Open Letter to the Leader of Brighton and Hove Council, Nancy Platts – Free Speech is not a luxury

Instead of Defending Freedom of Speech You have Chosen to Appease the Supporters of Israel on the pretext of ‘anti-Semitism’

Below is an Open Letter I have sent to Nancy Platts, the Leader of Brighton and Hove Council. 

On two occasions in recent weeks, August 20^th and September 26^th Platts has inferred that Jews are under threat from  meetings on Palestine or alternatively that they are not welcome at such meetings.

The Zionists ban books, the Nazis burned them

What we have seen in recent months is the de facto implementation of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, a ‘definition’ whose sole purpose is to restrict freedom of speech on Palestine and Israel.

As readers will be aware, we in Brighton took steps before the recent Labour Party conference to pre-empt the local Zionists from inflicting their police state agenda on delegates and visitors by securing premises where events could be staged.

Tony Greenstein

The cancelled booklaunch was held at the Rialto to a far-larger audience

Open Letter to Nancy Platts

Dear Nancy,

Last Monday Waterstones Bookshop cancelled a book launch for Bad News for Labour. As its publisher, Pluto Press, explained:

This book clears the confusion by drawing on deep and original research on public beliefs and media representation of antisemitism and the Labour Party, revealing shocking findings of misinformation spread by the press, including the supposedly impartial BBC, and the liberal Guardian.

Despite this peer reviewed book being authored by 5 distinguished academics, Waterstones was subject to a barrage of hostile attacks on social media from supporters of Israel, in particular by Sussex Friends of Israel. See for example here, here and here.

Ken Loach and Chris Williamson attend - standing room only

Sussex Friends of Israel openly encouraged people to get on the phone to abuse and harass the bookshop and its staff.

The accusations were familiar. The speakers were anti-Semitic, the book launch was a hate session and provocative to the Jewish community. Cancelling the book launch would be ‘hugely reassuring to the Brighton/Hove community’ (although 99.9% of them knew nothing about it!). The idea that a book launch in Waterstone’s bookshop would traumatise the Jewish community is risible.

Despite the best efforts of Peter Kyle, Daniel Yates and the rest of New Labour's scumbags, Chris Williamson's meeting on August 8th went off as planned

In the run-up to Labour’s Conference, Brighton and Hove Labour Left Alliance took steps to ensure that events threatened by SFI would be able to continue. We were mindful that there might be a repeat of what happened on and before August 8^th, when Peter Kyle MP and SFI took to abusing and threatening venues prepared to stage a meeting with Chris Williamson MP. Much to the chagrin of Councillor Dan Yates we held a large meeting in Regency Square.

We obtained an Events Licence enabling us to meet in Regency Square and we also hired for Saturday and Monday the Rialto Theatre. We had warned them that they would be subject to a barrage of abuse and threats from the usual suspects and on the usual grounds.

Greg Hadfield introduces the session on Modern Monetary Theory with Chris Williamson and Professor Bill Mitchell

When Waterstones cancelled the book launch we held it in the Rialto. All 5 authors: Professors Greg Philo and David Miller, Mike Berry, Justin Schlosberg and Antony Lerman, a world expert in anti-Semitism took part.

The suggestion that these speakers posed a threat to Jews is absurd. What SFI feared was that an academic analysis of Labour’s ‘anti-Semitism’ smear campaign would expose the lies behind it.

The group that organised the Rialto

The fact that the supporters of Israel are so afraid of a book or book launch suggests that this whole campaign, supported by Britain’s racist media, has been driven primarily by those hostile to the Corbyn leadership of the Labour Party.

Former councillor Julie Cattell fostering fear and hatred and Fiona Sharpe, Sussex Friends of Israel's virulent racist and perjurer

Unfortunately the Council have enabled this attack on freedom of speech. It has done this through its adoption of the IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism. What kind of definition is 500+ words? The purpose of the IHRA is to conflate anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. 

