War on Want, a.k.a. War on Israel
A UK charity holds an anti-Israel event and bans a Jewish activist from attending.
Pajamas Media readers will be aware of the worrying events that unfolded on June 17, when a London debate on Sharia law between Douglas Murray of the Centre for Social Cohesion and Anjem Choudary of al-Muhajiroun was terminated. The discussion had to be canceled due to disturbances inside the venue, Conway Hall, when al-Muhajiroun’s “security men” objected to male guests wishing to sit with women. A protracted standoff in Red Lion Square ensued. Giles Enders, chairman of the South Place Ethical Society, which runs Conway Hall, took to the stage and said he was canceling the event, telling the crowd, “I am not prepared to have fundamentalist thugs in our hall preventing people from coming in. We do not condone segregation.”
In July another alarming event unfolded in London that has sinister connotations for the future of free speech in this country and in Western democracies. It revolves around Jonathan Hoffman, who is vice chair of the Zionist Federation; he is a gentle and self-effacing man with whom I appeared on Press (Iranian) TV on June 12 in a debate against Ilan Pappe, Hajo Meyer, and moderator Alan Hart on anti-Semitism and Israel. (During the “debate” moderator Hart bellowed at Hoffman that he would be evicted from the studio if he did not stop spouting Zionist propaganda. It was a viscerally searing broadcast for me; I had told Hart to bring Hoffman along and he ended up being repeatedly bullied until I threatened to walk out of the program if this did not stop.)
Hoffman tried to book a place at Toynbee Hall for the July 12 launch of Ben White’s new book, Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide. The book-signing and lecture were sponsored by War on Want, a registered charity. (They are supposed to be politically neutral, right?) To his astonishment Hoffman was told he would not be welcome at the launch and that he would not be allowed entry to Toynbee Hall!
I will pause here and say it was a blessing in disguise that I delayed by a week or so writing up this story. It has now become an international issue because Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, has made it known to the British Charity Commission that he wants War on Want investigated for breach of its guidelines.
Page 1 of 2 Next ->
Carol Gould is the Philadelphia-born author of Don’t Tread on Me: Anti-Americanism Abroad, Spitfire Girls, and A Room at Camp Pickett, a play about her mother’s experiences as a WAC in World War II; she has just completed films about black GIs and GI babies. Carol has been a panelist on BBC's Any Questions?, hosted by Jonathan Dimbleby, and is a commentator on Sky News, Press TV, the BBC World Service, and Five Live.
 |
 |
 |
Podcasts |  PJM Home |
Pajamas Media appreciates your comments that abide by the following guidelines:
1. Avoid profanities or foul language unless it is contained in a necessary quote or is relevant to the comment.
2. Stay on topic.
3. Disagree, but avoid ad hominem attacks.
4. Threats are treated seriously and reported to law enforcement.
5. Spam and advertising are not permitted in the comments area.
The clause regarding "hate speech" has been deleted because readers criticized it as being too loosely defined. We agreed.
These guidelines are very general and cannot cover every possible situation. Please don't assume that Pajamas Media management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment. We reserve the right to filter or delete comments or to deny posting privileges entirely at our discretion. If you feel your comment was filtered inappropriately, please email us at story@pajamasmedia.com.
22 Comments
1. Mary Jackson:They are supposed to be politically neutral, right?
They never have been. Always mindlessly leftwing, they are therefore pro-Palestinian, anti-American, anti-Western generally and of course, anti-Israel. They are naturally anti-Semitic, because that goes hand-in-hand with the lefty agenda.
Remember when “Gorgeous” George Galloway ran it? Refresh your memory here. Galloway is a notorious anti-Semite and generally despicable apology for a man.
Jul 29, 2009 - 2:54 am 2. John from Toronto:How could Alan Hart be a “moderator” in any discussion having to do with Israel?
Jul 29, 2009 - 7:37 am 3. Michael T:The British sherry-sippers with the bad dentition are increasingly being less noticed. The UK is so under the islamist and leftist thumbs that it is well on its way to becoming was predicted,ie. an overcrowded insignificant little island in the vast sea of humanity.
Jul 29, 2009 - 7:55 am 4. Mary Jackson:The British sherry-sippers
If you’re going to make mindless, fatuous generalisations, try to get at least one thing right: it’s tea sippers.
Jul 29, 2009 - 8:12 am 5. Kevin:Mary be very careful when you call Galloway an antisemite. The waste of a human life in question sued in the UK for defamation over it and won easily against a group who did a parody of him that would likely have been perfectly acceptable on this side of the pond. Fair comment and preponderance of evidence is no defense over there.
Jul 29, 2009 - 9:27 am 6. Mary Jackson:Mary be very careful when you call Galloway an antisemite
He is one. So are all the others who hold Israel to impossible standards. So are those who believe in the Koran, or respect it, because the Koran itself is disgustingly anti-semitic.
Jul 29, 2009 - 10:12 am 7. Ruvy:It’s high time for Jews to leave countries like Britain permanently to live in Israel and to leave the Jew-haters to stew in their own hatred of us. We do not need them – and they obviously so not want us.
Jul 29, 2009 - 11:29 pm 8. AlanABQ:Hey, leave the koran alone! Just because it was written by the L. Ron Hubbard of the 5th century, encourages mindless slaughter and rewards genocide with the promise of an eternal orgy, that’s no reason to trash it.
