Oxford University Labour Club – An Old Story – Support Palestinians Cry Anti-Semitism

It is the story of how malevolent people, like Oxford University’s upper class fool, one Alex Chalmers, deliberately confuse support for the Palestinians and opposition to Zionism, with anti-Semitism.

Alex Chalmers - right-wing aspiring former Chair of Labour Club

People like Chalmers make a virtue of their racist ignorance.

The fact is that Zionism, the movement amongst Jewish (& non-Jewish) people for a Jewish settler colonial state was always a minority amongst Jewish people until WW2.  It was seen as a Jewish form of anti-Semitism because it accepted the anti-Semitic idea that Jews did not belong in the nations amongst whom they lived, in the Jewish diaspora, but only in their own racial state in Palestine.

The spires of Oxford University

Historically the Strongest Supporters of Zionism were Anti-Semites, Nazis included

That was why nearly all the worst anti-Semites supported Zionism historically.

For example Alfred Rosenberg, Minister for Ostland (Eastern territories) and the Nazi Party’s main theoretician, who was hanged at Nuremberg in 1946, wrote in 1919 that ‘Zionism must be vigorously supported in order to encourage a significant number of German Jews to leave for Palestine or other destinations.’ [Francis Nicosia, Third Reich & the Palestine Question, p.25 citing Die Spur 1920 p.153.]

As Nicosia noted, Rosenberg ‘intended to use Zionism as a legal justification for depriving German Jews of their civil rights.’ Rosenberg ‘sanctioned the use of the Zionist movement in the future drive to eliminate Jewish rights, Jewish influence and eventually the Jewish presence in Germany.’ [Nicosia, TRPQ, pp. 25-26.]

Israeli has legalised the status of three settlement outposts in the West Bank  Photo: AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti

Indeed it is difficult to recall even one significant anti-Semite who didn't support Zionism.  

Zionists in turn returned the compliment.  Jacob Klatzkin, the editor of the Zionist Organisation paper Die Welt and founder of the Encyclopedia Judaica wrote that:

If we do not admit the rightfulness of anti-Semitism we deny the rightfulness of our own nationalism... Instead of establishing societies for defence against the anti-Semites who want to reduce our rights, we should establish societies for defence against our friends, who desire to defend our rights. B. Matovu, “The Zionist Wish and the Nazi Deed’ Issue, Winter 1966-7. Uri Davies, ‘Utopia Incorporated’ p. 17.

What the wholly contrived Oxford Labour Club affair  is about is supporting Israeli Apartheid.  It has nothing to do with anti-Semitism.  As far as the pathetic Chalmers and ilk are concerned it is perfectly legitimate to occupy Palestinian land for 50 years, to steal it, to shoot its inhabitants and of course to rule them under military law whilst Jewish settlers are subject to another legal system altogether.  2 different sets of law for 2 groups of people is usually counted as Apartheid but despite being at Oxford, Chalmers is too stupid to understand this.

Oxford University Labour Club votes to support Israel Apartheid Week

Indeed it is worse than the stupidity of an upper class idiot.  To equate opposition to Israel as anti-Semitism, it to assume that all Jews are supporters of Israel and Zionism.  And that is certainly anti-Semitic.  The idea that opposition to Zionism is anti-Semitism is to condemn the Jews who died in the holocaust as anti-Semites.  It is a fact that the overwhelming majority of Polish Jews were opposed to Zionism.  The majority party of the Polish Jews was the Bund.  In Warsaw, in the last free elections, it took 61% of the vote and gained 17 out of the 20 Jewish Council seats, compared to one for the Zionists.  It is to blame the Jews who died in the holocaust for their own deaths. 

Israel is not a Jewish state except in the same sense that Apartheid South Africa was a White state.  In other words, being Jewish in Israel is to possess privileges that non-Jews do not possess. 

Noni Csogor, the co-chair of Oxford Uni's Labour Club who didn't resign is not much better than Chalmers.  She states that rising anti-Semitic violence in Britain is a problem.  She assumes that it is rising whereas even the Zionist Community Security Trust's latest report shows it has dropped by a third since last year, whereas the murder in the past couple of days of a Muslim preacher demonstrates which community is under attack - and it isn't the Jewish community.  Anti-semitism in Britain is a marginal prejudice.