Even the person who drafted the IHRA, American academic Kenneth Stern, conceded in testimony to the US Congress that it ‘chills’ free speech and that that ‘Congress has enshrined a definition that can only help to chill, if not suppress, their political speech.’

Everyone who SFI hates is an anti-semite - only Tommy Robinson and the EDL escape their censure being pro-Zionist

Stern gave as an example the targeting by the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, allies of SFI, of Bristol University academic Rachel Gould for an article she wrote in 2011 about the Holocaust. Stern described what had happened as ‘chilling and McCarthy-like.’

The reason why I am writing to you is because twice in recent weeks you have given sustenance to this campaign against free speech. In the Jewish News of 20^th August  you were quoted as saying ‘I am concerned to hear that there may be any events in or around Labour Party Conference where Jewish people would not feel welcome.’

What steps did you take to check out whether this allegation had any merit? In the Jewish News of 26 September reference you state that you ‘will not accept hate speech or hate crime’ in the context of a meeting entitled “BDS, Antisemitism and a free Palestine.” This meeting was held in the Old Courtroom on September 24, where author Tom Suarez, Azzam Tamimi and Miko Peled spoke.

The Zionist movement wanted to prevent Miko, an Israeli anti-Zionist  and other Jewish anti-Zionists speaking for the same reasons that the South African government suppressed the views of White opponents of Apartheid. This understandable.

Israel is a state where 93% of the land is reserved for Jews. Israel’s 20% Arab population has access to just over 2%. It is a state where hospitals segregate Jewish and Arab women in separate maternity wards. In Israel there are separate Jewish and Arab education sectors. Marriage between a Jew and Palestinian is not only impossible but mixed relationships are a social taboo. It is a state in which hundreds of Jewish communities legally bar Arabs from membership. In the city of Afula in June there were demonstrations led by the Mayor against the fact that a house had been sold to an Arab. This not anti-Semitism is the real agenda of SFI.

The IHRA definition is being used for one purpose only.  To prevent political speech which offends supporters of Israel.  Despite SFI’s scaremongering the Jewish community is unconcerned. On August 8^th, the Zionist demonstration against Chris Williamson mustered less than 20 people, some of whom were Christian Zionists.

Even if it were true that the majority of the Jewish community is offended by a book launch that is no reason to cancel it. When Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses was issued we argued that freedom of speech trumps religious sensibilities. Why should that be any different when it comes to Jewish nationalists? Why was it right for Charlie Hebdo to offend Muslims yet it is forbidden to mention Israel’s abuse of human rights?

The vast majority of Jewish people in Brighton and Hove are not concerned with anti-Zionist meetings or whether or not a book debunks the false anti-Semitism narrative. The only people offended are Fiona Sharpe and Israel’s devotees.

Your duty as Council leader is to support the basic rights of Brighton residents under the European Convention of Human Rights, for example Articles 10 and 11. It is time to call the bluff of those who try to suppress any opinion bar their own. The best way to do that would be to reverse the adoption of the IHRA definition.

When my father took part in the Battle of Cable Street in 1936 against Oswald Moseley’s British Union of Fascists he didn’t need a definition of anti-Semitism in order to know who his enemy was. The only purpose of the IHRA is to restrict free speech.  It has nothing to do with racism which is why the Tory Right loves it so much.

Tony Greenstein

See  Waterstones cancels launch for book on Labour and anti-Semitism

Below are some of the abusive tweets and abuse that Waterstone's Received

To SFI book launches are matters of concern to the Jewish community

WE DEFIED ZIONISM'S BOOK BURNERS – FREE SPEECH TRIUMPHED AT THE LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE THIS WEEK

 We said no to Peter Kyle, Dan Yates and all the other Zionists and racists who tried to silence their socialist critics

At last year’s Labour Party conference in Liverpool the film premiere of Jackie Walker’s Witchhunt was stopped by a bomb threat.

