This “Rogues Gallery” lists those who’ve been charged with anti-Semitism for doing nothing wrong. To get your name added, email postmaster@roseburn32.plus.com So far we have:
Pam Bromley
Pam is a Rossendale Borough Councillor and was suspended from the LP in March 2017 on allegations of anti-Semitism social media posts and a variety of comments on different topics with which, it is alleged, she is bringing to LP into disrepute and damaging its electoral prospects locally.
See the charge sheet which contains 3 items out of the original however many it was. She is not sure what has happened to the rest , which you can see here.
Pam has been waiting since June 2017 for her SAR (Subject Access Request: this request requires the recipient body to disclose all data it holds on you). The ICO told the LP again at the beginning of December to supply it, but she is still waiting. So Pam’s investigation starts without her knowing what they have got on file, yet she is asked to submit a written response by 28 January.
She argues that the accusations are absurd. She says “What I said in points 1 and 2 was the opposite of anti-Semitic. Based on conjecture, not facts, the Investigator claimed there were hidden meanings in my statement, without any proof or evidence at all. It is simply made up to suit the charges. I am getting Jewish friends who I’ve known for up to 45 years to affirm to the LP that I do not hold anti-Semitic or racist views. I’m also getting colleagues in the LP to be character witnesses.”
“The 3rd point they have raised actually criticises the Tories for their undemocratic methods – as you will see I am expressing concern that the Tories had troops on the streets of Manchester just before an election: look at what’s happened since. That does not suggest I am less interested in the human cost – as a Mancunian myself I was very bothered about it.”
“The rest of the screen prints they’ve been on about contain a whole load of nonsense from discussing the theories of Karl Marx to repeating what the Press said about, and quoting Chris Williamson. Their questions with the screen shots and my replies are in Compliance Qs and As.”
“The case has taken 9 months to get to this stage, during which time I couldn’t attend Labour Group or LP meetings or canvass. So effectively a Labour councillor not allowed to engage in anything – how does that affect the Party locally! Communications with the LP have been poor with many unanswered emails and letters. The Press knew I’d been suspended before I knew myself. Fortunately the locals recognised it for the nonsense it was. This rather contradicts the confidentiality clause they have now slapped on my case. I do think it’s important that these cases are in the public eye.”
Jon de Rennes
A victim of Zionist Luke Akehurst (aka “Arse Ache”), who made a complaint against Jon. There was basically a thread on the FB LAW page where a member posted something along the lines of “What should we do with the Blairite right wingers esp “Arse Ache” – take them out one by one or … leave him till last to make an example?”
Someone else replied “by taken out do you mean a) take them out for dinner or a movie or b) remove them from the Labour party?” Somewhat cheekily, Jon added “c) killed. LOL” Then, a moment later he added “b) is probably the best option. LOL”, thus making it fully apparent that his previous words were a joke. On that basis he had done nothing wrong, just made a daft joke. Nonetheless, Akehurst saw the post and made a fuss, with the result that Jon was investigated as an anti-Semite, thus wasting valuable Labour Party cash on a pointless investigation. See the letter from Labour here and Jon’s defence/ apology here. In late January 2019, the NEC announced it was closing the investigation against him and announced a formal warning; read his letter here.
Anne Gomez
– a therapist from Scotland and FB editor of “Celtic Fans Against Apartheid” is being investigated by Labour for posting an article on FB of Israeli soldiers dragging Palestinian children across the street which she simply headed “Scum”. She also posted one of Theresa May, headed “Scum” (which suggests she is fond of this word). That such conduct is now deemed to “bring the Party into disrepute” when Dame Margaret Hodge gets off scot-free for calling Jeremy Corbyn “a fucking anti-Semite” suggests questionable judgement at Labour HQ. Find Anne on FB and send her your support.
Paul Jonson
Paul was formally suspended on 31 October, after 30 years of service with Dudley council. A complaint against Paul by the “Campaign Against Antisemitism” drew directly on the IHRA “working definition” of antisemitism, citing a post by Paul promoting a lobby of local MP, Ian Austin, over civilian deaths in Gaza. In the post Paul posted “Stand with Palestine – Israel is a racist endeavour”.
However, on 19 December, Paul was informed that a complaint of alleged antisemitism against him was dismissed. It was found Paul had “no case to answer” regarding his post, nor had he brought the council into disrepute.
