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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Diane Abbott

894 replies

Flowerly · 23/04/2023 12:02

To say that Diane Abbott is doing her best to help the Labour Party to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?

Hideous antisemitism seemingly not gone away at all and add that to the horrendous misogyny in the Labour Party I wonder at this point why ANYONE would vote for them.

AIBU?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
33
thecatsthecats · 24/04/2023 22:08

Socialdistancechampion · 24/04/2023 21:19

Some real cherry picking of history happening on here again.

The transatlantic slave trade was facilitated by ALL parties. It's an uncomfortable truth that African nations sold their own, but they did. That's how many slavers operated - have a war, sell off your surviving enemies into slavery to another enemy (or keep them for yourself). Every single walk of life has had some level of oppression in their history and some level of slavery.

The effects of the transatlantic slave trade are still in living memory.
The effects of the Holocaust are still in living memory.
The effects of apartheid are still in living memory.
The effects of the Irish Rebellion are still in living memory

There is no hierarchy of oppression. It's all. Shit.

The only consistency is one percenters treating everyone else like shit.

Selling them, exploiting them, whatever. There are no ethical billionaires. Because you can't be a billionaire and be ethical.

And they laugh themselves silly, no doubt, at people squabbling about which race has it worse.

(sorry, possessed by the spirit of Karl Marx for a moment there)

Suzi888 · 24/04/2023 22:09

EllenLRipley · 23/04/2023 12:05

She's gone, about fucking time

Yep. So YABU. I’ll still vote Labour.

Flowerly · 24/04/2023 22:09

Her apology should be accepted, just as White apologies are. How swiftly Starmer moved to suspend her - yet Rupa Huq had the whip restored after calling Kwarteng 'superficially Black'

Rupa Huq is not white. But you have inadvertently highlighted another incidence of Labour 's MPs making disgusting racist comments.

OP posts:
AbsoluteYawns · 24/04/2023 22:11

Elvis1956 · 24/04/2023 19:34

I cannot believe you've said this. Jews have been reviled throughout history. Examples:
The common depiction of the devil with a hooked nose and tail...Jews were believed to have tails
Shylock a completely unpleasant character, written at a time when Jews were banned from England. The names now used as an insult for a money lender
The Yorkshire cricketer who complained about racism was caught calling someone jewy because they were careful with money
The progroms around 1900 across eastern Europe

Gypsies have had the same. The state effectively destroyed their way of life forcing them to settle in one place. Over 1 million romi people we're killed in the holocaust

As a point of interest I am wight, Christian and can trace my family back to 1722 in the West country...But it's possible that one of my ancestors, also white, English Christian was placed into slavery in 1686. It was a common punishment then btw. His "crime" was to be a rebel in the Monmouth rebellion.

So I am sorry if have experienced racism, but I suggest you read David baddiels book Jews don't count

Excellent post @Elvis1956

SnackSizeRaisin · 24/04/2023 22:31

Ketzele · 24/04/2023 22:07

Most Israelis are of Arab origin and are physically similar to the surrounding countries. It simply isn't true that the vast majority of Jews are white (or wealthy, or particularly clever).

Most Jews are not Israeli though. More jews live in the US than in Israel and the vast majority of those are of European descent. Most British Jews are white too.

Within Israel there's a split between European and other descent. Many middle Eastern people are white too of course (Iraqi, Iranian, Turkish, Afghans, Syrians....), they are not all Arabs.

So worldwide Jews are mostly white, within Israel it's probably 50 50

SnackSizeRaisin · 24/04/2023 22:37

PipinwasAuntieMabelsdog · 24/04/2023 21:10

Oh and btw, very very few families got any of their property back! Angry

Yes... reason being most of them were dead, apart from anything else

SnackSizeRaisin · 24/04/2023 22:45

Socialdistancechampion · 24/04/2023 21:19

Some real cherry picking of history happening on here again.

