Lloyd Russell-Moyle is a Synonym for Lies, Deception, Treachery and Back Stabbing

The MP for Brighton Kemptown, Who Supported Palestine When It Suited Him, Abstained on the Anti-Boycott Bill - As Did Dianne Abbot and Richard Burgon

I have amended this article to take out my criticism of Zara Sultana, who had a legitimate reason for being absent

Corbyn, McDonnell and Crispin Blunt Speeches Opposing the Tory’s Anti-Boycott Bill

Whenever I think of Lloyd Russell-Moyle I think of his exact opposite, Divina Levrini. One is an opportunist for whom everything is a tactical game designed to advance his career. The other is or rather was a 30 year old Swedish mother who, despite a serious illness, went on the 2018 Gaza Freedom Flotilla in order to fight for justice and freedom for others regardless of the cost to herself. Divina was beaten up and denied her medication by the savages who run Israeli detention facilities. Divina died 9 months after returning from detention in Israel.

Divina Levrini holding the Gaza Freedom Flotilla banner at Brighton's Old Steine

Moyle and Divina could not be more different. One sacrificed her life for the freedom of the Palestinians, the other used the Palestinians to help his career, making fine speeches full of sound and fury but literally signifying nothing.

When in 2018 the Gaza Freedom Flotilla came to Brighton and Hove Russell-Moyle was happy to come to the party in their honour at the Verdict, a Brighton jazz club and be pictured alongside these heroes who put their lives on the line, literally. But when it came to standing up for the Palestinians in parliament this week, despite making a short intervention in the debate, Moyle was conspicuous by his absence.

The national conference of Woodcraft Folk, which Moyle chaired, which voted overwhelmingly for Boycott - at that time he had no problems with BDS

This is especially the case since Moyle chaired the national conference of the Woodcraft Folk which voted in July 2010 to support a full boycott of Israel. Moyle knows the arguments, he knows that Israel is an Apartheid State yet when push comes to shove he bottled out and abstained.

No greater cowardice can there be than someone who is happy to stand in the limelight  but afraid to stand up and be counted when it matters.

The late Divina Levrini

See Divina Levrini – A Star that will forever burn brightly in our memories

People may think that I’m being hard on Russell-Moyle. After all he is little or no different from all the other cowards and traitors who sneer and bray from Labour’s backbenches. Moyle was a member of the ‘Socialist’ Campaign Group who make fiery speeches once a year at Labour Party Conference, posturing and preening themselves and spend the rest of the time cowering in the shadows. In a way I am being harsh on Moyle because he is no different from the rest of the parliamentary traitors.

LRM grabs the mace

For all I know Moyle may still consider himself a socialist but thinks that it is best to bide his time. The problem with this is that by continually making concessions to the right one becomes part of them. The will to do good will have atrophied through lack of use.

Moyle is fond of making firebrand speeches, even if he finds it hard to live up to them. There was his speech at the election count, where he accused Tories of killing people. That didn’t last long.

fiery speech at count

Then there was the speech at the 2021 Labour Party conference where he said that Starmer is “not a politician for the Labour Party”. Well that lasted all of 5 minutes.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle - Starmer was "not a politician for the Labour Party".

Then there was his promise to put his arms around all those who had been unfairly purged, which is about 99.99%. That too didn’t last longer than the first hostile headline. Moyle said:

“I want to apologise from all of us but me in particular. Because if we have made you feel like you are alone, if we have not reached our arm around you enough in these tough times when you are being purged or set up with false allegations, I not only apologise, I will endeavour to do better because we have to support each other.”

The spiritual mentor of Israel's Police & Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir is on record as saying that one Jewish fingernail is worth a thousand non-Jewish lives

I have to confess that I never asked Moyle to put his arms round me but I would have appreciated it if he hadn’t written to Iain McNicol urging that my expulsion be sped up! Especially since at that time he was Chair of Brighton and Hove Labour Party which had just passed policy deploring my suspension.

