The Equality Commission Inquiry into Labour ‘Anti-Semitism’ is Political Interference by the State in a Corbyn-led Labour Party

The Inquiry Was Set Up at the Instigation of Racists - Labour should have told the EHRC to Investigate the Windrush Scandal and the Hostile Environment Policy

This is an example of the CAA's racism

The so-called investigation by the Equalities & Human Rights Commission into Labour ‘anti-Semitism’ is a direct political attack on the Corbyn leadership of the Labour Party. Never, not once, has the EHRC campaigned against state racism. It did nothing about the Windrush scandal, the hostile environment policy, the detention of migrants or any other form of state racism. The EHRC is a useless body which acts as a soft cop.

It is no wonder that Gideon Falter of the far-Right Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, an organisation set up in 2014 at the height of Operation Protective Edge, with the express purpose of labelling opposition to Israel’s campaign of mass murder as ‘anti-Semitic’ was crowing about his success.

A sample of the 317 articles attacking Corbyn on the CAA site

Ever since Corbyn was elected as Labour leader the CAA has made it its prime objective to remove him as leader. At the time of writing there are no less than 317 articles on its website attacking Corbyn.

By way of contrast there were just 10 references to the BNP, nearly all which were in passing and 11 references to the EDL, again nearly all of which were in passing. There was just one reference to Tommy Robinson and that was not about him. But since Robinson-Yaxley Lennon is overtly pro-Israel the CAA has no interest in him.

If this were a Jew then it would undoubtedly be called anti-semitic

Falter didn’t disguise what his agenda was.  He was reported in the Guardian as saying that Labour ‘has now become a home for hatred in British politics’ and that the Labour Party ‘now finds itself in the company of the BNP’. Falter went on to say that ‘Jeremy Corbyn himself is an antisemite and unfit for any public office, and though few have acted, most Labour MPs seem to agree with us.”

The CAA is the body that the EHRC has listened to and it beggars belief that Corbyn’s office and the Labour Left, including what's left of  Momentum have not yet woken up to the danger of this politically inspired attack on Corbyn’s leadership.

One of the CAA's Islamaphobic patrons

As far as the CAA is concerned, any support for the Palestinians is, by definition, ‘anti-Semitic’. You would search in vain for any criticism ever of anything Israel does to the Palestinians.  The CAA however never hesitates to attack the Palestinians and their organisations as ‘anti-Semitic’.

The CAA have shown no interest in the anti-Soros antisemitic campaign

When Netanyahu’s ex-aide, Aviv Bushinsky called the American Ambassador Dan Shapiro, a ‘Jew boy’ the CAA refused to say anything despite me mailing them twice.

Even the timid and cautious Palestine Solidarity Campaign is demonised as ‘anti-Semitic’ by the CAA. Yet if there is any group that deserves to be investigated it is the CAA itself which is virulently Islamaphobic.

This racist pamphlet is no longer available on the CAA site 

In its Report British Muslims and Anti-Semitism (the full version of which is no longer on the CAA’s website) they deliberately do their best to stir up Jewish-Muslim tensions. Accompanied by an openly racist stereotype of a Muslim the CAA wrote:

‘building bridges with British Muslims has become the focus of outreach work by British Jews.... the gradual buildup of understanding and friendship between Britain’s Jews and Muslims has been utterly eclipsed by growing antisemitism amongst British Muslims. On every single count, British Muslims were more likely by far than the general British population to hold deeply antisemitic views. It is clear that many British Muslims reserve a special hatred for British Jews, rating Jews much less favourably than people of other religions or no religion, yet astonishingly British Muslims largely do not recognise antisemitism as a major problem.

It has long been suspected that sections of the British Muslim population harboured hatred towards British Jews. This survey goes some way to identifying pockets of prejudice, but it also shows that the prejudice is horrifyingly widespread.’

This was no less than a call to arms.  The CAA then went on to indulge in what, in any other circumstances, would be described as stereotyping:

It would be interesting to see a poll by Jewish people on their attitude to Muslims!

‘Antisemitic British Muslims are more likely to be men, to be older than 35, to be social renters, to be in employment, to have been born outside Britain, to live south of the Midlands in England, or in Scotland, and they are overwhelmingly likely to sympathise with terrorism, violence and extremism.’

In 2015 the CAA conducted a thoroughly unscientific poll of British Jews in order to find ‘proof’ that most Jews were thinking about leaving Britain for Israel.  It found that:

Even the right-wing Jewish Chronicle crossed swords with the CAA over their absurd proposition that nearly half British jews were thinking of leaving

The CAA also conducted a thoroughly unscientific poll of British Jews in order to find ‘proof’ for the Zionist wish that ‘anti-Semitism’  was that bad that most Jews were thinking about leaving Britain for Israel.  It found that:

·               58% of Jews believed that they had no future in Europe.

·               More than half of all British Jews feel that antisemitism now echoes the 1930s

·               1 in 4 British Jews has considered leaving the country in the past two years because of rising antisemitism. 

·               45% of Jews questioned feel their family is threatened by Islamist extremism.

·               77% of Jews questioned have witnessed antisemitism disguised as a political comment about Israel.

·               84% of Jews consider boycotts of businesses selling Israeli products to be intimidation and 82% say that media bias against Israel fuels persecution of Jews in Britain.

The clear implication of this photograph is that all or most Muslims support Hitler's final solution 

These were loaded questions putting ideas in the heads of people in order to gain an answer. No attempt was made to put countervailing opinions to the audience. For example it would have been equally possible to put a question such as ‘Is it legitimate to boycott settlement goods in order to pressurise Israel into a political settlement?