The transatlantic slave trade was facilitated by ALL parties. It's an uncomfortable truth that African nations sold their own, but they did. That's how many slavers operated - have a war, sell off your surviving enemies into slavery to another enemy (or keep them for yourself). Every single walk of life has had some level of oppression in their history and some level of slavery.

The effects of the transatlantic slave trade are still in living memory.
The effects of the Holocaust are still in living memory.
The effects of apartheid are still in living memory.
The effects of the Irish Rebellion are still in living memory

There is no hierarchy of oppression. It's all. Shit.

Agree.

But let's not pretend blacks or Jews or the Irish are inherently better, or that it would have been any different had any of those groups happened to be the dominant group at those particular times in history.

Humans are inherently nasty and tribal and prone to cruelty and violence. All races and religions and tribes have the potential to behave appallingly.

Of course it's important to acknowledge and apologise and make reparations. But far more important imo is to avoid exploitation and abuse continuing. Why are we still selling arms, making trade laws that exploit developing countries, turning a blind eye to abuses that occur so that we can have cheap goods? Apologies ring empty unless we address what's happening today.

Ketzele · 24/04/2023 22:47

SnackSizeRaisin · 24/04/2023 22:31

Most Jews are not Israeli though. More jews live in the US than in Israel and the vast majority of those are of European descent. Most British Jews are white too.

Within Israel there's a split between European and other descent. Many middle Eastern people are white too of course (Iraqi, Iranian, Turkish, Afghans, Syrians....), they are not all Arabs.

So worldwide Jews are mostly white, within Israel it's probably 50 50

Well yes, there's a whole discussion to be had about where white ends and black begins (race being a social construct and all) but I think the point remains that many people here have a particular image of 'what Jews look like' that is very Eurocentric. Also that there are of course some Jews who are visually very distinctive - I mean the Chasids and other Orthodox groups- and face appalling street racism, and very many of them live in Diane Abbott's constituency.

Conductpolicy · 24/04/2023 22:58

Once these people are evicted from the party it can breathe again.
They are brain washed and so innerly twisted in their ideology they can't see properly.
Extreme right and left meet nicely in the middle and this is the perfect example.
I'm glad she's been outed and I wish these people would just clear off. Create their own extreme left party, get momentum and bnp joined up and leave normal main stream politics alone and give us back proper parties to choose from.

MedievalMadness · 25/04/2023 00:28

@squirrelslikenutsAs a Jew, I find your post extremely offensive. Jews did not live in communities as a given before the holocaust. Those who did, did so as a result of heavy assimilation by their ancestors as a way of protecting themselves from being killed. Many changed their names, stopped practicing any form of the religion, lost their language and so on.

Exactly. Once Jews arrived in the UK in significant numbers, their cemeteries were only allowed to be on the very outskirts of cities. Ours is way out of the city centre overlooking the motorway. It's a real job to get there. My family lived in a ghetto in Lithuania. those who couldn't leave before the last pogrom were lined up and shot. The trauma in my family has rippled through the generations - grandma committed suicide, my grandpa had severe OCD and anxiety, two of his brothers committed suicide . Our current generation has lots with anxiety and depression. My late DM was in a constant state of near panic bless her. My Dad was subjected to horrendous antisemitism when he was conscripted. He wouldnt let us wear a star of David or any visible sign of our religion and would only whisper the word Jew once out of the house in case anyone heard. I've been informed my people killed Jesus , asked if my sort have souls and been bullied in the workplace. My DGD at 7 has already been subject to antisemitism and came home from school in tears. Luckily the school dealt with it immediately and very well. I used to occasionally wear a head covering but have stopped as I always got abuse from passing twats. Hijabi friends say the same. It's not a competition. Racism is racism and black , brown, Irish, Roma, Travellers, Jews and Chinese communities are all on the receiving end. And it's all totally horrendous.

squirrelslikenuts · 25/04/2023 01:07
Happy Toronto Maple Leafs GIF by NHL

Actually, I was the Roma and Gypsies being stereotyped as being associated with theft and trouble.
Of course, I know that Jewish people have been persecuted, had their possessions and land taken from them and had to move from place to place over centuries. Even before the Holocaust, I also understand there is antisemitism.