I should add that about 30 years ago I spoke to Oxford University's Labour Club.  It was the most right-wing but also the most stupid Labour Club I have ever addressed.  Among its members was the right-wing Times columnist Oliver Kamm.  Kamm it was who asked the most imbecilic question I have ever had to answer.  How he asked could Zionism be considered a form of racism if the Jews weren't a race?  My answer was short and to the point.  By his definition, since the Jews are not a race, the Nazis too could not be considered racist!  Kamm has since taken his wit and intellect to Rupert Murdoch's rag.

The Labour Party is apparently holding an inquiry into affairs at Oxford university Labour Club.  If Jeremy Corbyn has any mettle then he will squash this contrived and planned affair.  We will see if Jeremy Corbyn’s appeasement of Labour’s Right continues.

Tony Greenstein 

Oxford University Labour Club co-chair, Alex Chalmers, resigns amid anti-Semitism row

Chalmers says Oxford student left 'have some kind of problem with Jews' and that club members' attitudes towards certain disadvantaged groups is 'becoming poisonous'

Aftab Ali Student Editor Wednesday 17 February 2016

Alex Chalmers, pictured, said senior club members have been expressing their ‘solidarity’ with Hamas Alex Chalmers via Facebook

The Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) - the largest student Labour group in the country - has become embroiled in an anti-Semitism row following the resignation of one of its chairs after the club decided to endorse Israel Apartheid Week.

Co-chair Alex Chalmers, a student at Oxford’s Oriel College, issued a strongly-worded statement on Monday which said he was stepping down from his position because a large proportion of both OULC and the student left in Oxford “have some kind of problem with Jews.”

Despite highlighting the benefits he received during his time with the OULC over the past two terms, Mr Chalmers said the club was becoming “increasingly riven by factional splits.” He added: “Despite its avowed commitment to liberation, the attitudes of certain members of the club towards certain disadvantaged groups was becoming poisonous.”

He continued with a list of issues he had taken with the club: “Whether it be members of the executive throwing around the term ‘Zio’ (a term for Jews usually confined to websites run by the Ku Klux Klan) with casual abandon, senior members of the club expressing their ‘solidarity’ with Hamas and explicitly defending their tactics of indiscriminately murdering civilians, or a former co-chair claiming that ‘most accusations of anti-Semitism are just the Zionists crying wolf’, a large proportion of both OULC and the student left in Oxford, more generally, have some kind of problem with Jews.”

Oxford University’s Jewish Society (Oxford JSoc) said it was “saddened” by the anti-Semitic reports coming out of the club, but said it “stands fully in support of Alex Chalmers’ decision to resign.”

However, the society added how it was “unsurprised” by the news, and said this is not the first time it has had to deal with anti-Semitic incidents within the student left, adding how “it will not be the last.”

The society continued: “It is a significant and worrying issue and one that, on many occasions, Jewish students have felt that they are fighting alone. We are grateful that Alex Chalmers has made the statement that he did and has brought the issue of anti-Semitism to the fore in a way that Jewish students have so far been denied.

Noni Csogor, remaining OULC co-chair and student at Corpus Christi College, said she was “deeply upset” with Mr Chalmers’ decision to resign, adding that he was also “right to highlight growing anti-Semitic violence in the UK as a major issue.”

She continued: “It’s also horrifying that Jewish students feel unsafe on campuses. It’s unsurprising, given incidents like that at KCL Israel Society a few weeks ago, and I’m sure OULC members would join me in condemning the silencing of Jewish students, who often have uniquely nuanced perspectives on the Israeli state.”

She said Jewish students spoke on both sides of the debate on whether to support Israel Apartheid Week, but added how the allegations of anti-Semitism within the club are being taken “very seriously.”

She said: “I will be discussing, with my executive committee, how to deal with the kinds of statements Alex mentions, and what concrete steps we can take in future to preserve a club that’s been a safe haven for Jewish students in the past.”

Labour Students - the autonomous student wing of the UK Labour Party and the largest political student organisation in the country - also said its members were “deeply troubled” to hear reports of anti-Semitism at “one of our most prominent Labour clubs.”

In a statement, Labour Students continued: “We unequivocally condemn any form of anti-Semitism. We are taking these allegations very seriously and will do whatever is necessary to ensure every Labour club is a safe space for Jewish students.

“We are proud of the long history we have of working with the Union of Jewish Students and the National Union of Students to protect Jewish students on campus, and this will always be a top priority for Labour Students.”

The University of Oxford has yet to respond to the Independent’s request for comment although, according to The Telegraph, the institution said it “does not tolerate any form of harassment or victimisation, including on the grounds of religion and belief,” adding how it expects the entire university community to “treat each other with respect, courtesy, and consideration.”