A few more photos from the time when Moyle found it useful to be seen to support the Palestinians

According to the local Argus, Sussex Friends of Israel’s Fiona Sharpe, a racist who doubles as Labour Against Anti-Semitism said:

“Keir Starmer has taken some positive steps to remove anti-Semitism from the party, and we urge him to take immediate action and remove the whip.”

No sooner had he spoken than Moyle was backtracking. On Twitter he began the retreat:

 “there are anti-Semites that have rightly been expelled from party” but there was also people “who have been threatened with expulsion or investigation for no reason."

"No arm should be put around people legitimately removed from Labour", he added in another tweet, "but those wrongly threatened for supporting trans rights or supporting Labour MPs has created a chilling effect which has made activist feel vulnerable and not respected. It’s to those we should show solidarity."

Guido Fawkes, the Tory libel site, ran with the headline “Moyle for the chop”.  Guido suggested that

“if Starmer is serious about detaching Labour from the hard-left, his outriders think Russell-Moyle’s now ripe for the picking”.

LAAS posted on Twitter to say that a letter had been sent to Starmer to “urge him to remove the whip” from Moyle.

Lloyd promises to ‘put his arms round’ all the victims of false anti-Semitism accusations.

Moyle's promise to hug and put his arms round the hundreds of victims of false antisemitism accusations lasted as long as his speech. As soon as the Zionist backlash began LRM retreated and he has been doing so ever since. In 2017 he was attacked for supporting Melanie Melvin, Brighton Labour Party’s Women’s Officer after she came under attack. Again he retreated. Moyle’s record ever since the ‘anti-Semitism’ campaign began is one of retreating under pressure.

This is the Israel that Moyle says is not an Apartheid State

Lloyd Russell-Moyle Supported the Tory Anti-Boycott  Bill

But none of this can justify the fact that last Monday 3 July, when the second reading of the Tory Anti-Boycott Bill was held, Moyle abstained. This is truly unforgiveable. If this Bill had been in force in 1933 it would have made the Jewish anti-Nazi Boycott illegal. It would have made the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against South African Apartheid illegal. It would also have made the Boycott of Slave Grown Sugar in the Caribbean illegal.

Now just imagine if the White Slave Owners had protested that Boycotting their sugar was discrimination against them on the grounds of colour! This lity is what the Zionists are saying. That we are discriminating against them, not because they murder Palestinian children, not because they demolish their homes and confiscate their land. Perish the thought. It’s because they are Jewish!

This is what the anti-BDS campaign is about and Moyle has joined hands with the most reactionary racists, Zionists and imperialists. Because when an Opposition abstains on a government measure it is tantamount to supporting it. Keir Starmer we know is a Zionist ‘without qualification’. Starmer is a proud and unashamed racist and this is who Moyle has joined hands with.

Israel's new government is stuffed with people proud to be fascists and homophobes

The best that can be said of the vote last Monday is that at least 10 Labour MPs defied Starmer to vote against this racist measure. They were Apsama Begum, Dawn Butler, Barry Gardiner (surprisingly since he is down as a Labour Friends of Israel sponsor), Ian Lavery, Andy McDonald, John McDonnell, Ian Mearns, Grahame Morris, Mick Whitley and Beth Winter. This is in addition to Jeremy Corbyn and Claudia Webbe who have had the Whip removed.

Moyle also provided a testimonial to anti-Roma, harasser of women and anti-Palestinian hate activist Luke Stanger

But where were Dianne Abbot, Clive Lewis, Nadia Whithome (the AWL MP), Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Dan Carden, Kim Johnson who only recently called Israel a fascist and apartheid state, Rebecca Long Bailey, Kate Osamor, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Sam Tarry and Jon Trickett?

Despite having been a Corbyn supporter when it benefited his career, Moyle refused to sign a petition calling for the whip to be restored to Jeremy Corbyn

On paper the SCG has 35 members, but in practice it is in a state of political collapse. To put things into perspective 10 members of the Liberal Democrats, Zionists to a man and woman, also voted against this Bill on civil liberties grounds. Even 2 Tories did. The refusal of Moyle, Burgon and co. to join them is nothing less than shameful.