However, Diane Abbott was replying to an article.

On my part, when Black Lives Matter occurred it showed up how much direct and indirect racism people of colour have to still face, despite equal opportunities & laws against discrimination. Even now, Black people in the public eye are held up to a higher standard of behaviour. Look at the kind of rubbish Johnson came out with, he was never sanctioned, piled upon as being a racist or advised to stand down.

I am not antisemitic, but I am a realist, when it comes to racism against people of Black heritage, many just don't want understand what doesn't affect them.

Bergmum · 25/04/2023 01:26

Alexandra2001 · 24/04/2023 11:43

Weird isn't? Safe seat, high number of British Jews voting for her among others or are her voters also "thick" ? all 40,000 of them? over 33k more than the 2nd placed candidate got.... she must be a very good MP for such support.

She gets over half of all abuse directed at MPs of all parties, which you are just adding too.

BUT i'm pleased she has had the whip suspended and that she may well be kicked out of the 'party, what she wrote is indefensible.

What i don't like is that the high standards so many on here hold the Labour party too, do not apply to the Tory party.

Very few of her orthodox jewish constituents vote for her. And tbh many of them don't bother to vote in the general elections at all because there's very little point. She is in a very very safe seat and has done very little for her Jewish constituents at all over the years.
She gets elected because she's the labour MP and may I dare to say it probably because she's a black woman too. She also openly supports Palestine so gets lots of votes from her many Palestine supporting constituents.

She doesn't get support from her Jewish constituents at all.
No one I know has ever voted for her.

Bergmum · 25/04/2023 01:54

And of course Jews have been persecuted over the years way before the holocaust.
And were actually killed by Palestinians years before the creation of the state of Israel (read up on the Hebron massacre in 1929.) There were rapes and lynchings of Jews as a regular occurrence all over the world for years.

User98866 · 25/04/2023 07:11

However, Diane Abbott was replying to an article.

This is the problem! It wasn’t an article about anti black racism. She stormed in with apparently no thought whatsoever to tell other minorities that they are wrong and they don’t experience racism and even made reference to historical events without mentioning the holocaust. The equivalent of shouting ‘all lives matter’ really. I’ve always admired DA, and I think she’s absolutely been held to a higher standard than any other MP. It’s really sad to see her career (probably) ended this way but what she did is completely indefensible and very unfortunately shown her to be very probably antisemitic. This wasn’t a stilly comment said in the heat of debate. She actually wrote it on paper.

Againstmachine · 25/04/2023 07:19

Socialdistancechampion · 24/04/2023 21:19

Some real cherry picking of history happening on here again.

The transatlantic slave trade was facilitated by ALL parties. It's an uncomfortable truth that African nations sold their own, but they did. That's how many slavers operated - have a war, sell off your surviving enemies into slavery to another enemy (or keep them for yourself). Every single walk of life has had some level of oppression in their history and some level of slavery.

The effects of the transatlantic slave trade are still in living memory.
The effects of the Holocaust are still in living memory.
The effects of apartheid are still in living memory.
The effects of the Irish Rebellion are still in living memory

There is no hierarchy of oppression. It's all. Shit.

Absolutely most slave ships only went to the ports and never went inland.

It's also interesting that people forget about the Barbary slave trade, it's estimated 1.5 million Europeans were taken.

It's not too trumps everyone has suffered many country's had the serfdom system which was practically slavery a couple of hundred years ago.

MissyB1 · 25/04/2023 07:22

she also openly supports Palestine are you saying her Jewish constituents wouldn’t vote for her because of this?

