should we address the casual antisemitism on MN?

There is nothing wrong with being anti-religion.
That is your opinion Bert, it is not one that I agree with. I think that antisemitism is wrong. I consider anti-religion to be antisemitism and islamophobia only applied to all people with faith. It is unpleasant when applied to individual groups. It is misanthropic when applied to more than half the world population.

I havent seen anti-semitic posts in anything like the same way that ive seen anti-islamic sentiment. Ive seen some anti catholic posts too, and lots of mockery of paganism over the years

I think religion and religious practices should totally be up for discussion

You can't stop people from having offensive opinions.
Or registering on MN. There's no filter to keep them out before the first time they say something awful.
The offending post was quickly reported & removed (I gather).
Not sure what else OP wants except mindreading technology.

And we all have at least one offensive opinion anyway. Sheesh.

Well I think LaGrosseVache has demonstrated perfectly that, as in the rest of society, some users hold anti-Semitic opinions and aren't afraid to voice them.

I think their comments should stand and not be deleted, as even though they are hateful, they prove the point a lot of people have been making. As pp said earlier, it's hard to provide specific examples after the fact other than "this post has been deleted".

Does anyone remember the Jewish bankers thread that was deleted - quite some time ago?

In fact, this is outside of MN but I have just remembered when, on a BSL course, we were told the sign for Jew is a handshape mimicking a large hook nose. This was in 2009. After some research DH found that the more up to date sign is the same as the sign for menorah (the lamp stand). Sorry it's not a MN example but it illustrates nicely the stereotypes people hold and express without thinking.

"The way in which people turn up to insist that anti-semitism isn't a specific phenomenon worthy of its own name is one of the ways you spot it Ukik"

This is tricky. I want .to say "one person has turned up saying that". But is that an example of denial?

Considering how the world is these days Jewish people don't have anything to worry about

The way in which people turn up to insist that anti-semitism isn't a specific phenomenon worthy of its own name is one of the ways you spot it Ubik.

This is such an odd thread.

I think antisemitism is a problem worldwide.

But I don't think 'casual antisemitism' is an issue on mumsnet. At all.

"Of course, everyone should be able to meet and exchange opinions without being hassled. Nobody was sneering, btw, just saying that a meeting where everyone is on the same side is not the debate we talk about when we refer to shutting down debate (eg by routinely accusing critics of antisemitism)."

But when people regularly use intimidation and violence to force the shutdown of Jewish voices (even when they are, shock horror, talking to each other), how can that possibly be conducive to any debate? The not-so-subtle subtext is 'we will aggressively stop you from speaking', isn't it?

Considering how the world is these days Jewish people don't have anything to worry about

You're joking, surely?

"Jewish people don't have anything to worry about."

Um. You've missed the huge rise in actual violent antisemitic attacks across Europe, then? You've never had to decide, not pontificate on the internet but actually seriously sit and decide in the real world, whether to risk taking your child to a Jewish event because of the ever-present threat?

How on earth does Islamophobia (which is obviously real and obviously terrible) somehow negate the reality of antisemitism??

Why is there a specific word for it?

Do you object to Islamophobia being 'a word' too

I don't agree with LaGrosse's post but just so we are all clear, which part of it do you think shows hatred and prejudice towards Jewish people?

I think her post is wrong on the details but I'm not sure I see prejudice and hatred towards all Jewish people there. Just outrage towards the injustice of the Israel-Palestinian situation, albeit in a rather misplaced way. Happy to be corrected, though.

It's free speech, not a demonstration of anything.

Considering how the world is these days Jewish people don't have anything to worry about. They've been through exactly what the Muslims are going through now within the last century, yet many are simply ignoring the plight of the Palestinians. Many are joining in with the labelling of Muslims as terrorists, as killers.

Islamaphobia may be a word, but it's not against the law to publish various cartoons depicting them as bombers is it? It's not against the law for presidential candidates to say they'll ban Muslims from entering their country?

Well those that wanted an example. LaGrosse has just demonstrated it.

"You may sneer that everyone in a Jewish Society agree with each other. But surely they should be able to meet without being hassled."

Of course, everyone should be able to meet and exchange opinions without being hassled. Nobody was sneering, btw, just saying that a meeting where everyone is on the same side is not the debate we talk about when we refer to shutting down debate (eg by routinely accusing critics of antisemitism).

Nice demonstration of the issue LaGrosse

www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/12110578/KCLs-Student-Israel-society-attacked-by-demonstrators.html

This was just about a week ago.

You may sneer that everyone in a Jewish Society agree with each other. But surely they should be able to meet without being hassled.

Abolishing all religion is a fantastic idea.

But it would do absolutely nothing to stop anti semitism.

Wouldn't it be easier if we just abolished religion all together? It's essentially all made up anyway and no one would cause or take offense to anything to do with it because it wouldn't exist.

Well, maybe, if you could also erase all memory of religion, Frozen-style. Antisemitism has for many centuries been about racism rather than religious differences. See, for example, the history of hook-nosed witches in popular imagery.

"It's not a racial prejudice, it's a cultural norm."

The posts saying "oh, so because you haven't witnessed it it doesn't happen?". Well I am sure it does, sadly, but personally, no I haven't experienced it happening on this forum. It would be helpful to know what sort of things are classed as anti-Semitic beyond the obvious.

Wouldn't it be easier if we just abolished religion all together? It's essentially all made up anyway and no one would cause or take offense to anything to do with it because it wouldn't exist

Why is there a specific word for it?

For the same reason we have a word for Islamophobia. Because it exists, it's not uncommon and it absolutely horrible.

What a disgusting post.

Nice, GrosseVache. And not anti-semitic at all.