Even the Jewish Chronicle of 14.1.15. poured cold water on these ‘findings’ with its own Survation poll.  JC poll reveals 88 per cent of British Jews have not considered leaving UK 

The CAA poll was junk but it had served to attract the headlines and make Jewish people feel more nervous about their position in this country.  Zionism is nothing if it isn’t based around the idea of getting Jews to feel insecure in their own country in order that they emigrate to Israel.

The CAA had an agenda and conducted an opinion poll with the intention of getting people to say what CAA wanted to hear.  As a letter from 33 Jewish people in the Guardian the following week made clear ‘Accusing critics of Israel and Zionism of antisemitism merely devalues the currency.’

The Institute of Jewish Policy Research’s ‘Researching antisemitism’ [14 Jan 2015] was damning in its criticisms of the CAA’s findings concerning Jewish attitudes.  It said:

 ‘unfortunately, the organisation’s survey about antisemitism is littered with flaws,… its work may even be rather irresponsible.’  It was ‘based on an open web survey that had very limited capacity to assess whether respondents were in any way representative of the British Jewish population. So the percentages quoted are of survey respondents, not of Jews in the UK. The findings might be representative of the Jewish community in some way, but it is at least equally likely that they are not. Unfortunately, due to quite basic methodological flaws and weaknesses, there is absolutely no way the researchers or any readers of the report can really know.

The CAA routinely fiddle their figures knowing that the lazy right-wing British press will never call them out

The IJPR stated that the claim in the report that “more than half of all British Jews feel that antisemitism now echoes the 1930s” verges into irresponsible territory – it is an incendiary finding, and there is simply no way to ascertain whether or not it is accurate.’ It conclusions were damning:  ‘Professional social researchers build credible surveys and analyse the data with an open mind; the CAA survey falls short both in terms of its methodology and its analysis.’ 

For the IJPR this was a damning criticism. Regarding the Yougov survey into the attitudes of British people, which the CAS tried to spin the JPR said this:

 ‘A far more accurate and honest read of the YouGov data would highlight the fact that between 75% and 90% of people in Britain either do not hold antisemitic views or have no particular view of Jews either way, and only about 4% to 5% of people can be characterised as clearly antisemitic when looking at individual measures of antisemitism.’

Which was somewhat different to the CAA claim that nearly half of British people were anti-Semitic.

Such is the CAA’s Islamaphobia that they even attacked  ‘Hope not Hate’ a group which had Ruth Smeeth MP as its Deputy Director. In an article Hope Not Hate condemns those who fight Islamist extremism the CAA attack HnH for its report on “The Counter-Jihad Movement: Anti-Muslim hatred from the margins to the mainstream”.

The CAA agree with those like Melanie Phillips who deny the very existence of anti-Muslim racism. They belong to the far-Right of politics and the so-called Equality and Human Rights Commission have swallowed their bait, hook, line and sinker.

Why the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism Cannot Be Trusted

There are three examples which prove, conclusively that the CAA are not an anti-racist but a pro-Zionist group.

This post accusing Jackie Walker of being a Holocaust justifier was quickly withdrawn once they realised that her quote was by Israel's first PM Ben Gurion!  The MSM never ever mention this and similar incidents!

1.         The Case of Jackie Walker

Jackie Walker is a Black-Jewish anti-racist activist, a former Vice-Chair of Momentum, who has been demonised by the Zionist movement.  Both the CAA and the Jewish Labour Movement, the other group involved in complaining to the EHRC are guilty of this.

On 7^th February the CAA put up a post Jackie Walker has now posted a text on Facebook which asks whether Hitler can be blamed for the the (sic!) Holocaust, and leaves open the possibility that he was justified.’  This was widely circulated on Twitter. What was this text?

‘If I were an Arab leader, I would never sign an agreement with Israel. It is normal.  We have taken their country. It is true G-d promised it to us, but how could that interest them? Our G-d is not theirs. There has been anti-Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz but was that their fault? They see but one thing: we have come and we have stolen their country. Why would they accept that?’

It is difficult to understand the mental gymnastics which led to the above statement being interpreted either as a denial of Hitler’s responsibility for the Holocaust still less Holocaust justification.

What the CAA did not realise was that the quote came from The Jewish Paradox by Nahum Goldmann, founder and first President of the World Jewish Congress and President of the World Zionist Organisation! He in turn was quoting David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister. Ben Gurion was responsible for the ethnic cleansing of ¾ million Palestinians but even he understood why the Palestinians rejected Zionism and their argument that what Hitler had done was not their fault. But to the CAA any attempt to understand the Palestinian or Arab point of view is anathema.

When they realised their mistake the CAA quickly removed the article. No apology was ever offered to Jackie Walker.

This viciously racist article went up on the CAA site and is still there - with Expel being highlighted in red and a deliberately dark background being chosen to make Malakha appear sinister

2.         Malaka Shwaikh Mohammed,

Malaka, a 26 year old Ph. D. Student at Exeter University was an ideal target for the CAA, despite her involvement in anti-fascist and anti-racist work. Malaka came from Gaza. She was traumatised by Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in 2014, when 66 of her family and friends were murdered.

The CAA engaged with Malaka in their normal courteous style. One post was headed Exeter students invite terrorist-supporting antisemite to reassure Jewish students after spate of antisemitism. It was accompanied by a video titled ‘Expel Malakha Schwaikh’. The CAA could only justify their attack on Malaka by quoting what she said out of context. 