1dayatatime · 25/04/2023 07:23

@DeeCeeCherry

"Her apology should be accepted"

+++

Except she only apologised for the anti semitism. She didn't apologise for the offence caused to travellers, the Irish or correct herself about all the "seemingly white people" that were abducted from their homes into slavery by African slave traders and shackled in slave ships back to Africa.

It is clear that she is just a nasty person.

1dayatatime · 25/04/2023 07:33

@Againstmachine

Absolutely most slave ships only went to the ports and never went inland.

It's also interesting that people forget about the Barbary slave trade, it's estimated 1.5 million Europeans were taken.

It's not too trumps everyone has suffered many country's had the serfdom system which was practically slavery a couple of hundred years ago.

++++

Ahh but whenever slavery is discussed and history is taught or reparations campaigned for it is only from the perspective of the trans Atlantic slave trade from Africa to the New World.

For some background
Approx 12.5 million slaves taken from Africa to New World
Approx 1.5 million slaves taken from Western Europe (including my ancestors) to Africa
Approx 2.5 million slaves taken from Russia to Turkey
Between 11 and 18 million black African slaves taken east by Arab slaves traders.
The black slaves in Africa were captured and taken to ports by black African slave traders.
Black on black slavery still happens today in Sudan.

Yet whenever reparations or social injustice is brought up in relation to slavery no one ever mentions or expects compensation from the Arab countries or Turkey.

weightymatters73 · 25/04/2023 07:53

squirrelslikenuts · 24/04/2023 20:46

@highfidelity
Interesting you pick out one word in my post ' Dehumanising'.

Yes, it is true the Jewish and Roma were rounded up at various times over the past centuries in different places, persecuted and killed.

But, they lived in these societies, before being scapegoated for economic problems or theft. I do know the Jewish were forced to live in ghettos in I.e Italy, as a result.

Now how do think they got the black people to the US, Caribbean and South America. There were mass kidnappings, people bought and sold like animals. Examined like animals, the weaker ones killed along the long journey to the slave ports. Now, think about the manacles and slave ships over 400 years, death on the sea, to the survivors got to the destination to be sold all over again. Troublemakers were lashed, hobbled or bits cut off or killed to show the rest an example.

Then they were forced to work until their death, their children taken from them also forced work once they could. They were not allowed to couple up, rape was common both by master and fellow slave. Until the Civil war in the US, there was no freedom of person or movement, and even then many had keep working unpaid as there was nowhere to go. Any black person who challenged the status quo, beatings, burnt down churches and homes, rape, hangings and lynchings all to keep a race in line.

During days of empire, whether British, French, Spanish or Portuguese. Even the Belgians who were the worst. Lands were ceased, new nations were drawn up, splitting tribes and families.

People were massacred, and forced to acknowledge the invaders as rulers, until the fight for independence started in India (see the mess there between India ^ Pakistan ). Forced to speak a foreign language, give up their religion and rulers as well as their resources.
Most sent food etc during the world wars, whilst young men joined up to fight.

Come through to today, people of Black heritage still have to face direct and indirect racism. We are still told 'empire' was for our benefit. We are told our experience of racism are not as bad as we think, by people who are not us. When we ask for reparations or debts to be cancelled there are umms and aahs and buts. But slave owners got compensation, and their heirs. Jewish people were able to see the Nazi leadership etc tried for crimes against humanity. And get their ancestors property back.

People of Black heritage can't. They can expect to have low educational outcomes and job prospects, they can expect the law and police to be tough on them. Even in Health, whether as a member of staff or a patient your experience maybe filled with indignities as a result of your colour. Employers see our names/or us and worry whether we'll fit in with the team. People are obsessed about our hair or hair styles. Although, our ancestors are/ were settled British citizens we suffer from Windrush deportations, despite living in Britain for all/most our lives.
Even, the police are killing Black people in and out of custody like the Americans. Many of our young men are well-represented in the Mental Health crises and under supported.