The Rialto defied the worst that the Zionists could do to become a Free Speech Centre at Labour Party Conference

In August three Brighton venues - Brighthelm, Holiday Inn and Friends Meeting House - cancelled a talk on Modern Monetary Theory by Chris Williamson MP because of abusive and violent threats by the Zionist lobby.

Today's Zionists are emulating Goebbel's Book Burners

The initiative was taken by Peter Kyle MP for Hove, who personally contacted Brighthelm, a right-wing church and community centre and we understand Holiday Inn too in order to get them to cancel the meetings.  Phone calls, abusive tweets and even, in the case of the Holiday Inn, two thugs who walked in threatening the staff were deployed to get the venues to cancel.

All the abusers alleged Chris Williamson was an anti-Semite.  Of course these supporters of the world’s only apartheid state provided no evidence.

Despite this we held the meeting at Regency Square. We told the racists and Zionists including Peter Kyle and local councillor Dan Yates, that freedom of speech would triumph regardless. 

Greg Hadfield introduces the Book Launch and explains why it is being held at the Rialto

We were told the local Jewish community was worried for its safety by the exercise of free speech! These are the same people who supported Charlie Hebdo's right to ridicule the prophet Mohammed. 

In the end the Zionists managed a demonstration of less than 20 people, half of whom came down from London! The President of the Board of Deputies herself, Marie van der Zyle came only to find over 150 people willing to brave the racists and the thugs.

Ken  Loach and Chris Williamson attended the book launch - it was standing room only!

Having triumphed recently we were determined to ensure that Jackie and Chris would speak at this year’s Labour Party conference in Brighton.

Brighton and Hove Labour Left Alliance, which grew out of the Jon Lansman controlled Brighton and Hove Momentum, put in place plans to ensure that there would be alternative venues for controversial events.  First we obtained an Events License from Brighton and Hove Council for Regency Square to put a marquee or, as it turned out a gazebo up.  In the end we only did this for the first 2 days.

Packed audience at LRC meeting on Monday

Secondly we hired a central Brighton venue, The Rialto Theatre for the Saturday and Monday of conference. Despite the usual abusive tweets, phone calls etc. the Rialto held firm.  Its owners were briefed on what would happen and pledged to stand up to the abusers and thugs.  They proved true to their word.

Over two days we showed Jackie Walker’s film Witchhunt twice to packed audiences. 

Chris Williamson addressing an impromptu crowd at Regency Square on Sunday

On the Saturday there was a packed out audience to hear a variety of speakers on freedom of speech  including Jackie Walker, Chris Williamson and Anne Mitchell, a suspended member of Hove Labour Party and Chair of Brighton PSC.

On the Monday there was a session on Culture, Arts, and Freedom with Jackie Walker and Professor David Miller of Bristol University.

Greg Hadfield introduces the talk by Professor Bill Mitchell and Chris Williamson MP on Modern Monetary Theory

There was a talk by Chris Williamson and Professor Bill Mitchell, a world renowned economist.

In the evening the Labour Representation Committee, whose President is John McDonnell, held a packed meeting with Jackie Walker, Chris Williamson, Ian Hodson, President of the Bakers Union and Adriana Alvarez from the United States.

At the same time a book launch at Brighton’s Waterstones for Bad News for Labour had just been cancelled. This was a consequence of a barrage of abusive and racist emails and tweets from Zionists alleging that a book investigating the allegations of anti-Semitism against the Labour Party was ‘anti-Semitic’.

The Zionist ‘logic’ is that anyone who attempts to disprove that there is an ‘anti-Semitism’ crisis in the Labour Party is also anti-Semitic! It is the logic of Salem where denying you were a witch was evidence you were one!

Kerry-Ann Mendoza introduces Jackie Walker and Steve Tiller

In the words of Pluto’s managing director Veruschka Selbach

 “This book is an academic study into one of the most contentious issues facing our society today. It is worrying that abuse and intimidation were used to close down free and open discussion of anti-semitism in the Labour party. We have run events at various Waterstones in Pluto’s 50-year history. “This is the first time they have cancelled an event, saying we were unprofessional.

