{UAH} UK council refused to host Palestinian event over antisemitism fears

Semuwemba/ Mayimuna/ Afuwa/ Frank Mujabi,

Do you see how this so-called anti-semitism debate in the Labour Party is affecting the work of its councils and wasting precious time over nonsense? Jews want to patent suffering, and I find this very obnoxious. Nobody in the Labour Party is anti-semitic. But the Jews want an end to the official  criticism of Israel by the Labour party. They disagree with our policy on Zionism, which is that Zionism is a virulent form of Fascism similar to Apartheid and Nazism. Now Tower Hamlets Council, the borough with the largest muslim population in the UK, and which is led by a local council whose cabinet is made up of mainly muslims, is forced to cancel an event for Palestinian children because jews do not want it to take place. This is ridiculous. But the Palestinians also must do us a favour- those of us who support their cause-  by removing Islam completely as their central demand. They must return to their original cause- the struggle for Self Determination,- and consign Islam to the mosque and the bedroom.

Bobby

UK council refused to host Palestinian event over antisemitism fears

Tower Hamlets officials did not divulge real reason for turning down Big Ride for Palestine

Damien Gayle

 @damiengayle

Sat 3 Aug 2019 07.00 BSTLast modified on Sat 3 Aug 2019 07.33 BST

Shares

849

 Medics treat Palestinian children suffering from teargas inhalation. The Big Ride for Palestine says it focuses on helping the 300,000 children in Gaza showing signs of severe psychological distress. Photograph: Dusan Vranic/AP

Officials at a London council that refused to host a charity event in aid of Palestinian children did not tell the organisers the decision was based on fears their criticism of Israel could breach antisemitism guidelines, internal emails have revealed.

The exchanges among officials at Tower Hamlets council also reveal they thought the event should be turned down, in part because of the row over antisemitism in the Labour party.

The council told The Big Ride for Palestine, which has raised nearly £150,000 for sports equipment for children in Gaza since 2015, that the event's "political connotations" meant that the closing rally of this year's bike ride could not go ahead in the borough "without problems".

 We must talk about Palestine – without being antisemitic

Layla Moran

 

Read more

Officials told organisers there was a risk speakers might express views which contradicted the council's policies on community cohesion and equality.

Behind the scenes, council staff raised fears of a "real risk" that the event and its organisers could be seen to have breached the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism because of references on their website to apartheid and ethnic cleansing. One official said there were concerns "not least because of the recent furour [sic] within the Labour party over Anti Semitism [sic]".

Advertisement

When considering how to explain the decision, one council official said it would be wise to "avoid the anti Semitism aspect ref their website as this could open a can of worms and come back to bite us". There was no reference to antisemitism in the email to the event's organisers.

The internal emails, released after a freedom of information request by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, revealed the council attempted to assess the Big Ride website according to the rubric of the controversial IHRA definition.

The emails showed concern among council officials over quotes on the Big Ride website that described the Israeli treatment of Palestinians as ethnic cleansing and drew parallels between Israeli policies and apartheid-era South Africa.

One section of the website said: "Active opposition to the crimes of the Israeli state is a responsibility, just as opposition to South African apartheid was a moral and political imperative for many", while another said: "It's blatantly obvious to recognise the parallels between Apartheid South Africa and the state of Israel ... This is an Israeli issue, not a Jewish one, many Jewish friends oppose this oppression."

Guardian Today: the headlines, the analysis, the debate - sent direct to you

 

Read more

Elsewhere, the ride was described as a protest "against 67 years of Israeli ethnic cleansing".

The controversial IHRA definition warns "claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour" constitutes antisemitism. It grew in prominence after the Labour party adopted a version that excluded some examples included in the original text.

The party ultimately adopted the full definition, alongside a statement specifying that nothing in it should "undermine freedom of expression on Israel or the rights of Palestinians".

Critics say the definition potentially conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with racism. Its supporters view it as a means of helping organisations assess subtler forms of antisemitic abuse.

The emails show council staff had already decided the event could be refused on the grounds it was "controversial and sensitive" before calling on colleagues to check it against IHRA criteria.

After looking at the text of the website, an official, whose name was redacted from the released emails, wrote: "It seems therefore, that although the application form raises no issues, the contents of their website does raise the risk that the event will fall foul of the position the council has adopted."

In a separate email, the council's head of sports, leisure and culture said she felt the event should be refused because "the council has recently adopted the [IHRA] definition of antisemitism and there are concerns about the content of the organisation's website with regard to this".

The head of parks, Stephen Murray, suggested avoiding explaining the reasons behind the refusal in any reply to Big Ride organisers because of concerns that it would open "a can of worms".

A Tower Hamlets council spokesperson told the Guardian: "The council gave the application careful consideration and decided not to host the event, because we do not host rallies with political connotations, albeit without direct links to political parties."

A spokesperson for the charity said its work was focused on helping the 300,000 children in Gaza showing signs of severe psychological distress. The spokesperson added: "It's a dreadful thing when an over-scrupulous interpretation of the IHRA definition of antisemitism is used behind closed doors to prevent awareness raising of the situation in Palestine and the need for humanitarian support."

--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Ugandans at Heart (UAH) Community" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ugandans-at-heart/CAMs%3D6-wYNTmucaDg4cJE7gAou%3DZvwghs%2Bvn_q8nagJaj6o2BhQ%40mail.gmail.com.