The Mail and Express apologised to Malakha but not the racist CAA

The CAA harvested tweets and social media posts by Malakha, in particular one where she apparently said

‘If terrorism means protecting and defending my land, I am so proud to be called terrorist. What an honour for the Palestinians’

In fact this comment was a response to Malakha made by another student who was in conversation with her. As she explained:

these kind of statements by Palestinians in general are most commonly in response to efforts by Israel advocacy groups and the Israeli government to demonise and dehumanise Palestinians.

In other words when Palestinians are accused of being ‘terrorists’ for resisting Israel’s Occupation they respond that if resistance means that they are terrorists then so be it. That wasn’t an admission of terrorism still less anti-Semitism. This is a rhetorical figure of speech. The CAA’s accusations are political terrorism from McCarthy’s handbook.

The press, which on the back of CAA’s campaign, had maligned Malaka, realised their error. The Daily Express acknowleged its error and admitted that:

‘In fact this tweet was one of a series of tweets in which Ms. Shwaikh was quoting responses made to her in a conversation with a student.  

Following a complaint an investigation was undertaken by the Exeter Student’s Guild which cleared Malakha of any wrongdoing. The Daily Mail and Devon Live Radio printed similar retractions. The full story is told here Character Assassination as a Tool to Silence a Palestinian Woman, Statement by Malakah, 2 March 2017.

The CAA demonised and ridiculed a vulnerable female student. After a spate of antisemitic incidents at the University of Exeter, students decided to organise a protest march. Malakha was involved in this activity and was asked to speak, as a student who had herself experienced racism.  D chose to mock Malakha’s participation in the demonstration by casting aspersions on the Exeter student body:

They did what came naturally to them and asked Malaka Shwaikh, exposed by Campaign Against Antisemitism as a terrorist-supporting antisemite, to address the crowd and make Jewish students feel safe. Whilst professing an admirable desire for solidarity, Shwaikh took the opportunity not to renounce any of her views and to instead berate those “attacking” her as simply venting their “Islamophobic” prejudice.

Alone among her detractors the CAA hasn’t apologised for their despicable behaviour. It has simply moved on to denigrating other victims.

3.         Rowan Laxton

In 2009 Foreign Office diplomat Rowan Laxton was accused by Gideon Falter of having shouted out, whilst exercising by himself in a gym, ‘fucking Israelis, fucking Jews’ after having seen on a TV screen footage of an elderly Palestinian man killed by Israel in Gaza. Laxton, who is now Britain’s High Commissioner to the Republic of Cameroon, was prosecuted for using ‘"threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour …’ in a public place. The Police were not inclined to prosecute but Falter leaked it to the Daily Mail and this racist rag put the Police under pressure. Laxton was convicted at first instance by Westminster Magistrates Court and was suspended by the Foreign Office.

If Jews in England faced being unable to rent places because they were Jewish then they could cry 'antisemitism'

Laxton appealed to Southwark Crown Court who acquitted him of using the phrase ‘fucking Jews’. In other words Gideon Falter was a liar who had tried to ruin someone’s career for expressing their emotions about Israel’s attack on Gaza which killed 1,400 civilians including hundreds of children.  The death of Palestinians is not something which disturbs Falter in the slightest. As Professor Geoffrey Pullum noted in The diplomat, the bishop, the bomber, and the fruit bat the Daily Mail which reported the initial conviction did not report Laxton’s successful appeal. 

Despite some disagreements with this article by Ifnotnow(it uses some anti-Semitic tropes) the information in it is still invaluable. The CAA fiddles its statistics on anti-Semitism with gay abandon as Eve Mykytyn explains in her article ‘Exposing the Vigilantes’ in The Anti-Semitism Wars and Exposed! How Britain’s anti-Semitism Scaremongers Operate.

For example it bases its statistics on anti-Semitic incidents by using Freedom of information requests to Police Forces to search their files using key words such as ‘Jew’ despite being warned by the Northumbria force that not all mentions of the word ‘Jew’ were anti-Semitic incidents.  They also described the request as a ‘fishing expedition.’

The Jewish Labour Movement is the 'sister party' of the racist Israeli Labor Party

The other group involved in making the allegations of anti-Semitism is the Jewish Labour Movement.  This is a group, some 2,000 strong the majority of whose members are not Jewish. They are by their own admission the ‘sister party’ of the racist Israeli Labour Party.

This is the same racist party which, when Netanyahu decided to expel all 40,000 Black African refugees from Israel last year supported the  deportations. It is the party that expelled the Palestinian refugees and kept Israel’s Arab citizens under Military Rule for the first 18 years of Israel’s existence  It is a party which openly wants to segregate Arabs and Jews.  In other words it is a thoroughly racist group and it is noteworthy that when, on Channel 4 last night, Karl Sabbagh raised the question  of the JLM’s relationship to the ILP, that Mike Katz was forced to lie and claim the ILP was a fellow member of the Socialist International.  In fact it left because the SI now supports  BDS!

The JNF is quite open about the fact that it supports a Jewish rather than a democratic state and this is what Falter has signed up to

Gideon Falter himself is a Director of the JNF Charitable Trust.  This is a 'charity' which with JNF Israel owns 13% of all state land and administers another 80%.  Not only has it been used to plant forests on Palestinian villages raised to the ground but to this day will not lease or rent its property to non-Jews. In other words it is a thoroughly racist body.  When Israel's Supreme Court, in the Kadaan case (now reversed through legislation) made it illegal to refuse to lease property to Arabs the JNF complained bitterly that 

'A survey commissioned by KKL-JNF reveals that over 70% of the Jewish population in Israel opposes allocating KKL-JNF land to non-Jews, while over 80% prefer the definition of Israel as a Jewish state, rather than as the state of all its citizens.

