Respect and antisemitism

Socialist Worker is the newspaper of the principal constituent organisation for which the Respect 'Coalition' (a coalition only in the sense that it throws together secular and theocratic advocates of totalitarianism) is an electoral front. In this week's issue an author called Michael Rosen writes of "Antisemitism accusations - an attempt to smear anti-Zionists into silence". He attempts to demonstrate that a sober Report of the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism, published this week, "blurred the distinction between antisemitism and anti-Zionism".

Rosen's is a somewhat imprudent and self-defeating venture, as it turns out that on his own account Socialist Worker itself promotes antisemitism. Here is what he says (emphasis added):

What is curious here is that, in my experience, if people both hate Jews and the state of Israel then they say so. One of the classic forms of antisemitism is to say that “the Jews” are in a “conspiracy” to take over the world, or that they are running the world.

Sometimes, they may say there’s a “Zionist” conspiracy to run the world - but that’s hardly a cunning disguise for a hatred of Jews.

Within this bit of conspiracy theory is the antisemitic idea that “the Jews” or “Israel” or “Zionists” run the US. Again, the people who believe this say so.

Here is what a well known jazz musician and anti-Israel polemicist called Gilad Atzmon said in an article entitled "On Antisemitism", dated 20 December 2003 and posted on his web site:

[W]e must begin to take the accusation that the Jewish people are trying to control the world very seriously.... American Jewry makes any debate on whether the 'Protocols of the elder of Zion' are an authentic document or rather a forgery irrelevant. American Jews do try to control the world, by proxy. So far they are doing pretty well for themselves at least.

Here is the same passage, as artfully doctored by its author (or by an agent with access to his web site) in the last few weeks, since I last checked his wording:

[W]e must begin to take the accusation that Zionists are trying to control the world very seriously.... American Jewry makes any debate on whether the 'Protocols of the elder of Zion' are an authentic document or rather a forgery irrelevant. American Jews (in fact Zionists) do control the world.. So far they are doing pretty well for themselves at least.

Here is how Socialist Worker described Atzmon's message in an article entitled "Gilad Atzmon: 'Zionism is my enemy'", 5 June 2004:

Gilad Atzmon wanders on stage in Brighton tugging on a customary cigarette. "Smoking kills," he announces. "But Blair kills more." On clarinet or saxophone, Gilad is now among the top UK-resident jazz musicians, winning awards and plaudits from all corners. Last year his Exile album won both the Radio 3 and Time Out awards for jazz album of the year.

But Gilad's fearless tirades against Zionism — the ideology behind the Israeli state — have cost him in terms of lost gigs and constant vigilance about personal security.

Socialist Worker was indeed so taken with such "fearless tirades against Zionism" as that the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion accurately describes the state of modern America that it pointed out to readers of the article where they could hear more:

Gilad Atzmon will speak and perform on Tuesday 13 July at the Marxism 2004 festival and conference in London. You can find out more about his life and work at his website, www.gilad.co.uk.

You certainly can.

Atzmon's views were so congenial to the audience at the Socialist Workers' Party's 'Marxism 2004' jamboree, that the peerless racist crank was invited back the next year. And the next.

I'm sure they went together like a horse and carriage.