Tony Greenstein

Divina Levrini – A Star that will forever burn brightly in our memories

Fearless and brave – the tortured activist on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla whose only thought was for others

When I read yesterday an announcement that Divina Levrini, a Swedish activist who I had met in June had died, it didn’t sink in at first. How could Divina, a beautiful, young, talented musician, caring and kind, a brave and fearless activist die so young?

Although I’m not any good judging age I guess she was in her late 20s or early 30s.  I’ve since learnt that she has two young children and came from Sweden’s third largest city, Malmo.

How was this possible? I still don’t know and can only hope that what she went through when in the ‘care’ of Israel was not responsible.

We first met when The Freedom, part of the Gaza Freedom flotilla, which had set out from Sweden, docked at Shoreham Harbour near Brighton on Tuesday 5^th June. The ship first sailed by Brighton Marina where we gathered but it was unable to dock because the boat was too big. It went on to Shoreham harbour about 7 miles away where it found a berth. We rushed over by car, overshooting an obscure beach before turning back in time to see The Freedom come sailing in.

On the last night in Brighton Divina entertained us at the Verdict

Over the next two days we had a number of street activities and stalls together culminating in a party at The Verdict in Edward Street on the Thursday night. The local MP, Lloyd Russell-Moyle came along to show his solidarity as did other Labour activists.  Divina spoke and played on guitar and sang and we ate and drank.

In Brighton's Old Steine

On Friday we got up early to see The Freedom and the crew off on the next stage in Spain where it received a rapturous welcome. I kept in touch with Divina by email and envied the difference between the relatively small reception in Brighton and what appeared to be half the town turning out in Spain.

A stall at the  Old Steine in Brighton

Divina reassured me that we had nothing to be ashamed about.  We kept up intermittent contact until we heard that the first boat Al-Awda had been intercepted by the Zionist navy in international waters, some 42 miles off Gaza. Divina had transferred to the Al-Awda after Palermo and they had been extremely roughly treated, beaten and tasered.

Flying the flag

I learnt that Divina, who was taking medicines for an unknown condition, had been prevented from taking half her medication and the Swedish Embassy had intervened with the animals that call themselves Israeli guards.

These are 3 replies from Divina to emails we exchanged after The Freedom left Brighton

Divina’s last tweet was on 10^th October last year so it would appear that something had happened since which led to yesterday’s sad news. The second to last tweet of hers was a retweet of Brighton PSC’s stall in solidarity with the threatened village of Khan al Ahmar.

Below are some of the blogs I did and a link to another story by Divina and also a tribute. Below that is the description that Divina sent me of her experiences when Israel illegally and violently boarded the Al Awda.

Tony Greenstein

Brighton and Hove welcomes the Gaza Freedom Flotilla

Sweden activists recount abuse while in Israeli custody

Deported Swedish activist: ‘This is how Israel treated us in prison’

Divina Levrini Music, Lyrics, Songs, and Videos - ReverbNation

See also The World has lost a Beautiful Soul

Divina's Account of Her Experiences When She was Kidnapped by Israel

We were 42 nautical miles on international waters when we got boarded by the Israeli navy. They had talked to our radio operator, who repeatedly told them that we were on international water and had no intention to cross the border to Israel. That it is a right according to international law to travel on international waters.

They had masks and guns and tasered many of the peace activists. Some got tasered in both face, head and neck, wich could be deadly. Our captain got a death threat, they told him that they were going to take him somewhere to execute him. I witnessed him get brutally beaten up by a soldier. Many, including myself got beaten. Some were thrown down a ramp and could have broken their necks. One got injured on his foot and there was a lot of blood. He also was beaten on his chest and stomach and last time I saw him he carried a catheter in his hands. 