So the Equalities and Human Rights Commission is conducting an investigation into racism in the Labour Party at the request of 2 racist groups! It doesn't look promising.

Tony Greenstein

For more reading about the CAA see:

http://azvsas.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/the-campaign-against-anti-semitism.html

http://azvsas.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/exclusive-lifting-lid-on-campaign.html

http://azvsas.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/more-false-allegations-of-anti-semitism.html

https://azvsas.blogspot.com/2018/05/over-5000-people-sign-petition-saying.html

VICTORY as the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism Fails to Intimidate Change.org into Taking Down Petition

EXCLUSIVE: The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism Accuses Jackie Walker of Holocaust Denial

Fake Zionist ‘charity’ Campaign Against Anti-Semitism targets female Palestinian student from Gaza

The Racist 'Campaign Against Anti-Semitism' Fails in its Attempt to cancel Palestine Expo 17

Stirring up hatred – CAA exonerates the far-Right and blames Anti-Zionists and Muslims for anti-Semitism

Fake Charity ‘Campaign Against “AntiSemitism” ’ Attacks Tony Greenstein - Author of Petition to Charity Commission

Bogus Zionist ‘Charity’ Attacks Labour Candidates as ‘Anti-Semitic’

The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism Smears Veteran Israeli Anti-Zionist Professor Moshe Machover

Fake Zionist 'charity' the Campaign Against 'Anti-Semitism' is Supported by Daily Mail

Have They No Shame? Whilst his body is still warm – Fake ‘Anti-Semitism’ Charity Continues to Defame Gerald Kaufmann's Memory

Fake Charity 'Campaign Against Anti-Semitism' Runs Scared that it will lose its 'Charitable' Tax Advantages

Fake Zionist ‘charity’ Campaign Against Anti-Semitism targets female Palestinian student from Gaza

CAA’s Falsely Alleges that Malaka Mohammed supports terrorism and ‘anti-Semitism’ 

Sign the petition to deregister Campaign Against Anti-Semitism as a charity

There is nothing that the fake ‘Campaign Against Anti-Semitism’ charity’ likes to do than to bully and harass someone who is vulnerable.  The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism twisted and distorted what Malaka Mohammed has said, in tweets over a year old in order to portray as racist , a victim of Israel’s racist and murderous regime.

Malia Bouattia is the latest target of the racist Campaign Against Anti-semitism as it attacks Malaka as a 'terrorist'

The target is a 26 year old PhD student at Exeter University.  Malaka lost 66 members of her family in Israel’s murderous attack on Gaza in 2014, the so-called Operation Protective Edge.  The CAA has, since it was founded in August 2014, continuously smeared and libelled opponents of Zionism and Israel’s murderous and racist regime as anti-Semitic.  Its targets have ranged from the leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, to the late Sir Gerald Kaufman and myself.

What is the evidence that Malaka is an anti-Semite?  Has she accused Jews of being blood suckers interested only in money, of having undesirable social and sexual traits, stereotyped them as rich and powerful, accused them of killing non-Jewish children for religious rituals (the ‘blood libel’) or called for physical attacks on them?  Of course she has neither said nor done any of these things.

The CAA's disgusting posts attacking Malaka

When a swastika was carved into a student door at Exeter University and a ‘rights for whites’ sticker was put up on campus, Malaka organised a demonstration against racism and fascism.  But you would never know this from the tirade of lies that the CAA puts up on its website.

The CAA admitted that ‘After a spate of antisemitic incidents at the University of Exeter, students decided to organise a protest march. They did what came naturally to them and asked Malaka Shwaikh, exposed by Campaign Against Antisemitism as a terrorist-supporting antisemite, to address the crowd and make Jewish students feel safe. Whilst professing an admirable desire for solidarity, Shwaikh took the opportunity not to renounce any of her views and to instead berate those “attacking” her as simply venting their “Islamophobic” prejudice.’

Perhaps there was nothing to renounce and perhaps the ‘exposure’ by the CAA consisted of nothing but smears and lies?  After all, why would students ask a ‘terrorist-supporting anti-Semite’ to address them if the CAA’s lies were true?

The CAA posted a video made in a style which Leni Refenstahl, the Nazi producer of Triumph of the Will would have been proud of.  It had dramatic martial music, the sound of explosions and a scary voiceover attacking Malakha.  Included on this video was Malaka addressing the said students, in a passioned speech against racism that was met with whoops and cries.  Clearly it was yet another lie of the CAA to say that she ‘berated’ those present.

Another vile CAA post attacking Malaka warning of the perils of democratic 

What really concerned the despicable Zionist propagandists of the CAA is Malakha’s consistency, her opposition to racism and with it what Israel has done to her people, the Palestinians. 

A good example of the way that the CAA twisted and distorted what Malaka said was in their article 

‘IT JUST GETS WORSE AS EXETER STUDENTS’ GUILD VICE PRESIDENT IS “PROUD TO BE CALLED TERRORIST” 

The CAA print all their titles in capitals, the Internet equivalent of shouting – because shouting is what the CAA is best at.

Malaka (the CAA call her ‘Shwaikh, a name that she doesn’t use so as to avoid problems for her family)  tweeted in 2015: “If terrorism means protecting and defending my land, I am so proud to be called terrorist. What an honour for the Palestinians!”  The CAA use Malaka’s family name because it is their intention to try and ensure that further Israeli repression falls on Malaka’s family.

