John Mann’s EDM has garnered some media comment articles from the Daily Mail and Commentator are copied below, with a piece from John in the latter. The EDM was also covered in the Jewish Telegraph here.
At last a voice is raised against the bigotry of ‘Occupy’
Published in: Daily Mail
John Mann, the Labour MP for Bassetlaw, is also the very splendid (and non-Jewish) chairman of the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Committee against Antisemitism. He has now put down this Early Day Motion in the House of Commons (hat tip: The Commentator)
‘That this House notes the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ and ‘Occupy London Stock Exchange’ protest movements; believes the right to protest is an essential tenet of democracy; further notes concerns have been raised in America about the anti-Semitic nature of some of those protests; further believes signs referring to ‘Hitler’s Bankers’ and ‘Google Jewish Billionaires’ are offensive and have no place at such protests; further believes the verbal or physical abuse of Jews by demonstrators is unacceptable; and calls on leaders of the Occupy demonstrations worldwide to condemn anti-Semitism and act to stamp it out whenever it occurs.’
Needless to say, although web-based journalists and bloggers have been noting the Jew-hatred coursing through the ‘Occupy’ movement – as in this piece on FrontPageMag.com by Jeff Shapiro – this aspect has gone all but unremarked in the mainstream media, and has not prevented politicians and journalists on the left from puffing ‘Occupy’ in admiring and respectful terms. Of course – Jew-hatred is now the prejudice that dare not speak its name; and the western left is riddled with it. Which is one thing its cadres have in common, of course, with the Islamists.
Linking Jews and capitalism in a seamless robe of hatred has long been firmly embedded in left-wing thinking. There is, however, a set of values on the left which truly despises such bigotry and racial hatred. That’s the ‘old left’ tradition which is still firmly rooted in Judeo-Christian morality, and which thus distinguishes correctly between right and wrong, truth and lies, justice and injustice.
As such, it stands stoutly against the defining madness of the world. John Mann is firmly in that decent tradition. Thank goodness people like him still exist.
Who will support him?
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The Commentator op-ed below can be found here
John Mann MP makes a stand against the antisemitism on display on Wall Street.
As a member of the Treasury Select Committee I have not pulled my punches in questioning representatives of the banking sector.I have been outspoken in my condemnation of unfettered bonuses and benefits in the city. I can well understand the frustrations of those that are campaigning at St. Paul’s and beyond for a fairer, better-regulated banking sector.
What I cannot understand and will not tolerate is those protest camps playing host to or fostering racism.
As has been widely noted, I recently tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) about the antisemitism that has infested the ‘occupy’ protests, most obviously on Wall Street.
From Los Angeles to Chicago to New York the pictures and videos speak for themselves. However, these images represent the few moved to action; arguably more sinister is the undercurrent of conspiratorial whispers which paint a picture of capitalist greed hung on a hook of one people, the Jews.
Our All-Party Parliamentary Group identified antisemitic discourse as a key problem as early as 2006. We have been working ever since to try and identify opportunities to counter it. From Ministerial conferences on internet hate through to educational sessions with leading parliamentarians, we will identify practical solutions to stamping out hateful messaging of this sort.
It was only natural then that I should table an EDM which highlights the problem with the protests. I hope colleagues of all parties will sign it and read more about the issue. I hope that the protest leaders will act quickly and decisively to remove any antisemitic sign or banner that they see. I hope they will be forthright in their condemnation of this racism. And I hope that society at large will take up the baton in challenging this ugly discourse wherever they see it – online or beyond.
Ultimately antisemitism – as with all racism- is a societal issue, which needs a societal response.
John Mann is the Labour Member of UK Parliament for Bassetlaw and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism. You can follow him on Twitter at @JohnMannMP