Fortunately we were able to accommodate the book launch at the Rialto Theatre and instead of 50 people attending at Waterstones we had a packed audience of over 100 people. All five academics - Greg Philo, Mike Berry, Justin Schlosberg, Antony Lerman and David Miller — came along to launch their book.

The Zionist attempt to prevent the launch of a book debunking their lies about ‘anti-Semitism’ failed.  Big thanks in particular to Greg Hadfield, an ex-Fleet Street journalist and Labour Party activist who found the venue!  And thanks to the wonderful staff at the Rialto itself.

Jackie Walker speaks at the LRC Meeting with Chris Williamson

After the book launch Kerry Ann Mendoza, Editor of The Canary interviewed Jackie Walker and Steve Tiller.  And after that we had a party!!

With  a theatre accommodating 100 people upstairs and a bar downstairs, with a live feed, accommodating another 50 people, we ensured that Free Speech on Palestine triumphed at the Rialto.

Down the road was The World Transformed, an offshoot of Jon Lansman's Momentum.  Unfortunately transforming the world was the last thing they were concerned with. They have refused to touch the witchhunt or have any sessions on Palestine or Zionism.  The WTF is about accommodating to capitalism not challenging it.  It is a place for the comfortable left that doesn't believe in struggle - from Novara Media to the (Not so) Red Pepper.

Tony Greenstein

All the Zionist abusers above make one assumption - that the Rialto was hosting antisemitism - presumably a book about the false antisemitism smear campaign is by definition antisemitic or the LRC meeting...

Examples of the Zionist Abuse that led to Waterstone's Cancellation of a Book Launch

It would appear that some village has lost its idiot

Former Labour Councillor Julie Cattell encouraging a Boycott of the Rialto for Hosting a Range of Events this week - Cattle is a supporter of Sussex Friends of Israel which says it opposes boycotts - but only of Israel!

Julie Cattell openly encourages people to place false reviews on Trip Advisor and elsewhere to damage the Rialto commercially - these are the underhand and dishonest tactics of the Zionists

Two idiots find it 'unbelievable' that we resist their attempts to shut down free speech - Julie Cattell doesn't even seem to understand the term

Julie Cattell, former Labour councillor who was ousted in May, piling pressure on Waterstone's to cancel the book launch or face a boycott - these are the same people who throw their hands up in horror at a boycott of Apartheid Israel

The Zionist Board of Deputies and Sussex Jewish Representative Council (which is SFI in disguise) add their weight to the book burners

Book Burners ‘R’ Us – Waterstone’s Shameful Decision to Cancel the Book Launch of Bad News for Labour is an Attack on Freedom of Thought

‘This is worse than McCarthyism’ – Now even a peer-reviewed Academic Critique of the false Anti-Semitism Smear Campaign Must Be Suppressed

This is not the first time that the Zionist movement in this country has sought to attack freedom of speech and the arts.

 Over 25 years ago they sought to ban a play Perdition by socialist playwright Jim Allen, which was based on real live events in the Jerusalem District Court, when in 1944 the leader of Hungarian Zionism, Rudolf Kasztner was found to have aided Adolf Eichmann in deporting half a million Jews to Auschwitz.  In the words of Judge Benjamin Halevi, Kasztner had 'sold his soul to the devil.'

The Royal Court Theatre under Max Stafford Clarke shamefully bowed to the pressure but the result was that instead of a few hundred people seeing the play in the Royal Court Upstairs, thousands of people learnt about what was being banned and why. Eventually it was shown over 6 days at Conway Hall in London and was the subject of a book. Dramas Played Off Stage 

That is what we need to see happen with Bad News for Labour. The Zionists know that their anti-Semitism smear campaign in the Labour Party is fraudulent and that they have cowed and coerced timid Corbyn into going along with the nonsense that the Labour Party is full of anti-Semites including himself. We must ensure that this book is publicised because it contains all the ammunition and evidence we need to demonstrate that the ‘anti-Semitism’ smear campaign has nothing to do with antisemitism and has no evidential basis. 

