Diane Abbott suspended from the Labour Party

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Witzend Judaism is a faith, the Jewish people are a race.

I find racism and anti semitism abhorrent. We often disagree on politics but I agree with your comments here tickingbird.

What DA wrote was wrong, no ifs, buts, deflections or multiple dead cats.

I cannot forget Luciana Berger needing a police escort

Anniebach

I cannot forget Luciana Berger needing a police escort

Agreed 👍🏻

tickingbird

It’s interesting how the far left posters on this site use Israel as a hook to hang their egregious anti semitism on. They always crawl out of the woodwork and expose themselves.

No different to laying blame for Isis on the average Muslim.

It isn't just far left posters who condemn the actions of Israel, some Jews do and Amnesty International says Israel is an apartheid state.
As for "crawling out the woodwork" I'm standing on my soapbox for everyone to see. I'm standing up for the oppressed people of Palestine
Marek Edelman the last surviving leader of the Warsaw ghetto uprising said, “To be a Jew means always being with the oppressed, never with the oppressors.”
I know that jewish people have differing views on the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli state. The pity is that the LP will not permit any Jew to express support for Palestine.

Where is the connection of standing on a soapbox over Palestine and Abbott comparing persecution of Jews with ginger heads ?

There isn't one. It is just the standard response of closet anti-semites.

Germanshepherdsmum

An apology isn’t enough. She should never have made the comment, should have known better. If Starmer is serious about eradicating antisemitism from his party he will sack her.

My view absolutely.

I read not too long ago that attacks against the Jewish community are on the increase. Her comments don't help the situation one bit.

Stupid woman - I used to defend her at one time because of all the hate mail she received. You'd assume she'd know better than to make such a comparison.

Starmer needs to get rid of her.

Really tickingbird? You think we use the destruction of an entire race of people, the Palestinian's, as a political point?

I didn’t name anyone but I see you know who and what you are.

That said you’ll see I don’t mention your GN name as I stopped engaging with anything you post several months ago after you accused me of being a supporter of a neo nazi organisation. That post was deleted. As far as I’m concerned so are you.

M0nica

There isn't one. It is just the standard response of closet anti-semites.

Would you like to name the "closet anti-semites"? Do these include the Jews who support Palestinians and condemn Israel's actions?
I don't expect an answer by the way. Any more than I expect tickingbird to answer my questions about the Jews banned from the LP
It's so much easier to simply say supporters of Palestine are anti-semitic than to deal with the real problem presented by the state of Israel.

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Comparing Jews with ginger headed people has sod all to do with Palastine.

It was said today she was writing her autobiography so perhaps would be standing down before the next election.

Was this letter deliberately meant ! ! ! !

Anniebach

Comparing Jews with ginger headed people has sod all to do with Palastine.

It was said today she was writing her autobiography so perhaps would be standing down before the next election.

Was this letter deliberately meant ! ! ! !

She's certainly scored an own goal if it was.
Although I suppose adverse publicity is better than no publicity at all.

The Windrush boat came to England in 1948. That was not a scandal, they were happy to come and there was work for them and housing. The scandal which was the hostile environment policy came to light in 2018 was created in 2012 sothe scandal started then.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windrush_scandal

Whitewavemark2

Thank you OP for this as I feel that I can now have a look at this without the undertones of racism evident previously.

Quite frankly, what on earth was she thinking! Or wasn’t she thinking?
Unfortunately her letter of apology seems to make matters worse. She uses the tactic of the far right by saying something, then saying you didn’t mean it.

Starmer acted swiftly and correctly.

However I distance myself entirely from the inevitable racism accompanying the criticism of her letter on social media.

Agree.

There isn't a coming back from this. Racism may affect different groups differently, but to introduce some kind of "hierarchy" or implied one - out of order.

Or wasn’t she thinking?
I don't think she was thinking on this serious issue so it is right she has had the Whip suspended.

A bit left field but what struck me was ‘redheads’. Is there some sort of prejudice against redheads over there or what ? I haven’t come across that here at all, redheads are considered to be slightly exotic and to be admired. Vikings, Scots and Irish descendants.

Well sort of, nanna "gingers" have been the but of jokes and sometimes mocking even bullying in schools.

I had to look up origins, interesting, complex.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination_against_people_with_red_hair

nanna8

A bit left field but what struck me was ‘redheads’. Is there some sort of prejudice against redheads over there or what ? I haven’t come across that here at all, redheads are considered to be slightly exotic and to be admired. Vikings, Scots and Irish descendants.

Both my sister and daughter have red hair and both have suffered serious "teasing" as a result. Nevertheless, it's not on par with racism.

growstuff

nanna8

A bit left field but what struck me was ‘redheads’. Is there some sort of prejudice against redheads over there or what ? I haven’t come across that here at all, redheads are considered to be slightly exotic and to be admired. Vikings, Scots and Irish descendants.

Both my sister and daughter have red hair and both have suffered serious "teasing" as a result. Nevertheless, it's not on par with racism.

I think that is truly awful. Hope it doesn’t come over here, we have enough stuff of similar ilk .

Jackiest

Discrimination is not about who suffers discrimination worse. Any discrimination is wrong no matter which direction it is in. Black against white, women against men, Jews against Germans it is still wrong.

I agree.

Interesting how this discussion has strayed so far from the core issue of Diane Abbott's recurring foot in mouth disease. This latest abhorrent utterance could be terminal in terms of her continued political life. The fact that she is "the first black woman MP" is totally irrelevant in this situation, other than perhaps to emphasise just how bizarre her attitude is in terms of who can be exposed to racism. I do hope that Starmer can bite the bullet and get rid of this total liability.

Whilst I appreciate you're the OP, the core issue was about what Abbott wrote in the Observer, not her "foot and mouth disease". That's what has been discussed.

I think her background is relevant. She was a trailblazer and she has been the victim of appalling racism, which makes her behaviour more bizarre.

Personally, I think she has had her day, but I understand she is still a conscientious constituency MP, which is more than can be said for some. Starmer can't just get rid of her. The Labour whip has been suspended, but he can't just get rid of a sitting MP and there's nothing to stop her standing as an independent in the next election.