The complaint against him was a disgrace. Demands that Paul be sacked give the lie to assurances that the IHRA “working definition” do not jeopardise trade unionists’ right to campaign on Palestine. Individuals may have strongly held and differing views on the state of Israel but there was nothing antisemitic in anything Paul posted.
Paul took a highly principled stand just weeks before his retirement, insisting that his suspension represented an attack on basic trade union freedoms and that his name be cleared. Paul has a longstanding record as a principled local campaigner against racism and fascism and has actively opposed mobilisations by the Nazi EDL and BNP.
More at Jewish Voice for Labour website here
When asked what made the difference, Paul said “UNISON accepted the case and “inactively” stuck with it !! It was the overall campaign,very much the in excess of 800 signatures- colleagues at work who thought the allegation was both ridiculous and outrageous and our dogged lobbying of Ian Austin and confronting him at his surgery. Really going on the offensive. I wrote quite a lengthy letter to the Chief Exec and Heads of Service explaining why solidarity with Palestinians is neither antisemitic or an Employment conflict of interest. Pointing out over 40 Jewish Groups support Palestinian Human Rights and not Zionism.”
Pete Gregson
Pete has been expelled by his union, the GMB, for whom he was shop steward, for saying Israel is a racist endeavour and claiming Israel “exaggerates” the Holocaust. He uses the Merriam-Webster definition of “exaggerates” to mean “overuses and exploits”. More info in the National newspaper here . Also his post on the “holocaust denier” slur here.
He is currently suspended by Labour- he read of his suspension a week before Labour informed him.. in the Jewish News!
In July he was sent 50 questions to answer within a week; see his response here
His legal costs are mounting over the banned banner incident; he has a solicitor and Michael Mansfield QC in place. Please contribute at www.tinyurl.com/legalihra
He is also being investigated for this post on his petition by Labour. Find Pete on FB here and Kids not Suits here
LAW victims:
Carl Sergeant committed suicide, one man had a heart attack and god knows how many have had a mental health crisis
NEWS ARTICLES
Labour’s anti-Semitism Data Release
Read the Skawkbox post from 12/2/19
Labour’s antisemitism data release reveals genuine problem – and media exaggeration
The most obvious conclusions to draw from the figures are that:
– 99.9% of Labour members have never been accused of antisemitism
– a huge proportion of claims about ‘Labour’ behaviour doesn’t involve Labour members at all
– around a third of complaints that do involve Labour members are so unfounded that they didn’t stand up to the first level of scrutiny
– Labour’s administration under Jennie Formby has made huge inroads into the issue
– most of the old cases that took a long time to deal with were accumulated on former general secretary Iain McNicol’s watch
None of these obvious conclusions are likely to receive a mention in the so-called ‘mainstream media’.
“The AS data released on Monday night suggests there are, since April, 211 cases of Party members being investigated for AS. My suspicion is that many are, like me, being investigated and targeted because of the bogus IHRA definition – we have criticised Israel. I believe there are therefore hundreds being witch-hunted in Labour, plus more in the unions. I have the dubious honour of being witch-hunted by both” – Peter Gregson
Fake Labour accounts fueling “anti-Semitism crisis”
by Asa Winstanley The Electronic Intifada 17 January 2019 ..
From the start, reporting of the “anti-Semitism crisis” in the UK’s Labour Party has been characterized by dishonesty, exaggeration and outright fabrication. The real target of this manufactured crisis is not genuine anti-Semites, but Jeremy Corbyn and the wider Palestine solidarity movement. But now additional evidence has come to light of a disturbing trend which has been fueling the fire lit since Corbyn’s first leadership victory in September 2015.An investigation by The Electronic Intifada has documented 10 fake Twitter profiles posing as Corbyn supporters who have been posting virulent anti-Semitism. Read the full article here
Labour, Antisemitism and the News – A disinformation paradigm
From the Media Reform Coalition, published Sept 2018, by Dr Justin Schlosberg & Laura Laker. * pages of insight into media misreporting – read it here
Labour ditches Jewish Labour Movement for antisemitism training
The Zionist JLM has been ditched; Labour will henceforth use Birkbeck course on Jew-hate, taught by co-chairman of Chakrabarti report, David Feldman. See more at JvL here
What’s interesting is that David Feldman is a long-standing critic of the IHRA. See his Guardian piece of 28th Dec 2016 at Will Britain’s new definition of antisemitism help Jewish people? I’m sceptical
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