The mask is finally off: ‘anti-Zionists' just hate Jews
After all, their words should help awaken more people to what so much anti-Israel activism is really about.
Most of the time, anti-Israel activists remember to employ the handy euphemism 'Zionist': a crucial tool in their efforts to persuade the public that they definitely, unequivocally, 100 per cent aren't anti-Semitic. But on this occasion, it would seem, some of them were so rabidly incensed by the arrival of a small band of pro-Israel counter-protesters, they forgot – and accidentally blurted out what they always really mean: 'Jewish'.
Afterwards they must have been kicking themselves. What a careless lapse. Luckily for them, their words don't seem to have been reported by the Left-wing newspapers that so many of their sympathisers read. But on social media, where users are constantly exposed to stories from newspapers they don't normally read, there's a grave danger that the sympathisers will catch sight of the Telegraph 's story, which quoted the words 'F— your Jewish state' in the headline. Think how disgusted those sympathisers will be, at seeing the activists so foolishly give the game away.
Of course, this isn't the first time an anti-Israel activist in Britain has made this unfortunate slip. At a rally held a mere month after October 7, 2023, a speaker disparagingly referred to Suella Braverman's 'Jewish husband' – before hastily correcting it to 'Zionist husband'.
The anti-Israel movement surely can't afford too many more little slips of this kind. Of late, though, we appear to be seeing more and more of them. At the weekend, video footage circulating on social media showed a man on a bus in Ireland ranting about 'genocidal Jews'. Then, when a woman tried to intervene, he accused her of 'white-knighting for the Jew'. The man's manner suggested strongly that he'd been drinking. Sober, perhaps he would have been able to control himself, and remembered to say 'Zionists' instead.
Meanwhile, the NASUWT teachers' union has just published the results of a survey, revealing that more than half of Jewish teachers in Britain have experienced anti-Semitism over the past two years. One teacher reported hearing a pupil shout, 'F— the Jews'. You can readily imagine the frustration of anti-Israel activists. ('It's 'f— the Zionists', you teenage idiot! Honestly, how many times!')
At this rate, hitherto unsuspecting members of the public are bound to start asking some awkward questions. Are these endless protests really just about the actions of the Israeli government, and nothing more? Is 'anti-Zionism' definitely about ideology, and not ethnicity? And how come the people marching so righteously in solidarity with innocent Palestinians appear to have so little interest in the slaughter of the Druze by Syrians, just across the Israeli border?
Naturally, therefore, anti-Israel activists will be anxious to avoid making the same mistake again. To that end, perhaps they should try using some form of aide-memoire. Before setting off on their next march, they could write the word 'ZIONIST' on the backs of their hands.
Then again, there may be one small flaw in such a plan. Their fellow travellers might misunderstand, and beat them up.
At last, the England team get off their knees
The England women's football team – who play Italy in a Euro 2025 semi-final tonight – have decided to stop 'taking the knee' before matches. In a statement, they said football needs to 'find another way to tackle racism'.
A sensible decision. The mystery is why they kept on doing it for so long.
The players may have meant it as a protest against racism in general. In the eyes of most people, though, the gesture will always be inextricably linked to the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020. In short: it was an American response to an American crime committed by American police.
It felt a touch odd, therefore, to see it adopted by sports teams in countries thousands of miles away. And it felt odder still when they continued to do it, long after American teams had stopped. Hence the bizarre spectacle before the match at the men's football World Cup of 2022, between England and the US. The England players took the knee – yet the US players (more than half of whom were black) didn't.
Goodness only knows what viewers in America made of it.