Book Launch at the Rialto

It is shocking enough that the supporters of Israeli Apartheid have been able to ‘persuade’ through threats and abuse, venues like the Holiday Inn, Jury’s Inn and Friends Meeting House into cancelling meetings with Chris Williamson. The cancellation on Monday night of a book by 5 academics of Bad News for Labour - Antisemitism, the Party and Public Belief takes this one step further. It is an attack on freedom of thought and inquiry and demonstrates the police state mentality of Zionism's rabid supporters.

Greg Hadfield introduces the book launch

As Justin Schlosberg, a Senior Lecturer at Birkbeck College, London University said last night, this is worse than McCarthyism and is approaching the book burning of the Nazis.  Heinrich Heine prophetically wrote in 1832 ‘Where books are burned, in the end, people will also be burned."

Ken Loach and Chris Williamson at the book launch - standing room only!

Cancelling a book launch and threatening to boycott Waterstones for holding the event is a Nazi tactic. It demonstrates just how far along the road to destroying our civil liberties and freedom of speech the Zionists have travelled. Literally Zionism is the enemy of a free society, not only in Israel/Palestine but in Britain, Europe and the United States.

If the Left had done this and attacked a right-wing book such as Douglas Murray’s racist Strange Death of Europe – Immigration, Identity and Islam then you could expect the Tory press to shriek in protest about the Left’s attack on basic freedoms.

Audience at the book launch

But the cancellation of a book by five academics, based on peer reviewed research, has gone unnoticed except in the Canary and Skwawkbox.  I await to see, with interest, the ‘liberal’ press – the Guardian and Independent – who have been at the forefront of the fake ‘anti-Semitism’ campaign, will now find their liberal principles.

Barely literate Zionists ask a 'when did you beat your wife question' - they assume that the book launch would have been antisemitic - evidence is not their strong point

Twitter has given a voice to every idiot Zionist - apparently cancelling a book launch is to 'stand up to defeating antisemitism' - these Zios don't have the honesty to say that in their eyes supporting Israel and Zionist human rights abuse is their idea of opposing 'antisemitism'

It is fortunate that because of the advance threats of the Zionists to prevent Chris Williamson and others speaking in Brighton that Brighton and Hove Labour Left Alliance with the support of a friendly charity, took steps to ensure that freedom of speech would prevail in Brighton. 

Sussex Friends of Israel supporter and former councillor Cattell suggests a boycott of Waterstones - these same people are opposed to boycotting Israel because it is about 'hate'

The cancellation email said that the book launch had been cancelled 'due to reasons out of our control' itself a lie

We hired the Rialto Theatre in Dyke Road, Brighton. The venue were warned in advance that they should expect a barrage of abuse and that is what happened. To their immense credit they stood firm against the Zionists and racist scum like former councillor Julie Cattell who has been urging people on Twitter to contact Trip Advisor to give The Rialto a false and lying review.  These are the tactics that the enemies of free speech sink to.

My ticket for a book launch that never was

Earlier this week I bought a ticket for the launch of Bad News for Labour - Antisemitism, the Party and Public Belief. I did not imagine that even the execrable racists of Sussex Friends of Israel would attack a book launch.  I was wrong.  There is nothing these people will not do in order to defend their bastard state.

Bad News for Labour’s authors are Professor Greg Philo, Mike Berry, Justin Schlosberg, Antony Lerman and Professor David Miller.

Abusive social media attacks on Waterstones - their PR and CEO James Daunt denies there was any such pressure

As the blurb for the book explains:

Accusations about the Labour Party have made headlines on a daily basis. In the three years after Corbyn became leader there were over five thousand news stories and articles in the national press alone.

Bad News for Labour examines the impact of this coverage on public beliefs about the Party. It replaces media hype with the rigorous analysis of evidence. The authors draw on carefully compiled research to reveal surprising findings in this guide to the reality behind the headlines.

