Bandwagons and virtue-signals

Another thing that has been doing the rounds, (anyone know if it’s been on the BBC?) occurred during the Labour Party’s deputy leadership hustings, in which freshly deposed MP Ruth Smeeth had a good go at the panel for doing zilch about antisemitism, and for staying silent while her female Jewish former colleagues were being attacked, trolled and insulted. 

Absolute hero @RuthSmeeth calling out those who left Jewish women to fight alone, and the candidate(s) who shouted at her when she talked about antisemitismpic.twitter.com/U8O3IwfZad

— Luisa Attfield (@l_attfield) February 11, 2020

I’m afraid Dawn Butler is too stupid to realise that she came off worst, with Angela Rayner a close runner-up. The issues with Dr Rosena Allin-Khan we’ve dealt with before, and I find it unsettling to watch Dr Allin-Khan making political capital out of her animosity towards Israel while bolstering her credibility in the antisemitism related virtue-signalling department.

In other words, it was only when she gave a selective and partial account of Israeli hospital visiting arrangements for parents of young Palestinian patients that she observed the vile material from antisemites who were attracted by her anti-Israel rhetoric and piled in, eager to jump on the Israel-bashing bandwagon.

At the JLM Deputy labour leadership hustings, @DrRosena shared her personal experience of dealing with antisemitism, and the strength & solidarity she has showed in not backing down to racists pic.twitter.com/eXEznn6rth

— mandelbrat (@mandeldril) February 11, 2020

I look forward to the EHRC report and the changes it will bring.

I will uphold the full IHRA definition of antisemitism.

I support an independent complaints process.

I will support JLM as the provider of antisemitism education.

I will expel the racists.

Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/dBF3FBnXKf

— Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (@DrRosena) February 12, 2020

She made a huge big deal about sticking to her guns and ‘not apologising’ (for what, exactly? - perhaps for ‘calling out’ the antisemitic trolling - as if that was the same thing as standing up for Ruth Smeeth, Luciana Berger, Louise Ellman and Margaret Hodge. (Oh dear, that sounds a bit too like a squad) The whole thing is also available on Facebook.