Theodoracopulos's column "High Life" has appeared in British weekly The Spectator since 1977, where he wrote a series of controversial articles, including one claiming that black people had lower IQs, for which Boris Johnson, made editor in 1999, later apologised. Is universalism the true cause of left-wing anti-Semitism? Johnson defended Theodoracopulos, calling him a “distinguished columnist”. Taki Theodoracopulos is the star columnist — and a gifted one at that — on a magazine known for being firmly Zionist and even philo-Semitic. We share the pain that many feel about antisemitism on the left and we will continue to hold the Labour party to account. Yet this was the same man Johnson celebrated as a “distinguished columnist” and kept on in spite of once acknowledging he was “not mad for” Taki’s racism. In a party with 500,000 members there will be antisemites and they must be dealt with. It is ceasing to be a prejudice and becoming a point of view. Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition, A group of Jewish academics and campaigners voice their concerns about the prejudices of the Conservative leader, while residents of Jeremy Corbyn’s constituency express their full confidence in their representative, ‘Johnson’s contempt for minorities, women, LGBT+ and working-class people is well known, so it’s not surprising this extends to Jews.’. Refined campus anti-Semitism — Jew-hatred with an Edward Said quote up top — and street-level ‘We are all Hezbollah’ Islamism were limited because they required of their adherents a level of commitment and effort. There is more awareness now than ten years ago — the volume and outlandishness of anti-Semitism make it impossible to avoid — but while there is concern and even indignation our response is muted by the sheer banality of this ever-restive evil. Anti-Semitism is a conspiracy theory of Jewish power and perfidy ideally suited to times of paranoia and instability. Five per cent of Britons, The Labour Party, one of the largest left-wing movements in the world today, is owed a great debt of blame here. As editor of the Spectator he chose to publish articles in which the notorious racist Taki Theodoracopulos boasted of being “an antisemite”, argued black people “have lower IQs than whites” and praised Enoch Powell as a “great man”. Anti-Semitism has lost its visceral punch, its power to appall. He represented Greece at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1962[6] having been a tennis player beforehand, including playing at the 1961 French Open.[7]. As the campaigning lawyer Mark Lewis writes of Jeremy Corbyn: ‘He has moved the rock and the anti-Semites have crawled out. Taki Theodoracopulos is the star columnist — and a gifted one at that — on a magazine known for being firmly Zionist and even philo-Semitic. We call on allies of the Jewish community to reject hate and vote the Tories out.Andrew Feinstein former South African MP, Dr Brian Klug Senior research fellow in philosophy, St Benet’s Hall, University of Oxford, Em Hilton Campaigner, Prof David Graeber Anthropologist, Dave Gould ASLEF, Francesca Klug Visiting professor, LSE Human Rights, Nadine Batchelor-Hunt Journalist, Cllr Jeremy Newmark Leader of Hertsmere borough council Labour group, Jonty Leibowitz Political economist, Jolyon Rubinstein Actor and writer, Justin Schlosberg Lecturer in journalism and media, Maxim Lundlack-Orr Deputy at Board of Deputies, fellow at JCoRE, Mickey Keller Civil liberties solicitor, Miriam Margolyes Actor, Rob Abrams Campaigner, Robin Samson Chair, Kehillah North London, Cllr Sue Lukes Vice-chair, Kehillah North London, Barnaby Raine PhD candidate, Howard Rechavia Taylor PhD candidate, Charlotte Nichols Parliamentary candidate, Warrington, Eleanor Penny Journalist, Daniel Machover, Ashleigh Loeb Actor, Rhea Wolfson GMB Scotland. As a result it was channeled through anti-Zionism (the denial of Jewish national rights) and anti-Israelism (the political stigmatisation of the Jewish state). He describes “Jewish oligarchs” who run the media, and fiddle the figures to fix elections in their favour. He lives in New York City, London and Gstaad, Switzerland. [8][9][10] He has also written for other US and UK publications. There used to be an entire political party dedicated to just this proposition. He has also written for other US and UK publications. I propose that we call it the Formby Point. It may be impossible to eradicate fully but we are barely even trying. ", http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/19th-march-2005/40/skiing-for-pleasure, https://www.gstaadlife.com/2008/02/taki-tennis-circuit.html, "A racist rant too far? But we wholly reject Boris Johnson’s cynical attempts to exploit our community’s legitimate concerns to distract from his own disgraceful bigotry. Evidence that it has allowed anti-Semitism to spill over into the mainstream left is abundant. as a libertarian webzine of "politics and culture". The Formby Point allows Labour to abdicate responsibility for its own anti-Semitism and for its role in replenishing the reserves of anti-Semitism in the world at large. This week, Labour’s general secretary Jennie Formby, Too alarmist for your tastes? Anti-Semitism was kept at bay in the decades after the Holocaust. [2], The son of a Greek shipping magnate,[3] Theodoracopulos was privately educated in the United States at Lawrenceville School and Blair Academy[4] before attending the University of Virginia. We will only find safety through solidarity. Like the frog in the simmering pot, we feel the temperature rising but cannot conceive of