The welcome party at Shoreham Harbour

We were taken to Ashdod, a closed military camp, and got interrogated by military about why we were illegally trying to go to Israel. We of course answered that we wanted to speak to our lawyer and would not answer anything they asked us. We were strip searched several times and all of our belongings were stolen. After a while they pushed me outside and I found all our clothes, bags and stuff on the ground. Clothes were torn out from the bags and everything mixed up. I was pushed by a soldier while others stood by and laughed as I was yelled at to collect my belongings and I got 20 seconds to take what was mine. I found two empty bags and my guitar, maybe some t-shirt or other clothing I don't remember because I am still traumatised about it all. 

We were taken to Givon prison where we were tortured in different kind of ways. The women were sleep deprived more than the men. We were six women in one dirty cell with a hole in the ground. The guards would come in and yell every one or two hours (it's hard to know how often because we had no watches. Only the clothes we had on us.) They beat at the walls and lockers and made us stand up in the middle of the night, sometimes they just came in and counted the beds with a loud voice or came in with a huge stick and beat the walls. Sometimes they had gloves and handcuffs they showed but never used. 

Welcoming The Freedom

The mind games were really awful. They could give me cigarettes but no lighter. They said that I can use the payphones outside when ever I want but would not give me my money to use them. 

Many of those kind of things happened all the time. One thing was sure, and that was that when they said something, 9 times of 10 they were lying. Suddenly they separated us for a while and me and Dr. Swee were put in another cell. I think that it happened because we rioted when we heard that our friend Larry, who got hurt in the foot asked for a doctor. Since I was on hunger strike they maybe got scared about my embassy to react if I got ill, but still wanted to punish us, they thought that it was a good idea to have me together with a doctor. No one knows. 

Inside The Verdict last June

They hit my friend, a 75 year old woman who four months before got a hip replacement surgery. They did not really beat us anytime before or after that in jail so we thought that they are so used to beat Palestinians so they forgot that our embassies were ready to act if something like that would happen. We asked for a doctor and when they came to let us visit him they had certain conditions I don't want to go in to. We refused so we were told that we would not get to see him. After several hours me and the woman got to see him, but were put in a small cell outdoor in gassing hot sun and hard benches so she couldn't sit. We waited for hours there and when we finally got in the doctor told her in perfect English that he does not understand English so she had to explain in hebrew. She got no help. 

I was depraved of my important medicines for 36 hours. After that my embassy complained, but I got just the half dose of the most important one, none of the other medicines. The embassy yelled at a guard to give me my medicines and he said that I would get an appointment with the doctor. But he told me in perfect English that he doesn't understand English and I have to speak Arabic. 

Later the embassy and our Swedish state department sent a doctor to the airport to immediately meet me after my flight home. 

We were stolen of our driving licenses, medicines, phones, money and creditcards. Most of our luggage is gone. I came home with only a small bag with random clothes I found. I was 2,5 months at sea, so I had much more with me. 

Outside the Verdict in Edward Street - Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP is in the middle

They said that we tried to enter Israel illegally, which was laughable. We were kidnapped in international waters.

 I was on hunger strike until I knew that my friends would come home safely. Of course some of us, the last ones went at the same time. We were the last ones. Amy was on hunger strike as well, but she didn't do a big deal out of it. She is a strong women, like the rest of my friends.

Even though I wanted to stay to make a legal process in Israel about theft, kidnapping and torture, because I know they wanted to deport us as soon as possible my country made sure that we would come home as soon as possible. They were worried about the depravation of my medicins and hunger strike. We were two swedes onboard on Al Awda. Charlie Andreasson and myself. Charlie has been on every attempt to break the blockade besides the "Womens ship to Gaza". Our foreign minister Margot Wallström said earlier that she supports Ship to Gaza. 

The Freedom comes in

Most of the peace activists knew nothing about them getting deported before five minutes before, but I had an extra meeting with the head of the embassy in Tel Aviv because of my medical condition so they told me the time in advance the day before.

