all over the media at the time, with reports of people losing their homes, jobs and livelihoods.
"That picture just says it all," I thought, looking at the wealthy businessmen with their Monopoly board balanced on the backs of the downtrodden.
Apparently-Jewish bankers
I had no idea that the mural was considered anti-Semitic. For those who are as dumb as I clearly am, the reason the mural was considered anti-Semitic, and was therefore destroyed, was because the men pictured – whom I saw as wealthy businessmen – were seen by detractors as "apparently-Jewish bankers".
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Education Trust, described the mural as "blatantly anti-Semitic, using images commonly found in anti-Semitic propaganda – it is impossible not to notice."
Apparently Mear One, whose real name is Kalen Ockerman, said of his 2012 creation: “Some of the older white Jewish folk in the local community had an issue with me portraying their beloved Rothschild or Warburg etc as the demons they are.”
But Mear One also denied being anti-Semitic, and said that the mural was about "class and privilege" and depicted a group of bankers "made up of Jewish and white Anglos".
Freedom of Expression banned
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn got involved in the row over plans to eradicate the mural. In 2012, Mear One posted a photo of the mural on Facebook, along with the following comment:
"Tomorrow they want to buff my mural Freedom of Expression. London Calling, Public art"
Corbyn replied:
"Why? You are in good company. Rockerfeller [sic] destroyed Diego Viera’s [sic] mural because it includes a picture of Lenin."
Corbyn was probably referring to the fresco "Man at the Crossroads" by the artist Diego Rivera, which was installed in Rockefeller Plaza in 1933, and subsequently destroyed due to the inclusion of an image of Lenin.
Corbyn's office issued this statement last Friday:
Corbyn probably knows that apologies won't cut it. This is about political manipulation, twisting words, doublethink, thought control and censorship.
And for me, it's not about Corbyn or political allegiances. This is simply about – as the name of the mural says – Freedom of Expression. For all of us.
Censorship by twisting words
I loathe racism and anti-Semitism. In the past I have flagged social media comments that were examples of anti-Semitic hate speech. This issue is different. It uses the justified disgust over hate speech to twist, warp and effectively silence criticism of anyone who happens to be Jewish or who happens to appear to be Jewish – especially if they are wealthy and/or powerful.
It's also part of a political game, to control any major political figure and either force their resignation or make them tow the line. And it's all part of why I no longer participate in the voting system, having woken up to the fact that far from empowering people, it is used as a system of manipulation and control.
Interesting that Mear One named his work "Freedom of Expression", something that seems to be increasingly lacking in today's so-called "free countries".