Boris Johnson's Daily Mail column and an offensive term about Keir Starmer

[LlynTegid]

Mr Johnson refers to him as Keir Schnorrer. The word schnorrer is a Yiddish word/insult for beggar or scrounger. Mrs Starmer is Jewish.

If any of you meet any Conservative candidates or there are any who do online questions, let them know about this slur and ask whether they think this man is fit to remain in the Conservative party.

I have complained to IPSO.

It’s in the same sentence as ‘ball-chewing gimp’ from someone with a long history of racism in newspaper articles. It’s reasonable not to take a charitable interpretation.

But if you compliment people ( Jewish or otherwise) in Yiddish why can't you insult them?
I can see it could be potentially insulting to use Yiddish words to a Palestinian but why to someone Jewish?

He is also calling him a ball chewing gimp. And is also a racist. Why give him the benefit of the doubt?

@CurlsnSunshinetime4tea why are you allowing and apologising this!? Why?

I've also submitted a complaint. Thanks for the heads up.

I bet it won't.
Think of all the other racist, homophobic and sexist stuff Johnson has said a written over the last two decades.

No one is saying you can't. You can say anything you like. What we're saying is that he used this word because he's racist and using it was racist. He knows it, we know it.

Casting around trying to find the best possible interpretation of why someone is allowed to use it, rather then just acknowledging that it was meant to be an insult and the word was used because it's Yiddish and Starmer's wife and children are Jewish, is futile. He knows why he used it. We do too.

Honestly, sometimes compliments are used in an insulting way too. A great example was a tabloid (I think the Daily Mail) going on about female world leaders' legs and how great they are. Reducing powerful female leaders to their sex and their appearance. If Boris had used chutzpah about Starmer, I suspect he would have meant it poorly as well.

No I absolutely get it's an insult and I can see using Yiddish when his wife is Jewish adds to the impact ( like directly telling her her husbands a cheat) . I'm not sure why it's anti Semitic though.
It's not insulting all Jews or mocking Jewish language or race. Yiddish is well known to be good source of very pithy put downs.

I agree. I'm more horrified to hear the Mail allowed him to call Starmer 'ball chewing gimp' - it's so disgusting

It's deliberately picking a Jewish insult to insult a man because his wife and children are Jewish that makes it antisemitic.

He wouldn't have chosen that word if they weren't Jewish, hence it was targeted at their being Jewish, hence antisemitic.

You can complain about 'hate speech' even if you are not a target in Scotland. I believe it applies to written material available in Scotland too ...

I didn't know rhe word either but I knew itd be offensive from a. the context & b. the rest of the headline & c.the 'writer'

People are seriously devaluing the importance of the word antisemitism when they keep throwing it around indiscriminately

Don't be daft.

I'm not being the least daft, I'm very serious. Johnson is a repulsive creep but the insult isn't antisemitic and it harms Jews to devalue the word.

You're wrong. Johnson's use of the word was targeted, intentional and aimed at a man's family because they're Jewish. That is the epitome of what antisemitism is - using Jewish identity to cast aspersions on someone's character.

How he used it is antisemitic.

I don’t think giving someone like Johnson the benefit of the doubt is applicable in this instance.

He has form:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-book-jews-control-media-general-election-a9239346.html

There's no point keep repeating that his use of it is antisemitic when you've absolutely no evidence of that. It's an insult along with all the other insults he churns out of his fat gob, that's not the same as being antisemitic which I don't believe he is. Stop devaluing important words.

Since when have people gone around complimenting others using uncommon Yiddish words? Have you ever been called an Edel?

Chutzpah has been adopted and is a widely know word in the English language. Schnorrer has not. Many Jews won't even have heard of it.

If Boris had written a column entitled "Sadiq Kalb" or "Rishi Suarak" all hell would have broken loose.

Why are some people so tone deaf when it comes to Jews?

I always thought BJ was very supportive of the Jewish community though . He worked on a kibbutz in his teens and he's traditionally been a big supporter of the state of Israel as far as I know.

I can see he's directed the insult close to home. I don't think it demeans the wider Jewish community though.

However whilst I think ball chewing gimp is a sharp analogy for someone who says nothing, it's not helpful for people in power to resort to be putting each other down personally. It may be clever and it sullies the actual policies and debate.

There appears to be a community of gimps;

https://www.mylondon.news/news/uk-world-news/local-gimp-man-says-somerset-25562388

Jewish posters on this thread have said it is antisemitic.

I'm a Jew and I'm saying it isn't. Now what?

Just after d day memorials too... then we defended against fascism. Wtf is wrong with the tory party