Jul 30, 2009 - 1:00 am 9. Carol Gould:Sure, it declares that, as an infidel, I should be beheaded or taxed until I convert…but I probably deserve it. Most likely because I don’t hate Jews with unreasonable fury & have even had a couple Jewish women as lovers.
George Galloway threatened to sue me when I wrote a report about a Sky News special on the war in Iraq. He was on a panel and kept turning to the very mild-mannered Danny Finkelstein of the TIMES and shouting,’You are a partisan for Israel!’ He also challenged Danny about letting others fight their wars for them, to which Finkelstein replied that his family had shed enough blood etc. My article was entitled ‘In America we call this Jew-baiting’ and promptly received notice that a writ would follow if I did not have the report removed. I had just been recovering from breast cancer surgery and did not relish a court battle so it was removed. George continues to go from strength to strength in the UK hosting radio and TV shows.
Jul 30, 2009 - 4:29 am 10. La Cumparsita:The meeting at Toynbee House was on July 9th – I was there & personally witnessed Jonathan Hoffman peacefully distributing his leaflets outside.
The organisers of the meeting called the police telling them that Jonathan & a middle-aged woman (who was displaying a poster with the words “War on Want =War on Truth”) were a threat & might try to storm the meeting & disrupt it! A whole minibus with about a dozen policemen in it drew up nearby in Commercial Street. A couple of them got out & came over to speak to Jonathan & the woman who were non-violent and clearly had no intention of storming anything. The police warned them not to obstruct the pavement – all 2 of them…. What a waste of police resources.
Jul 30, 2009 - 5:18 am 11. Carol Gould:Next thing Jonathan and I will have to wear a yellow star when attending London events..
Jul 30, 2009 - 7:06 am 12. samuel welsh:Alen should be slicenced he is a mindless racist.
Jul 30, 2009 - 7:25 am 13. Mary Jackson:Isreal should not be bullied nor Palistane.
George continues to go from strength to strength in the UK
I wouldn’t agree there – he’s regarded as a dickhead outside his fanbase of weirdoes. Where is Respect now?
Jul 30, 2009 - 3:11 pm 14. Mary Jackson:Next thing Jonathan and I will have to wear a yellow star when attending London events..
Don’t be daft.
Jul 30, 2009 - 3:11 pm 15. Perry de Havilland:You’re kidding, right? He is a complete political irrelevance.
Jul 31, 2009 - 7:31 am 16. Perry de Havilland:Oh please, just get a grip. Some barking mad lefty loonies exclude a jewish activist from their own private event (and thereby rather amusingly avail themselves of the very property rights and rights of free association they seem so keen to deny others) and you are acting as if it is Kristallnacht-on-the-Thames.
I have lots of jewish chums and I don’t think a single one of them is nervously edging towards the airport for the next flight to Tel Aviv. Sheesh.
Jul 31, 2009 - 7:38 am 17. Adrian:By me, apartheid is what Obama is doing when he says that Jews can’t live in East Jerusalem. Pots and Kettles and the absence of colour come to mind. As always the actions of the Arabs are turned to make the Jews the guilty ones. Arabs, innocently, build illegally in Jerusalem but it is the Jews who are accused of illegal building when they build legally. The Arabs (and Obama) practice classic apartheid and to defend and justify themselves call Israel an apartheid state.
Jews can’t live where they want and Jonathan Hoffman can’t attend a meeting.
I can see where this is all going. I hope I’m not alone
Adrian
Jul 31, 2009 - 7:46 am 18. Rob Crawford:“Mary be very careful when you call Galloway an antisemite. The waste of a human life in question sued in the UK for defamation over it…”
If Mary is in the US, she’s safe. Truth is an affirmative defense to accusations of libel in the US.
Jul 31, 2009 - 9:09 am 19. Carol Gould:Adrian,
That is why I, when told ‘Don’t be daft’ about wearing a yellow star still take these bans seriously. Those of us old enough remember our relatives in Europe first being banned, then thinking enlightened Germany would go through this phase, but then having to wear a star ..Jonathan’s banning is a disgrace and ought to be a wake-up call to moribund Anglo Jewry. The new CST report says anti-Semitic attacks in the UK have reached unprecedented levels.
http://www.thejc.com/gallery/in-pictures-the-rise-antisemitism
Jul 31, 2009 - 7:11 pm 20. Judy, NYC:debating sharia law is hilarious on its own, like a debate in mad magazine hosted by what me worry. actually british women might look a bit better behind the veil. i am delighted that the british are sinking in their own crap. good.
Jul 31, 2009 - 7:45 pm 21. Thomas:@16. Perry de Havilland:
You said:
“Some barking mad lefty loonies exclude a jewish activist from their own private event and you are acting as if it is Kristallnacht-on-the-Thames.
Not yet but getting close:
“Jerusalem, July 30 (ANI): Following a declaration by a British government spokesperson that the UK is funding political activities in Israel, the Jewish country has demanded an answer from Britain…
http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20090730/894/twl-israel-demands-explanation-from-uk-o.html
The British Gov. and its propaganda arm, the BBC are both OPENLY financing and supporting anti-Israel groups inside and outside Israel.
Jul 31, 2009 - 7:56 pm 22. Jeremy:So please, keep the spin for yourself we are nearly not as ignorant and doltish as you tend to believe.
Perry
Fyi emigration from the UK to Israel will be a record this year at about 800 families
Aug 1, 2009 - 12:29 am