The key word here, which CAA purports not to understand, is the word ‘if’ which is the conditional.  True Zionists aren’t the brightest of sparks but there is nothing in her statement which justifies terrorism.  What she said was that if defending and protecting her land was terrorism, then she would be happy to be called one.  In other words, what she is saying is that the legitimate right of an occupied and oppressed people to defend themselves against the occupier is not terrorism.

It is a sophisticated argument, which obviously causes CAA some difficulty.  When you are in business to distort facts and engaged in the ‘art’ of smearing and defaming people, then subtlety and sophistication go out the window.  Complex arguments are not what Zionism’s propagandists and smear merchants are into.  It’s like a Frenchman during the war responding to Nazi accusations of ‘terrorism’ by saying that if defending themselves against fascism was terrorism then so be it.

The CAA’s real concern was that Malaka was ‘about to become Vice President of the Students’ Guild’.  The idea of Palestinians being elected to a student union position is too much for the racists that make up the CAA.

Even worse Malaka tweeted that “The shadow of the Holocaust continues to fall over us from the continuous Israeli occupation of Palestine to the election of Trump”. 

What can possibly be racist about this?  Drawing lessons from the Holocaust is the best way one can pay tribute to those who were murdered.  Ah but Malaka also claimed that “Zionist ideology is no different than that of Hitler’s”.  Well there are many similarities between Zionism and Nazi ideology, just as there are between Nazism and other racist and colonial ideologies.  The belief in racial superiority, building a state based on only one exclusive ethnicity (Aryan vs Jewish) is common to both Nazism and Zionism.  There are many other similarities between Zionism and Nazism in the way it views the untermenschen.

It is a widespread fallacy that Nazism was only about the Holocaust but the Nazi regime lasted from 1933-1945, the Holocaust took place from 1941 onwards.  For the first years of the Nazi  regime, from 1933-39  much of the British press was extremely supportive of the regime.  The Daily Mail and Express supported much of what Hitler did.  The Times under Geoffrey Dawson refused to print criticism’s of Hitler’s anti-Semitism.

The fact is that many Jews and Israelis have made comparisons with the Nazis.  Malaka wrote that “Hitler did his deed and the Palestinians had to pay for it.”   Apparently this too is anti-Semitic.  Not only is the CAA nasty and vindictive, but their racist Chairman, Gideon Falter, is not only spiteful and malicious but stupid too. 

The CAA posted an article saying that Jackie Walker had posted text saying that Hitler wasn't to blame for the Holocaust.  In fact the quotation below was from Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion!

This 'Hitler justifying quotation' was from David Ben-Gurion, quoted in the autobiography La Paradox Juif (the Jewish Paradox) of Nahum Goldman, President of the World Zionist Organisation and the World Jewish Congress

It was not long ago that the CAA accused Jackie Walker of being anti-Semitic on the basis of a quotation from Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion.  The reason being that Ben Gurion had said that the Palestinians could hardly be blamed for the anti-Semitism of the Nazis, even though they were paying the price.  When the CAA found out who they were accusing of making anti-Semitic statements, they deleted the post, but not before we took a screenprint.  Ben Gurion’s statement was:

‘Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have taken their country. Sure God promised it to us, but what does that matter to them? Our God is not theirs. We come from Israel, but two thousand years ago, and what is that to them? There has been antisemitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They only see one thing: we have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that?

The CAA asserted that  ‘according to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is antisemitic.’  If that is so (the IHRA definition isn’t so categorical, it says ‘might be anti-Semitic’) then the definition is wrong.  But the CAA believe that anything they disagree with is automatically anti-Semitic, which is why they accuse so many people of being anti-Semites.

Saying that the shadow of the Holocaust continues to fall over us simply means that the racism of the Nazis still continues in one form or another.  Quite why this is anti-Semitic, even accorded to the polluted channels of Gideon Falter’s mind is baffling.  But Falter is nothing if not a dishonest cutter and paster, because as Malakha says below, this was a follow-up to a tweet which stated that “the Holocaust was one of the bleakest chapters in the history of the 20th century”.  Perhaps the latter was also anti-Semitic?   The CAA found it more convenient not to mention it.

Like the Police State organisation that they are, the CAA boast that they have appealed to Exeter University to expel Malakha, thus demonstrating that they hold freedom of speech and thought in utter contempt.  They inform us that

‘Disgracefully, the University of Exeter has told Campaign Against Antisemitism that it “cannot comment on individual cases.” We are not so easily deterred.’ 

What can possibly be disgraceful in refusing to comment to a group that has no business interfering in the internal politics of Exeter University to begin with?

CAA were even more put out that Malaka had received ‘the glowing endorsement of Malia Bouattia, the President of the National Union of Students’.  As Malia is another Black woman who has been the target of the CAA for ‘anti-Semitism’ one can understand their discomfort! 

Character assassination as a tool to silence a Palestinian activist

Malaka Mohammed on March 4, 2017 

Malaka Shwaikh (Photo credit: Jeremy Abrahams)

The past month has been an incredibly difficult time as I have had to endure an apparent organised campaign against me, a 26-year-old student. The campaign hinges around a false belief that I am a racist and is designed to silence and punish me for my Palestinian activism. Not only have I been smeared, but my work in anti-racism, including recently co-organising a march against anti-Semitism, has been completely ignored as clearly it does not fit the narrative used to discredit me and my activism for Palestine.

