In London, Jews Whacked by JC Reporter Whack Him Back

Figuratively speaking, naturellement.

That antisemitism is a serious problem in Europe, making many Jews, including young Jews, consider emigrating, is a sad fact of contemporary life. See, for example, the recent report here

That Islamic antisemitism and anti-Zionism is driving a great deal of this horrible antipathy cannot be denied.  And the danger of equating "Islamophobia" with antisemitism should be apparent to all of us, as brilliantly explained by the incomparable Melanie Phillips here

Very recently, in London, a number of concerned persons, mainly Jews, among whom were many women, including women well-known as activists in Israel's cause, attended a showing of Katie Hopkins's disturbing documentary on the subject, Homelands.  The meeting was addressed by the articulate Ms Hopkins herself, and among the attendees was Anne-Marie Waters, director of Sharia Watch.

Ben Weich, a young reporter for the London Jewish Chronicle (aka the JC), who seems to have an immature  penchant for poking fun at strong women, to judge from the photo of ex-Tory minister and Brexit Party star Ann Widdicombe on his Twitter page) went along.

The result was not a report but a childish sneering smear against those present, including several well-known Jewish women by name. He scoffed at concerns for the future of Judeo-Christian civilisation. Virtually everyone he poked fun at happened to be female. And if there is a preponderance of women among those who most fear militant Islam, the reason for that fear is not far to seek.

His conclusion, in the context, was nauseating:

"But Jewish flirtation with the far right and extreme nationalism – less than a century removed from the Holocaust – is sickening and tragically ironic in equal measure."

One only hopes that Ben Weich will not grow up to rue the day he dismissed well-founded concerns about Islamic mass immigration and its concomitant antisemitism so cavalierly and bloody-mindedly ashe did in his JC piece.

It's no wonder that the traduced have answered back, in a masterly rebuttal of Weich's piece.  Inter alia (emphasis added):

'.... We do not recognise much of Ben Weich’s JC piece, a great deal of which amounts to no more than vacuous, unctuous virtue signalling.

Naturally we requested a right of reply. JC editor Stephen Pollard declined.

Clearly Weich was so imbued with emotional enthusiasm having at last caught us ‘at it’, that he failed to speak with the producers of the film, failed to raise his concerns during the free and open discussion and failed to interview the organisers.

After we provided this journalist with all the means to investigate and write a true and honest report, he distorted and selectively reported with the sole objective of suggesting that we are extremists. This is completely untrue.

Weich fails to tell his readers that this event had to be cancelled four times in Israel and twice in London, because of input from members of the Jewish establishment, determined to suppress free speech and dialogue. At great expense in London we provided sufficient trained security personnel – including a guard dog – because we take seriously our responsibility for safety. Weich’s report mendaciously juxtaposes the guard dog with a mention of “the BNP in Barking”. He describes Katie Hopkins as a “right wing agitator” but he made no attempt to pose a question to her at the event. No – in Weich’s universe it seems that truth becomes the victim while antisemites get a free ride. Then in his final paragraph he invokes the Holocaust to attempt to add weight to his absurd and offensive conclusion that our event was “Jewish flirtation with the far right and extreme nationalism”.

You’d have thought that Weich might have commented on the revolting antisemitism which the film exposes. Instead he shoots the messengers....'  

Please read it all.