Our mission was never about us or the treatment we recieved by the government in Israel. What the Palestinians go through is much worse. There is a genocide going on by an apartheid regime and the world must act, even if it happens in small acts like these. We had a cargo full of medical supplies with us and the four ships were supposed to be a gift to the Palestinians of Gaza. Of course there are two million souls living in Gaza and we had only four ships, but the symbolic act is important anyway because the fishermen are shot in their own waters and medical supplies much needed does never reach Gaza. It was and has always been about raising awareness, making politicians to act and make sure that the Palestinians knows that we never will forget them. The ships will continue to sail until Gaza is free. 

Divina Levrini: rest in power

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is deeply saddened by the death of Divina Levrini in Sweden a few days ago. She was a good friend and shipmate to many of us who sailed with her on the vessels  Freedom and Al Awda in 2018 or met her in different ports. Divina was a passionate advocate for justice, a talented musician and gifted communicator who touched many lives. We mourn her early loss and extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.

Crew and participants on Freedom in Portugal. Freedom crew and participants in Naples. 

Participants in Messina prior to departure: Chris Graham, Divina Levrini, Lucía Mazarrasa, Mike Treen, Larry Commodore, Mohd Afandi Salleh. Al Awda (The Return): final leg participants, July 2018.

SHORTS - Picket of the BBC Tuesday 1pm – Ahed Tamimi Video - Who Pays 4 Tom Watson? Divina Levrini on how Israel treated crew members of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla

The BBC Is the Most Refined Propaganda Service in the World - John Pilger

The coverage by the BBC and the media of the attacks on Jeremy Corbyn have been appalling but not unexpected. All discussions and debates are framed in such a way that the false allegations of 'antisemitism' are assumed to be true.  Not once has the BBC ever scrutinised the claims of the Zionist Board of Deputies.  The accusations against Corbyn are highlighted not the dishonest attempt to use the IHRA to conflate anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.  There has not been any attempt to examine the IHRA objectively or to examine racism, including anti-Semitism, in the Tory Party.  This bias has been led by the BBC’s Political Correspondent Tory Laura Kuensberg, from a well known tax-dodging Tory family.

Below is a video from Ahed Tamimi after her release and a description by Divina Levrini, a Swedish activist on board the Freedom ship (she transferred in Spain to the Al-Awda ship) which docked in Brighton for 3 days of the treatment by the Israelis of crew members.  It is particularly painful to know that someone you became close to was hurt in this way but Divina is a brave and courageous activist and how the Israelis behaved towards her and the other people on the boats is symptomatic of the sad, sick, violent society that is the ‘Jewish state’.

Let us remember that all the allegations of ‘anti-Semitism’ in the Labour Party are really about defending the bastard State of Israel.  So when Tom Watson, bloated with Zionist funds, talks about Labour’s shame we can be sure that the only shame Labour has is that it has as its Deputy Leader an obnoxious, racist toad like him.

Below is a copy of the Electoral Commission information on Watson.  For reasons that I am not privy to, Tom Watson has seen fit to block me on Twitter!

Tony Greenstein

Deported Swedish activist: ‘This is how Israel treated us in prison’

Swedish activist Divina Levrini

August 6, 2018

Divinia Levrini’s description of Israel’s treatment of the freedom flotilla activists includes withholding of medication and medical treatment, beatings, psychological mistreatment, strip searching, theft, and death threats – but she reflects that this is nothing compared to Palestinian suffering.

from Ma’an News

Swedish solidarity activist, Divina Levrini, one of the many international activists, who were attacked and detained by Israeli naval forces aboard the Freedom Flotilla ship last week, talked to Ma’an regarding the Israeli treatment of international activists inside the Israeli Givon (al-Ramla) prisons.

The international activists were deported to their national countries following two days of detention.

Levrini told Ma’an that when the ship was on 42 nautical miles in international waters, the ship was boarded by the Israeli navy, and “they had talked to our radio operator, who repeatedly told them that we were in international waters and had no intention to cross the border to Israel. That it is a right according to international law to travel in international waters.”