Signs posted around Exeter campus announcing Anti-Facist March, co-organized by Malaka Shwaikh, in response to racist vandalism on campus including a swastika carved into a door. Photo Credit: The Tab

I have been subjected to bullying, harassment, threats, and serious defamation of character. There have been multiple articles written about me including one by an Exeter student for the Times of Israel in which I am called a terrorist supporter. I do not need to explain how serious this is in the current global atmosphere of Islamophobia.

These attempts at character assassination are part and parcel against those involved in the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality. As I will show below, there is no truth in them whatsoever.

Malaka Shwaikh addressing the Lammeh Conference, Istanbul Feb. 25, 2017.

However the point of these attacks is not to determine the truth, but rather to bully those who speak up for Palestinian rights, in order to scare others away from Palestinian activism.

The ‘evidence’ used to smear me is largely based on my tweets, taken entirely out of context and manipulated to create the worst possible picture of me. Most of these tweets were posted back in 2012–2015 and have previously been brought to discredit me in other institutions.

For example, my tweet on Holocaust Memorial Day:

“The shadow of the Holocaust continues to fall over us from the continuous Israeli occupation of Palestine to the election of Trump”

was a follow-up to a tweet where I said:

“the Holocaust was one of the bleakest chapters in the history of the 20th century”

Both tweets are inter-linked and cannot be separated. I have never denied the horrific crime of the Holocaust that was inflicted upon the Jewish people and others, neither have I ever made light of it. The tweet in question was referring to how following this genocide in Europe, and in an attempt at making amends, European powers supported a settler colonial project which would see Palestine wiped off the map. The message of the tweet was that Palestinians have been made to pay for a genocide that was committed in Europe. The tweet prior to that recognized undoubtedly the horrors of the Holocaust. 140-character tweets are not enough to elaborate on the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but my social media audience usually has a strong contextual background. Conveniently the first tweet was ignored by these media outlets that have been attacking me.

Three tweets from the 8th February 2013 were inserted by a hack. The tweets follow the same format and content, and they were all tweeted in a short space of time. I also had other social media accounts hacked at some other time. As soon as I saw these tweets, I removed them, changed all of my passwords and took further security measures for my social media accounts. It is very common for social media accounts of Palestine solidarity activists to be hacked in this way and the false content used to smear.

Without understanding the wider context, the ‘terrorist’ tweet:

“If terrorism means protecting and defending my land, I am so proud to be called terrorist”

Posted in January 2015, it may appear as a radical statement that could raise serious concerns at both the University of Exeter and its Students’ Guild. However, it is my honest belief, and as I will attempt to explain, these kind of statements by Palestinians in general, and me in this instance, are most commonly in response to efforts by Israel advocacy groups and the Israeli government to demonize and dehumanize Palestinians. This is done by using the emotive dog whistle by Israeli descriptors of ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism’ whenever referring to the ‘Arab’ population. Palestinians who throw stones in response to Israeli soldiers invading their villages are labelled violent thugs, rioters and terrorists. Palestinians who nonviolently protest the illegal occupation are portrayed as violent individuals who terrorize Israeli Jews. Practically any Palestinian who resists the Israeli occupation and its plethora of human rights violations, war crimes and serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law is stigmatized in this way. It is absolutely vital to understand the wider issues before making a judgement on that particular tweet. So far the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism (CAA) has not demonstrated anywhere that I condone or support violence against civilians in any way — nor for that matter have they produced any evidence that I have incited violence towards anybody, since clearly I have not. How this particular tweet has anything to do with anti-Semitism is beyond me — this connection also wasn’t explained by the CAA in any of their publications or communications.

Other social media posts that have been brought up by individuals attempting to discredit me were written between 2012–2015. During these years, the Gaza Strip was still devastated by heavy Israeli bombing campaigns, as well as subjected to a heinous Israeli military attack in 2014 in which over 2000 Palestinian civilians were killed. As a Palestinian from Gaza, during these years I experienced trauma and devastation that I would not wish on anyone. Many family members, friends and neighbours of mine were killed by the Israeli Army. My posts were written in an incredibly emotional state when my very existence and that of my loved ones were in danger.

Like most people, as I gain more life experience, I express myself differently and all these posts if written today would reflect this.

Attacks published against Malaka Shwaikh accusing her of anti-Semitism directly prior to Exeter University Students’ Guild elections did not deter the student body from electing her to various positions, including member of the trustee board (for the 2nd year), as well as National Union Student delegate.

I believe the attacks against me have been an attempt to defame my character, particularly as a Palestine activist and as a Muslim woman. It is no coincidence that they coincide with my election to various positions in Exeter University Students’ Guild.

Current NUS president Malia Bouattia faced similar, if not worse, attacks when she ran for and won her position. This pattern of attacks against Muslim women of colour who are elected into positions of power serves to silence and exclude us and demonstrates that racism is not a thing of the past, it continues to infiltrate our institutions at all levels.

Richard Brook, Vice President of the UK’s National Union of Students (NUS) was filmed covertly by Al Jazeera admitting to conspiring to oust NUS President Malia Bouattia, as part of a sting operation involving the Israeli embassy. Working in “secret” with Michael Rubin, Parliamentary Officer for the Labour Friends of Israel(LFI) and Russell Langer, campaign director for Union of Jewish Students (UJS). (Screenshot: MEMO)

I should also point out that these unfounded charges against me will certainly have an effect on my freedom of movement. Countries do not need much of an excuse to refuse visas to Muslims and a simple google search of me reveals many of these inflammatory and abusive articles calling me an anti-Semite and a terrorist. The fact that mainstream media has, in an extremely one-sided way to date, reiterated these untruths gives further weight to the slurs and defamation. It will also have serious implications when I return to Gaza — threats have already been sent to my family back home. Gaza is under siege by Israel and all movement in and out is controlled by the Israeli military occupation making it highly likely that they will not let me out again, that is if I ever manage to get back in.

