Rebecca Wrong-Daily Sacked

[Sexnotgender]

For apparently sharing something anti-Semitic.

Oh dear how sad.

I still don't see why criticising one country's armed forces is an act of racism against people of the religion that prevails in that country. Real anti-semitism is appalling but no government should be given a free pass on how it conducts itself and treats its citizens and neighbouring countries

I think KS is looking for any opportunity to get rid of people who are a bit crap, and RLB is no heavyweight. KS saw his opportunity and took it - good for him!

I doubt Starmer wanted her in the first place, but just felt it was 'the done thing' to give the beaten candidates a job.

I'm not sorry she's gone, anyone prepared to sign the lab trans pledge isn't intellectually or morally fit for office (and that includes Rayner and Nandy).

I dislike cancel culture, but I understand that Labour needs to show it is tough on anti-Semitism. I'm not very knowledgeable on the subject of Israel and when criticism of Israel crosses into anti-Semitism. I've read a lot of threads on it but I find it a bit difficult to follow because most people seem to have a side and they're quite harsh on the other side so I'm never sure what's true. I would think Rebecca L-B should be a lot more knowledgeable than I am about this and should have known how the comment would be perceived, rightly or wrongly. She must have known that Labour wouldn't like it, and her personal political views obviously matter a lot more than someone like J K Rowling's for example, as representing her party is her job. I have noticed a lot of more obvious anti-Semitism recently, a famous American rapper and actor (not sure if I can say his name) has tweeted things I think are clearly anti-Semitic, so I think there is a lot of it around.

Don’t re-tweet anything you wouldn’t put your name to

TBF isn’t that pretty much rule number 1 in every decent employer’s social media use policy for staff?

I still don't see why criticising one country's armed forces is an act of racism against people of the religion that prevails in that country.

Can you at least see why Labour don't want their front benchers retweeting false things criticising Israel?

But it wasn't that she was sacked for, it was refusing KS's instruction to take the tweet down. From RLB's twitter:

but after posting I was subsequently instructed to take both this agreed clarification and my original retweet down. I could not do this in good conscience without the issuing of a press statement of clarification.

Black man killed by white policeman in America = it’s all the Jews fault.

If you can’t see what is wrong with that then you are the problem. You can dress that up anyway you want but it still means you are ant Semitic.

anti Semitic*

I don't agree with someone losing their job for retweeting an article. However, this truly is karma and it's exactly what RLB deserves. She voted to have GC people removed from Labour. Live by the sword; die by the sword.

I don't agree with someone losing their job for retweeting an article.

Where the person's job is not in the public eye, and the tweet has nothing to do with their employer's policy, I totally agree.

But for a politician - whose private views are, through their choice of career, very much in the public domain - to tweet something which so clearly goes against the stated intention of the "new CEO", in this case, new, democratically elected party leader who has said he is going to clean up the antisemitism in the party, and for that politician to then refuse to take down the tweet when given the opportunity...

Of course he was right to sack her.

This isn't like me tweeting "I luvs Corbyn" knowing that my employer is a Tory through and through, but being very careful not to mention anywhere on my twitter feed where I work. Of course I shouldn't lose my job for that.

This is more like Michael Gove tweeting "you know, Brexit was a bit of a mistake."

Thank you @lydia7986 for your clear articulation of why this was clearly anti Semitic and yet again the labour left on this thread are tying themselves in knots trying to explain it away and justify what she did.

The basic matter is that it was a discussion about BLM in the US. It’s a problem that has been going on for hundreds of years before the creation of the state of Israel and is endemic in US culture. There is no need to shoehorn Israel into this dialogue unless you’re anti Semitic.

@GiantKitten Totally agree. I’m from a secular Jewish background and if Israel want to stop being criticised they should stop committing crimes against civilians and being racist. I obviously don’t hate Jewish people

The issue is the blind spot on the left...and that is their own prejudices. Always hot on the heels of supposed transphobes and other transgressors.They managed to make the killing of a black man in the USA about Israel. The left is obsessed with Israel, and yes it often veers into outright anti-semitism - and conspiracy theories about 'Jews ruling the world', controlling the U.S and so on.

