Stephen Sizer's Misadventures

"Truly, I have never known a man to find himself alongside antisemites so often and not realise until it is publicly pointed out to him. Someone ought to make a sitcom about his misadventures with the antisemites."

So observed Guardian columnist Hadley Freeman back in March when she reminded readers, inter alia, that "he defended the Rev Stephen Sizer, who was later banned by church authorities from social media for sharing antisemitic material blaming Israel for 9/11."

An editorial note at the end explained "Jeremy Corbyn defended the Rev Stephen Sizer before Sizer was banned by church authorities from social media for sharing antisemitic material blaming Israel for 9/11 " 

Look again at that sentence "Truly, I have never known a man to find himself alongside antisemites so often and not realise until it is publicly pointed out to him". 

 Does it not also bring to mind the ex-vicar of Virginia Water?

This chap, still going strong:

Earlier this week Sizer posted the following plea to his Facebook faithful regarding an article (by Dominic Kennedy) that appeared in The Times on 24 August:

And was duly obliged:

'Jeremy Corbyn claimed that Zionists in Britain “don’t understand English irony” in a speech that appeared to portray Jews as an alien culture. Luciana Berger, a Jewish Labour MP, said that the Labour leader’s comments, caught on camera at a pro-Palestinian event, were “inexcusable” and made her feel unwelcome in the party.  Mr Corbyn has been fighting claims of antisemitism in his party for most of the three years of his leadership. The latest disclosure is the most damaging blow yet to his claims that he opposes prejudice against Jews. Jamie Susskind, a former speechwriter for Ed Miliband, called on the Labour leader to resign.

In the 2013 speech Mr Corbyn referred to a speech by Manuel Hassassian, the Palestinian Authority representative in Britain. Mr Corbyn said that the envoy’s words had been “dutifully recorded by the thankfully silent Zionists who were in the audience on that occasion and then came up and berated him afterwards for what he’d said. “So clearly two problems. One is that they don’t want to study history and secondly, having lived in this country for a very long time, probably all their lives, they don’t understand English irony either. Manuel does understand English irony and uses it very, very effectively so I think they need two lessons which we can help them with.”

.... Mr Corbyn faced a backlash after the video of his speech was published by Mail Online. MPs piled pressure on their leader. Ms Berger, the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree, tweeted that the video of Mr Corbyn “making inexcusable comments — defended by a party spokesman — makes me as a proud British Jew feel unwelcome in my own party. I’ve lived in Britain all my life and I don’t need any lessons in history/irony.” She was supported by Labour colleagues. Catherine McKinnell, the Newcastle North MP, tweeted that she was “standing right with you”. Phil Wilson, the MP for Sedgefield, added: “Right beside you.”

Marcus Dysch, who works for the Jewish educational charity World ORT, said that it was clear that the remarks targeted Jews. Tweeting in a personal capacity he said: “Unambiguous antisemitic hate from Corbyn, a terrorist-sympathising, purge orchestrating, fear-mongering, unaccountable piece of work who should never have been allowed to lead a once-great party. Is it any wonder British Jews despair as this saga drags on?”

Mr Susskind, the former chairman of the Oxford University Labour Club, said: “Corbyn is not criticising Israel or supporting Palestinians. He is saying that Zionists (read Jews) who have lived in England their whole lives are somehow not fully English in their sensibilities. He has to go.” Jeremy Duns, the novelist, responded with a display of English irony: “Love the idea of the world’s most humourless man offering to teach Jews about irony. I mean, Zionists, sorry! He meant only Zionists, of course he did, silly me.”

Jennifer Gerber, director of Labour Friends of Israel, described Mr Corbyn’s comments as “despicable”.  John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4: “I think this has all been taken out of context: whatever Jeremy has said throughout the years has always been about how to secure peace, particularly within the Middle East and also peace with justice for all concerned — both members of the Jewish community and also members of the Palestinian community. In that context Jeremy has devoted his life, so I think this would take expressions out of context in that way are not helping.”

Nick Griffin, former leader of the far-right British National Party, weighed in behind the Labour leader. He tweeted: “Go Jezza! I wonder how many Labour activists the hysterical Zionist media campaign against Corbyn is re-pilling?”

Mr Corbyn made his comments at Friends House in Euston during an event publicised on the propaganda website of the military wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, which has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the Home Office since 2001. A spokesman for Labour said that he was there to support peace. Among the speakers was Daud Abdullah, a former deputy general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, who has been accused of calling for violence against Israelis and condoning attacks on British troops. Stephen Sizer, a vicar who has suggested that Israel was behind the 9/11 attacks, also spoke.  (Emphasis addded)

It has also emerged that Mr Corbyn accused Israel of genocide at a rally in 2014. The Daily Mail reported that he was recorded at a protest near the Israeli embassy in London, saying: “This is an occupation, this is a genocidal attack on Palestinian people.” ....'

As the pictured examples above indicate Sizer is rather fond of posting links to conspiracy theories regarding the Jews of Israel. 

And as left-leaning Zionist and London academic David Hirsh and the well-known Anglican blogger Archbishop Cranmer have both pointed out in recent days, Sizer posted this version of the antisemitic trope "the Jews control the media" on Facebook last week:

(Read Hirsh here and Cranmer here)

As I've observed countless times, it is curious that Sizer fails to defriend the many antisemites among his Facebook followers.

People like the notorious Tony Gratrex, long associated with the Reading PSC branch. 

In recent days:

Sizer posted this statement on Facebook a few days ago:

But he also posted this, and, hey presto, what do we find when following the link?

Why, an offering from a hate site about which we are reminded here:

 'If Americans Knew (IAK), a non-profit founded by activist Alison Weir, has the rare distinction of being condemned for furthering anti-Semitism by the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Voice for Peace, and the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation.

Weir earned this remarkable wall-to-wall opprobrium by promoting anti-Semitic myths, working with white supremacists, and publishing anti-Jewish content on IAK’s web site.'

Not a good look, Stephen Sizer.

Speaking of the Campaign Against Antisemitism:

One of Sizer's Facebook faithful, the scurrilous clown who calls himself Harriet S Place,  has defended Sizer thus:

Ah, but would Harriet and other apologists be so understanding of a public figure on the right of politics who linked to propaganda material by David Duke or the Ku Klux Klan and claimed that they had no ulterior motive in doing so?  Would they not condemn such a person as a racist and a fascist?

Answers on a postcard, please.