'Say, honey? Remember that whole 'taking the knee' thing that was big a couple years back? Looks like the limeys have just got into it. Bless 'em. I know they always like to copy our trends. But I never thought they'd start mourning our murders.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Woman said she was ‘Jesus sent to eliminate evil' after killing landlord and cat
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A woman said she was 'Jesus' and had been 'sent to eliminate evil from the world' after battering her 72-year-old friend to death and stabbing his pet cat in the neck, a court has heard. Habiba Naveed, 35, previously denied the murder of her landlord Christopher Brown, but pleaded guilty to his manslaughter. She also admitted causing unnecessary suffering to his cat Snow by stabbing him in the neck on or before August 15 last year. At a hearing at the Old Bailey on Thursday, Judge Sarah Munro KC imposed a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act and a restriction order under Section 41 – meaning Naveed can be detained indefinitely. At the time of the offence, Naveed, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was 'psychotic' – while her mental health had 'deteriorated' in the days preceding the attack, the court heard. Prosecutor Kerry Broome told the court Naveed believed she had connections to the royal family and was Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed's daughter. After the attack, Naveed told her brother 'she was Jesus and had been sent to eliminate evil from the world', and later said to police 'the devil attacked me last night and I won,' Ms Broome said. The court heard Naveed had also told police she 'slept in coffins', and Jesus had raised her from the dead. The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation after Mr Brown's body was discovered under a dressing gown in the living room of the home he shared with Naveed in Polsted Road, Lewisham, south-east London. The house cat, Snow, was also found dead having been stabbed in the neck. Ms Broome said of a previous account of the attack given by the defendant: 'She believed she had seen the deceased kill his mother and that the deceased was evil.' 'She heard a voice telling her to kill him three times,' she said, adding that Naveed hit Mr Brown with a pan and then strangled him. 'She believed the evil spirit had jumped out of the deceased and into the cat.' 'She got a knife and she cut the cat's neck,' Mr Broome added. The pair had lived together at Polsted Road for several years, during which Mr Brown was persuaded to put the property, which he had inherited from his parents, in both his and Naveed's names, the prosecutor said. The house was refurbished and lodgers were taken in, which Naveed orchestrated, the court heard. In the days leading up to the attack, Naveed's family were concerned at the state of her mental health – leading them to call 111 and call an ambulance, the hearing was told. Sentencing, Judge Munro told the defendant: 'You attacked Chris between around 11pm and 11.50pm on August 14. 'You hit Chris a number of times to the head with a saucepan which broke in the process; you then sat on him breaking his ribs and strangled him. 'You then slit the cat's throat before leaving Chris covered in a dressing gown alone and dead or dying in the living room property where he was found by Mr Rizwan (a lodger) when he returned to the house at 2.15am on 15th. 'You left a bloodied knife with which you had cut the cat's throat nearby.' She added: 'The consultant forensic psychiatrist was of the view that the injuries fitted your account which shows that you were conscious of exactly what you were doing as you killed Chris.' The judge said two psychiatrists agreed on the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and that Naveed had 'no insight' into her mental health, diagnosis or symptoms. Naveed repeatedly became aggressive during previous hospital admissions and had been off her proscribed medication for a year at the time of the killing, the court heard. The defendant was a frequent user of cannabis which exacerbates her symptoms but, did not cause her psychosis, according to psychiatrists, the judge said. Mitigating factors beyond Naveed's mental illness included her lack of any serious previous offending, while aggravating factors included her use of strangulation and a weapon, the judge added. A post-mortem examination found that Mr Brown, who was a lawyer, died from blunt force trauma. In a tearful statement, a colleague from Mr Brown's law firm told the hearing that the victim would have helped anyone if he could, adding that Naveed had taken away any 'future memories'. She said: 'He wasn't just a 72-year-old-man tragically killed by his housemate, he was a solicitor, a boss, a partner, a kind man.' In a statement read out by Ms Broome, Mr Brown's cousin described him as a 'kind and caring person' who would go out of his way to help his family and his clients. Naveed attended the hearing via video-link and only spoke to confirm her identity.