Personally hope this brings the hidden divisions and tensions in the Labour party into clearer focus, once again. Just because there is a new leader it doesn't mean that the take-over by Momentum and the new woke left has gone away.

@stumbledin

Israel was the creation of British colonialism, who along with other westerns powers divided up areas of land preiously ruled by the Ottoman Empire. eg Lebanon, Syria etc.. And as with all great British colonial blunders have created historical divisions that will haunt us for years. eg Northern Ireland, partition of India and the Kudish people being divided up between 3 countries and denied their own.

The difference was that Israel (which even in pre history time was only a district within wider Palestine) was the only country where people from other countries, ie Europe were told they would be given other people's land.

The UN resolution was as much to do with resolving the refugee crisis after the end of WWII and that fact that many countries including the US imposed strict quotas on the number of Jewish refugees they would accept.

The creation of Israel was a Europen solution to Europe's anti semitism, and they used their colonial powers to impose this solution on a country and people who had no part in European antisemitism and the Nazi programs.

Beyond that, there were all kinds of legitimate questions about the whole idea of the political creation of Israel that came from all kinds of people. Including both secular and religious Jews, some of whom were very much against it. It was in part the horrors of WWII that made people reconsider, and that's pretty understandable IMO.

But it didn't really answer the underlying questions about whether it was really a legitimate thing for Europe or the UN to do. Nor did it answer the practical reservations many had about whether it could actually work. A lot of those are being played out now, no one can say they were just made up problems. I would not be at all confident in saying it's going to work out in the end, though I hope it does.

The idea that questions about the political creation of the modern state of Israel are inherently anti-Semitic is nonsense. It's frankly another example of trying to shut people up by calling them names.

[quote Justhadathought]**@GiantKitten Totally agree. I’m from a secular Jewish background and if Israel want to stop being criticised they should stop committing crimes against civilians and being racist. I obviously don’t hate Jewish people

The issue is the blind spot on the left...and that is their own prejudices. Always hot on the heels of supposed transphobes and other transgressors.They managed to make the killing of a black man in the USA about Israel. The left is obsessed with Israel, and yes it often veers into outright anti-semitism - and conspiracy theories about 'Jews ruling the world', controlling the U.S and so on.[/quote]
But in reality, research shows that anti-semitism is equally widespread in each of the mainstream political parties, and that the worst anti-semitism is overwhelmingly on the far right. And Boris Johnson, Tory prime minister, recycled anti-semitic conspiracy theories in his novel 72 Virgins ( www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-book-jews-control-media-general-election-a9239346.html ).

@stumbledin

Okay!!!

Have just heard on radio 4 a Labour MP explain how this is a conspiracy theory.

It is a conspiracy because by saying the US police were taught to do this by Israeli police, you are saying it is not the US police who are racist (????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*) but the Israeli training.

Somebody Coil.

I suppose it is just possible that some right wing American fundamentalists might want to say this, but as many of them are very pro Israel, I find it hard to believe.

Who at this point in history would try and explain the actions of white US police towards African American as being anything other than their own racism?!

I hope someone comes up with a better explanation than that. The Labour Party looks like it is just hanging itself out to whichever wind is blowing.

(Worth remembering that another part of British history is the role that many happily acknowledge, of the SAS in perfecting a number of techniques which they have shared with any number of other countries police forces and army units. Buy British, Buy Best!)

That's not what I understoof her to be saying really. Though it was unclear. I don't think there was any intent to blame the Israeli Ss for police in the US having a race problem or even for using a dangerous technique.

I took her point to be that there is a wider problem of police suppression of citizens and militarisation, even outside the US. And actually I think this is important to understanding why this goes on in the US. The American police have become militarised, as if they are dealing with a situation that is more like a war, and they are treating a section of the population as enemies of the state. And that's actually not mostly black people, it's mostly poor people of whatever race.

Why would the police in the US be militarised against the poor? That's the $$$$$$ question IMO.

@lydia7986

Besides, all Western police forces collaborate on training and share ‘best practice.’

For obvious reasons, Israeli police have far more experience dealing with suicide bombers and conducting counterinsurgency operations than most of their western counterparts. That is largely what their ‘training’ of other countries’ police forces consists of.

