Why is Starmer Standing by Azhar Ali?

[Dogfisher]

AIBU to think that he should be out on his ear for his blatant anti-Semitism? I actually thought that Starmer was dealing with this in the LP - but this seems to suggest otherwise.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/12/labour-criticised-for-backing-rochdale-candidate-after-offensive-israel-remark

@Neriah no I mean it doesn't sound right and worthy of explanation.
If I thought you were lying I would say.

When you continue to conflate British people of Jewish origin with the Israeli government, as you apparently can't stop doing, your bigotry shines clearly for all to see. Out of interest, do you do similar with all other races, or do you reserve your hatred for only one minority group?

Indeed GRex and can lead to horrors like this at a comedy show:

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/feb/12/soho-theatre-apologises-after-comedian-abused-jewish-audience-member#:~:text=In%20a%20statement%20posted%20on,of%20audience%20attending%20and%20others.

And now Graham Jones has also been suspended. It's a can of worms and it's now burst open. Vile. 🙄

Sounds like there were a few launching in with antisemitic conspiracy theories etc

Yes its vile isn't it.

Criticising the Israeli government is not anti semitic. It just isn't. Or are they to be supported literally whatever they do, however extreme their words and actions?
.

Who said criticising the Israeli government is anti-Semitic?

Justifiedcheese.

Amongst the leaked audio
As well as claiming Israel allowed the Hamas terror attack, which killed around 1,200 Israelis, to go ahead, Mr Ali also allegedly said Labour’s suspension of a left-wing MP was driven by “people in the media from certain Jewish quarters

He didn’t just criticise the Israeli government but resorted to well trodden anti-Semitic tropes including Jews controlling the media . Ali is not just against Israeli government, he despises Jews .

The options were Paul Waugh who was born here but not lived here for decades and would mean nothing to 90% of the same electorate. The third candidate was a councillor from Wigan. There's a perception that the long standing Rochdale councillors who were long listed are too associated with the grooming scandal and that the newer Councillors are too ..new. I know one of the newer councillors and like him a lot but think being an MP would wreck him and his family.
Angela Rayner and all sorts were being brought into canvas. National Labour sent a lot of people up here.

I genuinely don't know who will win. probably Azhar Ali still!

Hold on, I just read the article published today in the Guardian and there is a detail there I had missed. This meeting was a private meeting and held in October? So, somebody recorded and held the evidence till now? It makes no sense and sounds like manipulation to me, to be honest. Not that what they say is not wrong, but why holding on to it for months?
I had also missed the dismisal for Andy McDonald, as not following the news closely these days. Now, the sentence he said, according to the newspaper, is a wish for peace and the life of civilians in peace and harmony. If this is called anti-semitic, then it makes zero sense to me. And I do see a massive breach on the right of freedom of thought and speech on that one! That is, if his only crime is saying what is published.

I don't see what he said is antisemitic?
9/11 apparently had previous Intel.
It has been proven fact that bombings in NI had been known about previously. Governments are sometimes odd.

Starting to sound suspiciously like a smear campaign to me, who would have guessed it’s an election year eh?

Are you ok with antisemitic conspiracies?

Very much so. The Telegraph has devoted about a quarter of its news section to it this morning. It reeks of desperation with two by elections tomorrow.

The DM probably waited until they could cause maximum damage.

I’m ok with people criticising a Government or making accusations against a government, you should hear me talking about ours!
But it’s not just about that, it’s about the way this has been revealed, in what looks like a very calculated way.

This meeting was a private meeting and held in October? So, somebody recorded and held the evidence till now? It makes no sense and sounds like manipulation to me, to be honest. Not that what they say is not wrong, but why holding on to it for months?

I think that your question should actually be, why the fuck did the Labour Party keep this quiet, not act on it and hope that these vile men would get away with this for so long?

And to those squeaking feebly that this is not anti-semitism and that it's all a smear campaign - there are no fucking words .
All one can assume from that is that you are happy for this disgusting anti-semitism to be spouted these men and think that there should be no sanctions?
I have to admit that I was unaware of just how much anti-Jewish sentiment is seemingly accepted as fine in the UK until October 7 really opened my eyes. The Labour Party continues to have a massive blind spot on this and it is being exposed. Good.

The DM probably waited until they could cause maximum damage

Which they would not have been able to do had the Labour Party acted on this as soon as it had happened. See how this works?

Yes thanks for this post. It’s repugnant

Of course the right wing press will try a smear campaign against Labour, it's what they do and have always done. What Labour has to do is ensure they don't hand it to them on a plate by having unsuitable, wreckless candidates. No use whining about smear tactics, this is the reality of the right wing press.

why the fuck did the Labour Party keep this quiet, not act on it and hope that these vile men would get away with this for so long?

Because it’s only now (very conveniently) that the evidence has been produced? The Telegraph is castigating Starmer this morning for dithering for a whole five hours - not days or months - over what to do about it. That doesn’t suggest knowing about it and hoping it will just go away.

I might be missing something that hasn't yet been revealed, you are suggesting the Labour party knew about what was said in October and did nothing about it?

I was under the impression the Mail had this recording and kept it under wraps, which is rather abhorrent in itself, they ve effectively thwarted the democratic process, in denying the people of Rotherham a decent Lab candidate.

Exactly!! It wasn't anti Jewish. Its got RIDICULOUS NOW. You can't even have a discussion without being called anti semitic. You don't get this with anything else!

I'm going to say this again, because apparently it needs to keep being said. In discussion about Israel, this man encouraged hatred of ordinary British journalists and other British citizens based only on their religion, by suggesting they must be shadowy figures of power influencing political activity. This is not the Israeli government, nor even Israeli citizens, nor even any specific named individuals linked with any specific action, this is purely and deliberately stoking general hatred towards British Jewish people.

With the most generous and supportive view of the man, his "Jewish media" statements cannot be interpreted as anything but an attempt to cause anti-semitic hatred.

It is interesting that we know there are many racists, bigots, antisemites and Islamophobes in the Tory party (probably more than labour could dream of) and yet the right wing press never kick up a stink about that. Ali tipped over into antisemitism foolishly with the Jews control the media trope but had he simply stated that right wing press use antisemitism/anti Israeli sentiment in the Labour Party as a smear I think he’d have been bang on the money.

What he said about Israel is not remotely controversial. Supposing he had levelled similar accusations agains Putin no one would bat an eyelid. Let’s not forget that the supposed reason for the invasion of Ukraine is to ‘stamp out Nazism’. Or that America had intel about the TT (which they did) giving them the convenient reason for yet another foreign invasion. Warmongering governments do like to give excuses for the destruction they are bringing. Netanyahu is up there with the biggest psychopaths on the planet. He is a bloodthirsty warmonger who doesn’t give a shit about other people dying, Israeli or Palestinian. He has stated his aims. He wants the Palestinian state wiped out.