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Migrant hotel threatens closure if just asylum-seeking men are housed on site
A migrant hotel has warned it will close if the Home Office begins placing men at the site instead of families. The Park Hotel in Diss, Norfolk, said it is currently contracted to accommodate families only and has made clear to the Home Office that it 'will have no alternative but to close' if that changes. In the statement shared to social media the hotel said: 'The Park Hotel has been contracted by the Home Office to provide accommodation for families. 'This arrangement presently remains in place, despite recent public statements suggesting otherwise. 'We have advised the Home Office and other stakeholders that should this situation change, and we are formally notified that the hotel will no longer operate as a family-only establishment, we will have no alternative but to close the Hotel.' It said there are currently 'vulnerable families and children staying at the hotel – many of whom are feeling frightened and uncertain about recent events at the Hotel and their futures'. 'We ask for understanding and sensitivity from both the public and the media during this time, as we continue to provide support to those in our accommodation,' the statement added. It comes amid mounting local tensions over the use of the hotel to house asylum seekers, with around 60 protesters gathering outside the premises on Wednesday night to voice their anger at the Government's decision. They were met by around 30 counter-protesters from campaign group Stand Up to Racism, who held signs reading 'refugees welcome'. The Home Office has not commented directly on the hotel's warning but has previously said the use of hotels is a temporary measure and all placements are made following risk assessments. The hotel has long served as a local business and venue for tourism, weddings and events. The Park Hotel refused to comment when approached by the PA news agency.
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ministers urged to explain plans to re-establish extraditions to Hong Kong
Ministers have been urged to explain plans which would once again allow Britain to extradite people to Hong Kong. The move could put at risk dissident Hongkongers who have fled to the UK to avoid recrimination by the Chinese government, a senior Conservative warned. Shadow Home Office minister Alicia Kearns urged the Government to ensure 'protections will be put in place to ensure no Hongkonger, CCP (Chinese Community Party) critic or anyone targeted by the CCP will be extradited under the new arrangement'. The UK's extradition treaty with Hong Kong was suspended by the then-Tory government after a new national security law was imposed on the territory by China in 2020. The treaty meant Hong Kong could request that someone living in the UK suspected of a crime at home could be handed over to face justice, and vice versa. Fears that the law could lead to human rights abuses were behind the UK's reasoning to put the agreement on ice. Ministers have now introduced a law change in the Commons which would tweak how Hong Kong is designated under the 2003 Extradition Act. The statutory instrument introduced in the Commons on July 17 would effectively re-establish an extradition route with Hong Kong, as well as Zimbabwe. It also changes how Chile is classified under the Act because the South American country has signed an international extradition treaty. In a letter to shadow home secretary Chris Philp seen by the PA news agency, security minister Dan Jarvis suggested the change was needed as no extradition to Hong Kong can currently be made 'even if there were strong operational grounds to do so'. Mr Jarvis added: 'The way to resolve this situation is to de-designate Hong Kong and Zimbabwe from the Act so that we can co-operate with them on the case-by-case ad hoc basis available for non-treaty partners. 'The safety and security of our citizens is our top priority. 'Ensuring that territories are correctly designated under the Act will ensure that the UK can accept extradition requests in a lawful and timely way to ensure the public is not put at risk.' Writing in response to Mr Jarvis, shadow minister Ms Kearns questioned why the Government had taken the step, as she said the situation in Hong Kong had 'worsened' in the years since the national security law was introduced. She pointed to the case of Jimmy Lai, the 77-year-old British national and proprietor of the Apple Daily newspaper, who is facing detention by the Chinese government, as well as other critics of Beijing. 'Has the Government assessed political freedom and the rule of law have been returned to Hong Kong, or have you decided these issues are no longer saleable alongside the 'reset' in relations between the UK and China?' Ms Kearns asked in her letter. In a post on social media, she added: 'I urge the Government to give urgent reassurances on how this system will be safely managed and what protections will be put in place to ensure no Hong Konger, CCP critic or anyone targeted by the CCP will be extradited under the new arrangement.' The Hong Kong national security law criminalises anything considered to be secessionist from China, and has led to a crackdown on critics of Beijing. Some 150,000 Hongkongers have moved to the UK under a special visa scheme launched in early 2021, after the law was introduced. Since coming to power, Labour has sought to reset relations with China with the aim of boosting trade, after the Conservatives took an increasingly hawkish attitude towards the country while they were in office. The Home Office, which is responsible for extradition law, has been contacted for comment.