One of several signs posted around Exeter campus announcing the Anti-Facist March, in response to racist vandalism on campus including a swastika carved into a door. Photo Credit: The Tab

Even this current horrendous attack will not stop me continuing fighting against all forms of racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia. My activism for Palestine is not contradictory to, but indeed is totally compatible with fighting against all forms of racism. In fact the struggle for Palestinian human rights is part of a struggle against racism and for all human rights globally. My commitment to equality will guide me in my newly elected positions as Trustee, NUS delegate and VP Postgraduate Research. I will represent all students equally regardless of their faith, or none, race, gender and sexual orientation.

“Rights for Whites” (Photo Credit: Susannah Keogh/ Exeposé)

Just last week, I co-organised a march with my friends in Exeter University against fascism in response to a swastika and a “Rights for Whites” notice that were found in halls of residence earlier in February. The march was an attempt to send a clear message to all those whom these racist attacks were intended to incite against, including all my Jewish colleagues and friends, that you will never be alone. We stand in solidarity with you and we will defend you. A few weeks earlier, I co-organised the largest protest in Exeter in twenty years against the USA Muslim travel ban (My name is Malaka Mohammed in both articles — I have not used my family name ‘Shwaikh’ previously since this can have serious consequences to the safety of my family back home in Gaza because they are under Israeli military occupation and siege). However, conveniently, my role in organising these protests has never been mentioned by the Campaign Against Antisemitism. I have been attacked, threatened, and bullied throughout without a single attempt to clarify with me the true facts. After I changed my Twitter username @MalakaMohammed, it was hijacked in an attempt to discredit me even more (my current Twitter username is @MalakaShwaikh).

The attacking media defamed me without even seeking my response, denying me the right to reply. While in Gaza Israel used its military arsenal and now in the UK I’m targeted by the media. Every tweet, post and comment I ever said is sifted through in search for ammunition to tarnish my reputation and silence me. With all these resources going into what I said, or didn’t, the attacking media showed no appetite to find out my thoughts and beliefs. For example, as a campaigner for justice and equality I believe in a One-State Solution, a state that is based on equality and justice for all regardless of their ethnicity, political identity, religious beliefs or none. But this is really what Israel fears, a solution with equal rights for all the people, without apartheid. The reality is that Israel imposes apartheid even against the Palestinians with Israeli citizenship.

Why are the CAA and so much media dedicated to attacking me? Is it because I’m a Palestinian woman from Gaza daring to speak out and enjoying the respect of many? It’s natural that we Palestinians resist the Israeli occupation and oppression, like in all struggles for freedom. This is why I support the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), which is modeled on the boycott campaign against apartheid South Africa. BDS is a human rights based campaign, to bring non-violent international pressure on Israel to abide by international law. As governments have failed to push for justice, people of conscience are supporting BDS, including Israelis and people across the world.

On the other hand, the media has shown little interest in scrutinizing the Campaign against Antisemitism (CAA) — an organization with a large credibility gap, which is currently facing serious complaints. There is also a national petition against the Campaign. It is a great pity that the CAA act in this way, because at this time especially, we need a proper campaign against anti-Semitism, rather than a group which seeks to defend Israel by attacking its critics by falsely accusing them of anti-Semitism.

I’m inspired by the letter of support signed by over 130 students’ leaders and PhD researchers at Exeter University in solidarity with me:

“Following the recent defamation, attacks, and threats that our new VP research postgrad has received based on 140-character tweets posted some four years ago, mistranslated and taken out of context, we, the postgraduate and wider student community in Exeter, wish to show our support and solidarity with Malaka.”

Shwaikh is a popular inspirational Palestinian human rights speaker who has addressed international audiences in close to 100 cities about her experiences in activism, anti-racism, BDS, and the power and influence of women and youth.

This article was originally posted on Medium.

Letter of support for Malaka Shwaikh following the recent attacks, threats, and defamation

To be forwarded to the University of Exeter and the Exeter Guild of Students:

Following the recent defamation, attacks, and threats that our new VP research postgrad has received based on 140-character tweets posted some four years ago, mistranslated and taken out of context, we, the postgraduate and wider student community in Exeter, wish to show our support and solidarity with Malaka. Some of us have known Malaka since she came to Exeter some two years ago; during that time, she has been a non-stop activist fighting all forms of racism, from Islamophobia to antisemitism. She has been a loud voice against discrimination and bigotry for a long time. As a Palestinian herself, she has been touring the world to speak up for justice and to defend the Palestinian right to freedom, justice and equality. We firmly believe that seeking justice for and defending the rights of Palestinians is important. Smears of antisemitism to counter this and digging up tweets from several years ago and taking them out of context are disingenuous. We in the student community can disagree and still respect each other, unless our disagreement is rooted in oppression and denial of basic human rights.

We are calling on the University and the Guild to:

•       Recognise that fighting for justice in Palestine and the Palestinians does not equal antisemitism.

•       Publish a statement in solidarity with Malaka against all the attacks and threats and defend her as a student, activist, trustee, and an elected member of the Guild.

•       Guarantee legal protection for Malaka including against the calls to have her deported.