If you seriously think that it was Israeli police who trained American soldiers how to kneel on people’s necks then you need to get a grip of yourself and hold American police accountable for their own actions.

American police were kneeling on people’s necks before Israel existed. Besides, all Western police forces collaborate on training and share ‘best practice.’

For obvious reasons, Israeli police have far more experience dealing with suicide bombers and conducting counterinsurgency operations than most of their western counterparts. That is largely what their ‘training’ of other countries’ police forces consists of.

If you seriously think that it was Israeli police who trained American soldiers how to kneel on people’s necks then you need to get a grip of yourself and hold American police accountable for their own actions.

American police were kneeling on people’s necks before Israel existed.

It wasn’t Israeli police though, was it - it was secret service - a horse of a very different colour

I would very much like to know how & why that was organised, and what techniques were passed on.

Think it's quite amazing how the Israeli powers that be have managed to make anything criticising Israel, anti-Semetic. Ergo you cannot do so

The truth is not quite so straightforward An example for you,......At a music event in a local park one time, a couple of women ( Friends of Palestine) were talking to participants about how the event security was being provided by G4S - and how this organisation was linked to atrocities committed by the Israeli state. However, within a short time they had started slipping into general anti-semitic tropes about Jews controlling the world's money; the Rothschilds, and so on......

Like it or not, beneath the surface of many leftist 'Friends of Palestine' and others there is a deep seam of anti semitism. It's not new. It's been there for a long time. I know, because I've been around the left for a long time.

Everything seems to lead back to Israel, and to Jewish conspiracies.

I don't agree with someone losing their job for retweeting an article.

for me, it was more understandable if starmer never gave that position for bailey.

this means starmer also can sack someone he doesn't like for same way for wrong think.

free speech.
hate cancel culture

I'm glad she doesn't have a job in Education as her focus on a trans child in her constituency during the leadership election was very pronounced. Let's hope someone more reasonable takes the job. This area of education could do without such dogma.

@Justhadathought

Think it's quite amazing how the Israeli powers that be have managed to make anything criticising Israel, anti-Semetic. Ergo you cannot do so

The truth is not quite so straightforward An example for you,......At a music event in a local park one time, a couple of women ( Friends of Palestine) were talking to participants about how the event security was being provided by G4S - and how this organisation was linked to atrocities committed by the Israeli state. However, within a short time they had started slipping into general anti-semitic tropes about Jews controlling the world's money; the Rothschilds, and so on......

Like it or not, beneath the surface of many leftist 'Friends of Palestine' and others there is a deep seam of anti semitism. It's not new. It's been there for a long time. I know, because I've been around the left for a long time.

Everything seems to lead back to Israel, and to Jewish conspiracies.

That can certainly happen, but I don't think we can use that possibility as a reason to dismiss reasonable statements. "I think the formation of the modern secular state of Israel in 1947 was problematic in this way" is not the same as "Jews are a problem".

Or was that Lisa Nandy, oops. Let's hope she doesn't get Education....

@CaraDune

losing a shadow cabinet colleague doesn't look good.

On the contrary - if I was Starmer I would be rejoicing that Wrong Bailey (Corbyn's protegee remember) had effectively given him a cast iron reason to get rid of her. He can now say "look, I reached out to Momentum, I tried to build bridges, I even gave her a job in the cabinet - but unfortunately she then turned out to have an antisemitic streak a mile wide and I had to get rid of her."

This is how I’m reading the situation. I bet he can’t believe how quickly she gave him reason to oust her. What a gift.

I'm shocked by the posters on this thread who don't understand why RLB tweet was anti-Semitic. Other posters have kindly explained to you very clearly but if you don't get it then you also clearly don't understand what the Black Lives Matters protests are about.

But in reality, research shows that anti-semitism is equally widespread in each of the mainstream political parties, and that the worst anti-semitism is overwhelmingly on the far right

The anti semitism on the far right is quite overt. The antisemitism on the Left is not, doesn't mean it isn't there. The left is absolutely obsessed with Israel, and beneath sometimes valid criticisms often lies a rich seam of general anti-semitic tropes.