Sunday 4 April 2010

In Britain, conspiracy theories go mainstream.

An English friend of mine remarked recently that he was worried about the impending rise of the British National Party in Britain at the next General Election.

In Britain, had a politician made a statement saying "there are long tenacles of Israel in this country who are funding election campaigns and putting money into the British political system for their own ends" you would assume that these views represent the BNP, or one of the radical Islamic groups that have taken root there.

Either way Jews in Britain, obliquely attacked via Israel, are suffering increasing anti-Semitism. They have been getting it from the left and from the right.
Now they are getting it full front and central.

In fact, these remarks were made by Martin Linton, who has been the Labour Member of Parliament for Battersea since 1997.

Worse still, there are promient Jews in Britain who are openly anti-Semitic.
Non-Jewish slanderers at least adopt a high moral posture and insist that they are defending the poor Palestinians, and some of their best friends are Jewish.

Not so with Jewish conspiracy theorists. Take Gerald Kaufman, for example. This veteran Labour Parliamentarian recently said that Lord Ashcroft owned most of the rival Conservative Party "and right-wing Jewish millionares own the rest!"

Who said you can't be Jewish and anti-Semitic?

Criticism of Israel can be considered as legitimate. I, myself, indulge in this pastime occasionally.
When, however, it is couched in emotive terms and conspiracy theories you can always detect the basic anti-Semitism - even when spouted by a Jew.

No conspiracy theory has been quite as blatant as the expulsion of an Israeli diplomat from London on the grounds that Israel cloned British passports.
No evidence was produced to prove this theory.

No evidence was produced to prove that Israel, or anybody for that matter, was responsible for the assasination of a Hamas mastermind in Dubai. Have you noticed that the Dubai Chief of Police has suddenly gone silent since he promised to show us the forensic evidence in his possession, and was unable to do so?
The reason is because there is none.

David Miliband's public criticism and punishment of Israel was made with no corroborating evidence.
Needless to say that Miliband is a young, ambitious, and Jewish politician.

Could this conspiracy theory follow in the footsteps of Linton, Kaufman, Galloway, and other British politicians who are currying favour with their constituents, at Israel's and Jewish expense, in the run up to the next British elections?

My conspiracy theory is as valid as Linton's, Kaufman's, and Milliband's.

One way or the other, anti-Semitism, disguised as criticism of Israel through conspiracy theories, has gone mainstream.

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