boiling point. The voters, though? Former Respect candidate Ridley once declared that, while other parties were ‘riddled with Zionists’, hers was ‘Zionist-free’ and any Zionists would be ‘hunted down and kicked out’. Jeremy Corbyn, a serial antagoniser of Jews, could well be Britain’s next prime minister. As the campaigning lawyer Mark Lewis, Corbyn did not shift that rock alone and neither did the left. Johnson has form when it comes to anti-Jewish hatred. ish lobby in America has stifled debate’. This is how bias makes its way into the mainstream and anti-Semitism, to our boundless shame, is once again an idea of the mainstream. You just revoke the membership of all the anti-Semites. In a broader sense, no, you can’t eliminate Jew-hatred from the general population but nor can you fully be rid of inequality or poverty or unemployment. [citation needed] He currently publishes and writes for Taki's Magazine, described[by whom?] oris Johnson has invoked some of the oldest and most pernicious antisemitic stereotypes in a book he wrote when he was a Conservative shadow minister. Last modified on Mon 3 Feb 2020 12.41 GMT. (Israel enjoys a unique position as both the dark heart of the international Zionist conspiracy and imposter state that has nothing to do with Jews. The Labour Party, one of the largest left-wing movements in the world today, is owed a great debt of blame here. This week, Labour’s general secretary Jennie Formby reportedly told a parliamentary party meeting that it was ‘impossible to eradicate anti-Semitism and it would be dishonest to claim to be able to do so’. [3][5] He documented his prison experiences in Nothing to Declare: Prison Memoirs (1991). Is there a name for the moment something objectionable becomes so mainstream that those responsible can solemnly lament it as a fact of life? But we can assure Jewish voters that they are safe voting Labour.Pam Zinkin, Annette Thomas and Ruth Steigman London, • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com, • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters, • Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? We know what antisemitism looks like. It has become pedestrian, mundane. MPs who condemn institutional anti-Semitism while remaining in a party that refuses to address it have convinced themselves, their local members, even some in the Jewish community. • In case any of your readers have been influenced by the antisemitism accusations against Jeremy Corbyn (Antisemitism row may affect result says John McDonnell, 9 December) into not voting Labour, we, Jewish members of his constituency, have known him for 30 years. Five per cent of Britons believe the Holocaust never happened, eight per cent that it has been exaggerated, and one in five that fewer than two million Jews were murdered. He knew Taki was anti-Semitic and racist, but kept him on. It is unfiltered, unpretentious contempt for Jews, all the old political, religious and racial canards set free from the constraints of code and metaphor. Seducing someone important", "Ryan Gosling couldn't play Taki better than Taki", "Spectator editor defends column supporting Greek far-right party Golden Dawn", "High seas and high horses – Opinion – Jerusalem Post", "MY FRIEND TAKI HAS GONE TOO FAR » 3 Mar 2001 » The Spectator Archive", Respected British magazine publishes defense of Nazi German troops, Spectator editor Fraser Nelson claims power of editors 'comically overstated' in 500th issue under his editorship, Spectator removes Harvey Weinstein quotes from interview, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Taki_Theodoracopulos&oldid=986191646, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2012, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from August 2020, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 30 October 2020, at 10:35. Of course, Formby can’t do this because it would mean sacrificing a tidy sum in monthly subs and having to find a new leader. Or how Republican congresscrank Steve King endorsed a far-right mayoral candidate best known for appearing on a neo-Nazi podcast. A vote for the Conservatives is a vote for a far-right government that poses an existential threat to all minorities. Anti-Semitism accounts for 58 per cent of religiously-motivated hate crimes in the United States. He has lambasted ‘rich American Jews who encourage unacceptable and brutal behaviour against innocents’, averred that ‘the Jewish lobby in America has stifled debate’, and has pronounced that ‘almost all the people who have made billions through insider trading, greenmailing, leveraged buyouts and junk bonds are Jews’.”. [20] He owned a 37.5-metre yacht named Bushido that was put up for sale in 2012. Antisemitism row may affect result says John McDonnell. As a matter of fact, it is possible to eradicate anti-Semitism from a membership-based organisation. They spot their local MP, who once went to a rally outside Parliament about something to do with Jews, down the precinct every Saturday with a red rosette. The left says the world is run by a capitalist cabal, the right says it’s run by a globalist cabal, but both believe unwaveringly in the existence of a cabal. Evidence that it has allowed anti-Semitism to spill over into the mainstream left is abundant. Is there a name for the moment something objectionable becomes so mainstream that those responsible can solemnly lament it as a fact of life? [16] In 2018, he wrote an article commemorating D-Day in which he praised the Wehrmacht and asked readers to sympathize with them.
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