Lead story

So much for free speech

by Daphne Liddle

THE GOVERNMENT and the media are hounding various old and new members of Labour with spurious accusations of ant-Semitism for remarks that, when seen in full context, are nothing of the kind, in order to undermine support for Jeremy Corbyn and Labour in the run-up to the local elections.

Meanwhile David Cameron is planning new “anti-terrorist” measures that add up to a major crackdown on free speech and can truly be described as creeping fascism.

The news measures, reportedly to be announced in the coming Queen’s speech will include measures to gag individuals, close down premises and ban organisations. Programmes perceived to contain “unacceptable extremist material” will be shut down by Britain’s broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, under the Extremism Bill.

According to the National Domestic Extremism and Disorder Intelligence Unit (NDEDIU), domestic extremism relates to the activity of groups or individuals who commit or plan serious criminal activity motivated by a political or ideological viewpoint.

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So much for free speech

Demand for justice for victims of Odessa massacre

by New Worker correspondent

ANTI-FASCISTS gathered outside the Ukrainian embassy in Holland Park, west London on Monday to mark the second anniversary of the massacre two years ago of at least 48 opponents of the coup d’état in Kiev that ousted the elected government and brought in an extreme right-wing government, which included open Nazis.

On 2nd May 2014 supporters of Kiev’s authorities represented by various extremist organisations that supported the violent change of Government, and supporters of federalisation that would enable Ukraine to maintain its integrity, came into conflict with each other in the streets of Odessa.

These actions resulted in the deaths and injuries of many people. Six men died in the city’s centre: two were Government supporters and four were “pro-federalism” supporters. Later in the day an aggressive mob, including football hooligans, went to Kulikovo square.

First of all the attackers burned the camp of federalisation activists in the square. In the course of these activities people were attacked and severely beaten with baseball bats, iron chains and even shot with firearms. The camp was set on fire; as a result people took refuge in the building of Trade Unions House.

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Demand for justice for victims of Odessa massacre

Editorial

Labour, anti-Semitism and Palestinian rights

LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn has done himself no favours by suspending or expelling a number of party members who have been accused of anti-Semitism before proper investigations have been done into what these people said and in what context.

Anti-Semitism is a very serious charge and there are real anti-Semites who are very nasty people and should be given no platform to spout their evil under any circumstances.

There is a whole cult of lies and distortions from the publication in Russia in 1903 of the The Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion, which claims to is describe a Jewish plan for global domination. It was translated into multiple languages, and disseminated internationally in the early part of the 20th century. According to the claims made by some of its publishers, the Protocols are the minutes of a late 19th-century meeting where Jewish leaders discussed their goal of global Jewish hegemony by subverting the morals of gentiles, and by controlling the press and the world’s economies. Among its wild and ridiculous claims was that the Jews were behind the French revolution.

It was a book that Hitler and the Nazis took seriously, leading ultimately to the Nazi attempt to exterminate all Jews in Europe and the horrors of the Holocaust.

But there are still some echoes of its claims going about. One of the more pernicious recent rumours is that Jews were behind the Al Qaeda attack on 11th September 2001 in New York and Washington — put about be people who also believe that the real Arab perpetrators did not have the skills or capability for that outrage — another racist assumption. Jewish people have every reason and right to be on their guard against this sort of thing.

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Labour, anti-Semitism and Palestinian rights