“They tasered many of the peace activists. Some got tasered in both head and neck, which could be deadly,” Levrini said.

“Our captain received a death threat and I witnessed him get brutally beaten by an Israeli soldier. Many, including myself got beaten. Some were thrown down a ramp and could have broken their necks. One got injured on his foot and there was a lot of blood. He was also punched in his stomach and chest.”

Following their detention, the activists were taken to the Ashdod military camp, where they were interrogated on the pretext of “trying to illegally enter Israel.”

Levrini said that the activists refused to say anything before speaking to their lawyers.

“We were strip searched several times and all of our belongings were stolen,” Levrini told Ma’an.

“After a while, they pushed me outside and I found all of our clothes, bags and stuff on the ground. Clothes were torn out from the bags and everything was mixed up. I was pushed by a soldier while others stood by and laughed as I was yelled at to collect my belongings and I had 20 seconds to take what was mine. I found two empty bags and my guitar, some t-shirt or other clothing I don’t remember because I am still traumatized about it all.”

Levrini added that activists were “tortured” in various ways while at the Givon prison; “we were six women in one dirty cell with a hole in the ground.”

The Swedish activist said that Israeli prison guards “would come in and yell every one to two hours” and bang on the walls with batons.

“The mind games were really awful. They would give me cigarettes but no lighter. They said that I can use the payphones outside whenever I want but would not give me my money to use them.”

Levrini said that activists were separated from each other at some point, after they protested when one of the activists, identified as Larry, asked for a doctor as he was injured in the foot.

“One thing was sure, and that was that when they said something, 9 times of 10 they were lying.”

Levrini said that Israeli forces hit one of the female activists, 75, who had a hip replacement surgery four months ago.

“They did not really beat us any time before or after that in jail so we thought that they are so used to beating Palestinians that they forgot our embassies were ready to act if something like that would happen.”

The activists requested a doctor afterwards to check on the woman, the Israelis then had “certain conditions” which activists refused and were then told that they could not see the doctor if they do not agree to the conditions.

She added that they were able to see the doctor several hours later but were put in a “small outdoor cell in the scorching heat and hard benched where she couldn’t sit.”

Levrini said that after waiting for hours before finally seeing the doctor, the doctor told them “in perfect English” that he does not understand English. The 75-year-old female activist “had to Explain in Hebrew, she got no help.”

Levrini was deprived of her prescribed medications for 36 hours. She then received half a dose of her only one “important” medicine after the Swedish embassy intervened. “The embassy yelled at a guard to give me my medicines and he said that I would get an appointment with the doctor, but he told me in perfect English that he doesn’t understand English and I have to speak in Arabic,” she said.  

Israeli forces confiscated the activists’ driving licenses, medicines, phones, money and credit cards; “most of our luggage is gone. I came home with only a small bag with random clothes I found. I was at sea for two-and-a-half months, so I had much more with me.”  

Levrini along with several other activists, who were detained by Israeli naval forces, commenced a hunger strike inside the Israeli prison until they received information that other activists, who were deported earlier than them, had safely arrived to their countries.

Levrini said that most of the peace activists did not know that they were being deported until minutes before they were.

Levrini said that the activists’ message to the world is that their mission was never about us or the treatment received by the Israeli government; “what the Palestinians go through is much worse.”

She pointed out that Israeli forces also confiscated a cargo full of medical supplies and the four ships they were aboard, which were meant to be a gift for Gazans; “of course there are two million souls living in Gaza and we only had four ships, but the symbolic act is important because the fishermen are shot in their own waters and the much needed medical supplies never reaches Gaza.”

“There is a genocide going on by an apartheid regime and the world must act, even if it happens in small acts like these.”

Levrini concluded that “it was and has always been about raising awareness, making politicians act and making sure that the Palestinians know that we will never forget them. The ships will continue to sail until Gaza is free.”

Blocked for some reason by  Tom Watson