Signatories:

Postgraduate students:

Yara Hawwari - PhD student, fourth year

Ayat Hamdan, PhD student, second year

Lamees Felemban, MA student, second year

Rama Sahtout, PhD student, fourth year

Francesco Amoruso, PhD student, second year

Niklas Haller, PhD student, second year

Charlotte Sefton, PhD student, second year

Sylvia A, PhD student, second year

Hanadi H, PhD student, fourth year

Gabriel Polley, PhD student, first year

Schluwa Sama, PhD student, first year

Mohammad Affan, PhD student, first year

Richard Wilson, PhD student, second year

Raafat S, PhD student, first year

Aparna Mahiyaria, PhD student, second year

Daniya J, PhD student, second year

Yaar Paretz, PhD student, second year

Ana Castillo, PhD student, third year

Mohammed A. PhD student, second year

Sinibaldo De Rosa, PhD student

Veronica Garbarini, PhD student

Stephen Nutt, PhD student

Andrea Battistello, PhD student

Zhala Khader, PhD student

Alexander McDonald, PhD student

Zubir Ahmed, PhD student

Jihad Mashamoun, PhD student

Geradus Johannes Hoetjes, PhD student

Hussein AlAhmad, PhD student, second year

Jana Mechurova, PhD student

Megan Pallagrass, PhD student

Monica Ronchi, PhD student

Isobel Kingscott, PhD student

Marta Marsano, PhD student

Nikusha Naridashvili, PhD student, 66005259

Kate Holmes, PhD student

Giorgia Ferrari, PhD student

Bogdan Nicolae Brebeanu, PhD student

Asier Arrate Irusquieta, PhD student

Vito Morisco, PhD student

Francesco Bentivegna, PhD student

Becca Savory Fuller, PhD student

Rachel Khaled, MA student, second year

Ahmed al-Kinani, MA student, second year

Enrica Fei, PhD student, 650001645

Asma Char, PhD student, first year

Omenya Nabil Muhammad, PhD student, second year

Allan Hassaniyan, PhD student

Kubra Irmak, MSC Student, 660037613

Ahcene Adjeb, Postgraduate Student, 660061860

Emine Enise Yakar, Phd student, third year

Sumeyra Yakar, PhD student, third year

Tessa Crossley, Masters student, 610028200

Cagkan Ozturk, Masters student, 660061490

Marcel Goltan, Masters student

Zaynab Z, PhD student, fourth year

Mohammad Sabbah, PhD student, fourth year

Adam Hogan, PhD student, first year

Officers-elect and societies’ members

Katalina Karamani, VP welfare elect, the Students’ Guild

Tessa Crossley, postgraduate taught officer, the Students’ Guild

Cameron Rose, Society executive for Political, Campaigning and Causes

Charlotte O'Halloran, NUS delegate elect

Aida Magluba, Trustee Board, the Students’ Guild

Hayden Cooper, Socialist Society, 640007627

Victoria Amanfo, Feminist Society

Habib Rahman, Islamic Society President

Lizzie Harman, 640039969, Amnesty Society and the World Music Choir

Eaindra Cho, Debating Society and Feminist Society

Mayassa Hamdan, Islamic Society 650019791

Mateo Peyrouzet, Spanish Society

Alejo Black, Socialist students

Clare Engenio Smyth 630014478, Creative Writing Society

Arwa Al rashdi, 660058194, Omani Society

Loucha Hmd, Palestine Society

Aaron Moreno, 650045055

Charlotte O’Halloran, fourth year

Sanghyuk Kwon 660020074

Guler Cansu Agoren 610045537

Ana Al Muedo

Rebcca Fraser 560008896

Francesco Orlandi 660057204

Alyette Tritsch 660043494

Eceaytan Ani Kiziltan 650059271

Lelloucha Hamadache 650055729

Waheed Ahmed 650009992

Hasan Sukkar 660054395

Nada Wefati 650040972

Nikusha, 660052591

Ellen Boivin 630001616

Hana Elias 640053403

Calgar Karaca 640057702

Ines Fernandez 660053220

Muna Buhari, 650054921

Hasan Sukkar, 660054395

Tayyib Mubashar, 640007402

Iqra Ali, 650041047

Zohrah Khan, 630007836

Haroon Bilal Khan, 640029099

Abdulhamid Shaker, 650040697

Mubashir Siddiqui, r 640002203

Mahera Al-Mahmood, 650023808

Liala Abdelrahman, 650013179

Ammarah Fattani, 650055622

Nada Wefati, 650040972

Asha Hassan, 650008454

Dalia Al-Saadi, 650006838

Reyhane Mousavi, 650045389

Andrea Battistello 660056202

Giselle Garcia 660058039

Jiwon Choi 630046839

Giusy Urbano 630042425

Davide Scarpignato 640010667

Theodore French 640010667

Caterina Versari 640050377 Irene Ivanaj 650043027

Owen Fagundes 630004276

Muhammet Saygi 660033837

Salah Ouadi 630058307

Candace Bansair 640037470

Sofia Miah 650006692

Sophie Thompason Smith 630005013

Aaron Moreno 650045055

Rebecca Broad 630003766

Mohammed Kareem 610019596

Saimah Afzal 650006973

Rena Almosaiwi 650006977

Elizabeth Burrell 640027216

Elisabet Goernitz 660062297

Daniel Barrio Martinex 686327996

Elliot Delahaye 630007112

Whitney Little 650018688

Hyoshin Kim 660057657

Matt Hoare 650014246