We are underrepresented in Politics, and those that do get through are maligned constantly for any slip, and their personal problems in the media especially the DM.

Please don't mention that we have not suffered enough. Don't mention that Diane Abbott doesn't understand our issues, or in response to a poor article, tried to raise how we people of colour (in fact, the darker, you are the worse) still suffer more racism, casual, institutional and direct (especially since Brexit) than we should, as opposed to those who are not.

Hope this helps clarify matters.

And we are back to "my racism is worse than your racisim"....

There is not a hierarchy of racism. Black racism is not worse than Jewish racism or Irish racism or any racism - it may have different forms but is still all despicable.

notanotheroneagain · 25/04/2023 08:32

1dayatatime · 25/04/2023 07:23

@DeeCeeCherry

"Her apology should be accepted"

+++

Except she only apologised for the anti semitism. She didn't apologise for the offence caused to travellers, the Irish or correct herself about all the "seemingly white people" that were abducted from their homes into slavery by African slave traders and shackled in slave ships back to Africa.

It is clear that she is just a nasty person.

What???

Where do those slave descendants sit in an African society today?

notanotheroneagain · 25/04/2023 08:37

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

soddingspiderseason · 25/04/2023 08:42

"Well you obviously believe there is a hierarchy, if you are going to be offended that Jewish people are compared to the hatred lobbed at red headed people.

After all, a redheaded person can tell you how they and their ancestors get spit at, called names, kicked and punched just for how they look. Do you consider their oppression the same as you then?"

Such deep deep antisemitism on this thread. I'm actually list for words with this comparison. Go educate yourself, the Holocaust Educational Trust may be a good place to start.

notanotheroneagain · 25/04/2023 08:43

User98866 · 25/04/2023 07:11

However, Diane Abbott was replying to an article.

This is the problem! It wasn’t an article about anti black racism. She stormed in with apparently no thought whatsoever to tell other minorities that they are wrong and they don’t experience racism and even made reference to historical events without mentioning the holocaust. The equivalent of shouting ‘all lives matter’ really. I’ve always admired DA, and I think she’s absolutely been held to a higher standard than any other MP. It’s really sad to see her career (probably) ended this way but what she did is completely indefensible and very unfortunately shown her to be very probably antisemitic. This wasn’t a stilly comment said in the heat of debate. She actually wrote it on paper.

Don't twist this, she did the opposite.

This thread reads : 'All lives matter'.

The same people who are offended would probably not equate anti-semitism to homophobia for example, but they seem to have a problem with DA saying anti-semitism is not the same as racism.

Alexandra2001 · 25/04/2023 08:46

PollyPeptide · 24/04/2023 13:55

But there is no side to investigate. She's stated she sent the wrong letter, apologised abjectly and clarified her position. What is there to investigate? They're not investigating anything. They're just playing to the media.

The Tory MP is different because it could be corruption that could have happened before, there could be other factors, he might have bern tricked, made qualifying comments off tape etc. It's much more complex having other parties involved. This is a letter that she has explained. There's no similarity between the two.

Summary justice? I'm saying she's apologised and clarified and there's no need for a big pretend investigation.

The issue is the Labour & Tory parties have "rules" disciplinary procedures to follow.

So as i eluded too earlier, Abbott may have an illness, she is a diabetic too, so they "might" be mitigating factors, ones she has chosen not to make public in her apology..... maybe there isn't? neither you or i know.

These aren't excuses for her outrageous views but Labour have to follow their rules/process.

My own opinion is she shouldn't be allowed to run as a Lab candidate and should be permanently removed from the party BUT follow the rules in order to do so, as they did with Corbyn.

As for the Tory MP, again, there should be an investigation, i'm not calling for his automatic removal.

Flowerly · 25/04/2023 08:47

And still the anti semites are crawling out of the woodwork with their vile comments. What an eye opener this thread has been. In a very bad way.

OP posts: