On Holocaust Remembrance Day, it is instructive to look in the mirror at ourselves to see if we have learned any lessons from the mass murder of over six million Jews in World War Two. One in twenty Britons appear to have learned nothing since they don’t believe the Holocaust ever happened. Moreover, one in eight people believe stories of the Holocaust were ‘exaggerated’. To some, Auschwitz doesn’t exist either, or if it does, it was built in order to fool us into believing the Holocaust was a thing. It’s not the first time people have decided not to believe the truth.
I read today that the Countdown presenter Rachel Riley has been given close protection following an avalanche of anti-Semitic abuse, including physical threats, from the followers of Jeremy Corbyn, after she had the temerity to suggest Labour’s leader had been a bit crap at dealing with anti-Semitism in the People’s Party. The point of this is that Corbyn has a lot of horrible history on this subject.
Quite apart from his friendships with the murderers of Hezbollah and Hamas, his wreath-laying in respect of the killers of people who castrated and killed Israeli athletes, his long term membership of all manner of anti-Semitic facebook groups, his support for an anti-Semitic mural; the list goes on. When Corbyn denies anti-Semitism, I don’t believe him.
The far left has a problem with Jews just as the far right does. If the far right had been in government in 1939, Britain would not have declared war with Germany. Think about that for a moment as England is lurches hard to the nationalist right as we leave Europe. It is, as ever, the extremes that appear to be so far apart and yet on big issues like anti-Semitism, they meet up on the fringes.
I am not saying that every socialist is an anti-Semite and nor am I suggesting that mainstream Tories are anti-Semites. But as you move further left and further right, I am saying that is exactly what they are.
The astonishing attacks on a Jewish TV presenter are almost without parallel. And all because she stood up against anti-Semitism. It’s incredible.
I stand with Ms Riley against anti-Semitism and on this day of all days, so should all of us. The Simon Wiesenthal Centre describes Corbyn’s Labour as an ‘existential threat’ to Jews and an attack on Jews is an attack on everyone.
The late Pastor Niemoller reminds us why we must stand together:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