 However this is what the Zionists were most afraid of.  An academic study demolishing the myths of Labour ‘anti-Semitism’. Zionist propaganda can only thrive in the darkness without proper scrutiny aided by a yellow press not interested in the truth.

Publisher Pluto Press attributes Waterstones cancellation of the book launch to 'external pressure' which of course it was 

The decision to cancel the book launch was not taken in Brighton.  On the contrary the staff were livid about what had happened.  The decision was taken by the CEO James Daunt in New York who when I spoke to him earlier today accepted responsibility. Mr Daunt insisted that the only reason that the event was cancelled was because it had been unprofessionally organised and he laid the responsibility for that at the feet of the publishers Pluto Press. 

This idiot objects to the media Professor David Miller speaking during Labour Party conference on some vague grounds of 'antisemitism'

However as I explained to him this is not credible. Since when does the CEO of a large company or even its head office cancel a locally organised book launch?

Explanation for cancellation sent to one complainant

I put it to him that the real reason for the cancellation was the pressure that Waterstones had been subject. He denied this but then he would of course. I also suggested that in the circumstances standing up for freedom of speech was more important than the alleged lack of professional organisation.  Corporate capitalism has no sense of ethics or morality. In the words of George Soros capitalism is essentially amoral.

All the authors were scheduled to appear, as they did at the event.  They had books on them what more was needed? The event itself was sold out. The arguments about lack of professional organisation are simply not credible.

However Daunt has assured me that he is happy to reschedule the event if it is properly organised.  The proof of the pudding will be in the eating. I suspect that is one promise that will fall by the way.

Their Events Team also denied that they had been subject to any harassment or threats which is directly contradicted by the volume of abuse directed at Waterstones by various Zionist trolls on Twitter as can be seen below.

Waterstone's PR Department struggles to explain the cancellation of the book launch - they blamed it on the unprofessionalism of their own staff

Eva von Reuss of Waterstone's PR Department explained in 5 contradictory bullet points why they bowed to the Zionist twitter campaign

It is also at variance with the explanation sent to me by Eva von Reuss. She explicitly stated that  ‘it raised considerable emotion from various parties on both sides of the debate.’ Presumably this would mean that one should not stage a book launch for any controversial or indeed anti-racist book because racists might take exception.  Perhaps a book on climate change should not have a book launch because ‘climate sceptics’ might object!

‘we do not wish to be caught in this debate at an especially emotive moment: it is not a debate from which we shy in terms of book stock but it is not one in which we wish to be perceived to have taken sides

There have been 'especially emotive moments' since time immemorial.  This is just a means of avoiding responsibility for one's actions.  Reuss went on to state that they hope to ‘reschedule the talk in this shop, or in others when we can be better prepared’.

Ms Reuss claimed that ‘the shop decided to cancel the event in discussion with the central events team’.  Having spoken to the staff it is very clear that this is untrue.

Jewish News hack Jack Mendel reports with ill-concealed glee the cancellation of a book launch on antisemitism

As Professor David Miller of Bristol University, one of the authors told The Canary: “It is really extraordinary that [this book event] has been cancelled as a result of threats”. He called it a “serious attack on both freedom of speech and academic freedom”.

In alleging antisemitism wherever the Zionist agenda isn't followed these people trivialise genuine antisemitism

Waterstones should hang their head in shame for bowing to this campaign of censorship. This is the road to a police state.  Bookshops in particular should be vigilant to protect freedom of speech.  The fact that supporters of the Israeli state, a state which to the Palestinians is a police state with censorship, torture and arbitrary imprisonment, are seeking to prevent any discussion of their propaganda offensives abroad, is reason enough to hold firm.

As Edmund Burke was reputed to have said (in fact it was John Stuart Mill) “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

The attacks on free speech by the Zionists need to be fought. We know what their ‘anti-Semitism’ campaigns are about and they are not about Jews but about the State of Israel.

Tony Greenstein