Jackie Walker ruling betrays Momentum members | Letters | The Guardian
![Momentum’s former vice-chair, Jackie Walker. ‘Jackie’s arguments were made in good faith. They may be right or they may be wrong. What they are not is antisemitic,’ write Tony Greenstein and others [Image: Andy Hall for the Observer].](https://voxpoliticalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/160929-Jackie-Walker.png)
Momentum’s former vice-chair, Jackie Walker. ‘Jackie’s arguments were made in good faith. They may be right or they may be wrong. What they are not is antisemitic,’ write Tony Greenstein and others [Image: Andy Hall for the Observer].
He said (on Twitter, so it’s there for you to see) that, as the Momentum steering committee stated, “taken individually” Ms Walker’s words were not anti-Semitic. But in his opinion, lumped together, they were.
He may be David Schneider, and he does deserve respect for a Twitter account that is a work of genius, but he’s still only one voice among many, and the majority seem to be in support of Ms Walker.
In that context, here’s the letter from Jewish members and supporters of Momentum, published in The Guardian.
As Jewish members and supporters of Momentum, we do not believe that what Jackie Walker said during a training event at Labour party conference was antisemitic (Walker stripped of Momentum role, 4 October). You report Jackie as saying that “she had not found a definition of antisemitism she could work with”. This is not surprising – there isn’t one. The Jewish Labour Movement, which ran the event, states that the EU Monitoring Centre on Racism’s working definition on antisemitism is the standard definition, despite the fact that its successor body, the Fundamental Rights Agency, has junked this definition, which equates criticism of the Israeli state with antisemitism. Jackie also stated that Holocaust Memorial Day should be more inclusive of other acts of genocide. Why is this antisemitic? It has always been a principle of the Zionist movement that the Nazi Holocaust was exclusive to the Jews. Yehuda Bauer, professor of Holocaust studies at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, has argued that “the Nazis only attempted to annihilate one people, the Jews”. According to Bauer, “the Holocaust is very much a unique case”.
Jackie’s arguments were made in good faith. They may be right or they may be wrong. What they are not is antisemitic. The decision of Momentum’s steering committee and its chair Jon Lansman to remove Jackie Walker as vice-chair is a betrayal of the trust of thousands of Momentum members. Momentum’s grassroots members overwhelmingly support Jackie.
Tony Greenstein
Professor Haim Bresheeth
Professor Emeritus Jonathan Rosenhead
Leon Rosselson
Ruth Appleton
Rica Bird
Mike Cushman
Dr Merav Devere
Mark Elf
Sylvia Finzi
Ken Fryde
Leah Levane
Claire Glasman
Selma James
Michael Kalmanovitz
Helen Marks
Elizabeth Morley
Diana Neslen
Ilan Pappe
Martin Parnell
Roland Rance
Dr Brian Robinson
Amanda Sebestyen
Glynn Secker
David Selzer
Sam Semoff
Sam Weinstein
Naomi Wimborne-Iddrissi
Source: Jackie Walker ruling betrays Momentum members | Letters | Politics | The Guardian
ADVERT
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
Perhaps Mr Schneider would care to explain how (or at what point) individually non-anti-Semitic remarks (from a Jew) become anti-Semitic taken together. At what point does speaking about Jews, Israel or Zionism become unethical?
(If I speak in favour of Zionism enough, do I magically become non-anti-Semitic, or just Netanyahu?)
Well said. I would like to hear him answer your points.
Excellent
If I may ask a question of the JLP a question no one has broached I’m sure Mike Sivier would obtain the answer, my question is this, is it possible this JLP Group put pressure on momentum to get rid of Jackie, therefore could the reason be the following because Jackie has not one Anti Semetic bone in her body, They had Jackie Sacked because all know the Lady is a Jew but also a Jew of Colour, Therefore I suggest the JLP be removed from the Labour Party with immediate effect For using the Worst form of RACISM which is hiding their own Bigotry and Racial Hatred because they know they can because of the Race they Belong to, they know not one single person will dare talk against them or even answer questions honestly and openly because if anyone does they SCREAM ANTI SEMETISM and Demonise good honest people even people of their own beliefs and Race.
You mean JLM, not JLP.
Hear! Hear!
I remember being horrified to lern that large numbers of gypsies were destroted by the holocausta as well as people like Pastor Niemoller. Also large numbers of Jehovah’s Witnesses AND OTHER DISSENTERS so I dont think the Holocaust was that exclusive. Read the history or talk to those alive at the time who fought those monsters.
The Nazi’s also exterminated huge numbers of disabled and mentally handicapped (not sure of correct term anymore, no offence meant). They also conducted horrific experiments upon these same groups. I know what happened to the Jewish people was beyond evil, but they really weren’t the only ones it happened to.
Certain things need to be said if one is to avoid falsifying the problem.
Frantz Fanon