Gates of Vienna: rumbled and spreading disinformation

EDL's Tommy Robinson assaulted by Pakistanis?

Yesterday I came across a story on ‘Moonbattery’, a Far Right American blog/site that’s always good for a few belly laughs, titled Christmas in Britainistan (these guys are sooo original!) and which alleges that Tommy Robinson, head nutjob of the English Defence League (EDL - now with Zionist flavour!), had been a assaulted by a gang of Pakistanis and hospitalised for the injuries sustained. The post provided Ned ‘Flanders’ May’s (‘Baron Bodissey’, cough!) The Gates of Vienna, a Rense-type sewer of Islamophobia, as the source of the ‘news’ (‘breaking’!). Ned dated the post as 22/12/11 (bear that date in mind).

Honestly surprised that such an attack seemed to have been ignored by just about every news outlet in Britain (and in the full knowledge that there would always be some willing to make political hay out of Tommy’s alleged misfortune), I Googled and found nothing but the usual suspects on the Far Right of US/UK blogosphere parroting the ‘story’ verbatim, all links pointing without exception to Gates of Vienna. Bear in mind that yesterday we were already 25 December, with the first ‘report’ on the ‘attack’ occurring on 22 December, leaving ample time for the story to trickle into the mainstream.

Amazingly, even the EDL’s own newsfeed yielded nothing, zilch, nada… The EDL not cashing in on a juicy story involving Evil British Moooslims attacking the leader of a White ‘resistance’ group and around the time of Christmas too? Pigs will fly.

Because of these oddities I decided to check out Gates of Vienna’s post again. Some aspects of the story are extremely strange. Firstly, Ned writes:

Last night English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson was attacked and beaten up by a gang of “Asians”. The following report just came in from a source in the EDL:

‘[…] Just came in from a source in the EDL […], but no mention of who the source might be. Or how he was contacted by this source.

Then there are the photographs:

'Floating head' Tommy in "ER":




















'Floating torso' Tommy in "hospital":





















Both are almost certainly Photoshopped: the face is clearly superimposed rather clumsily onto a 'ER/hospital" background.

I’ll give Ned the benefit of the doubt: it looks like he’s been duped by either an over-zealous EDLer or by an impostor.

If I’m proved wrong on this, this post will be deleted. But I’m putting money on not having to resort to that… Okelydokely, Ned!

As an aside, the following comment was made on the 'Moonbattery' post linked to higher up:

angryK9 says:

December 26, 2011 at 9:05 am

Muslims are barbarians. We can’t enjoy peace until they are wiped from the face of the earth.

And with regards to the story of Tommy Robinson’s (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) misadventure there’s more. The Liverpool antifascists have it on good authority that ‘Lennon’ wasn’t beaten up by Pakistanis but by rival football hooligans, the Luton MIGs, a milieu Tommy’s entirely familiar with:

The MIGs, for those who don’t know, are the Luton Town football hooligan firm. It is from their infamous former leader that Tommy Robinson – real name Stephen Lennon – takes his alias. The MIGs also have links with the EDL dating back to its foundation, due to the group’s roots in football hooliganism.

So which is the true story? Both have some degree of credibility as well as room for doubt, but ultimately it is the word of one group of fascists against that of another at this moment in time. Either way, what it means is that the leader of the EDL has been laid up – for some time, given reports that he has “bruising of the brain” – and there will no doubt be repercussions. Revenge attacks on Asian youths by angry EDL supporters, or clashes between rival gangs of thugs. Possibly both.

In the meantime, our thoughts should be with Tommy. As the man who reinvigorated street fascism, inspiring a new generation of goons to go on the rampage against Asians and Muslims, it really couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person.

If this is the true explanation of events, combined with the malicious leaking of the ‘photos’, then that would certainly explain why the story created no headlines…

World must interfere in Israel's internal affairs

Gideon Levy

Of all of Israel's complaints against the world, one is especially brazen: Goodness gracious, the world is meddling in the Jewish state's internal affairs.

When U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she understands what's happening here, and it reminds her more of Iran than Israel, the Zionist response has been: "It would be better for the public's representatives to direct their attention to what is happening in their own countries," as Environmental Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan put it.

When Europe becomes outraged over hate crimes in Israel, the brazen response is the Europeans adopted the lowest of resolutions in taking Israel to task. And when the world takes an interest in Israel's policy toward refugees and migrant workers, this prompts a demand for an end to foreign interference, as Ronen Shoval, the founder of the right-wing organization Im Tirtzu, said.

Israel may be the last country on earth with the right to be outraged over foreign interference. Since its founding, Israel has not ceased working around the world to bring Jews here; it has clandestinely carried out underground subversive activity among shady regimes; it has openly preached abroad for Jews to leave their native lands and immigrate here, or at least send financial support; and Israel has moved heaven and earth against manifestations of anti-Semitism and supports parallel alternative Jewish and Zionist educational systems around the world.

It is also a country that simultaneously calls on the world to maintain the blockade of Gaza because of Hamas' rise to power there. Israel has acted in Lebanon and elsewhere in support of one communal faction against another. It has not ceased to meddle in the internal affairs of foreign countries and entities, so of all countries, it should not be heard to complain about foreign interference.

That is not the only reason, however, that Israel's stance on interference is brazen and ridiculous. In today's world, nations frequently intervene in the domestic affairs of other countries, and Israel does not object. Sometimes, we even support such steps. The world bombed Kosovo and Libya to liberate them from tyranny.

Similarly, it invaded Iraq and Afghanistan. It has been threatening Iran over its development of nuclear weapons, which on the face of it is also an internal matter.

The world has also imposed sanctions on Syria, which could be followed by military involvement - again prompted by internal matters. That is the world's role, that's how it should conduct itself when it identifies outrageous injustice or dangerous dictatorship.

Israel is not a dictatorship (aside from the rule it imposes in the territories it occupies, which is, in fact, a long-standing and cruel dictatorship ). The world therefore expects standards of conduct from Israel that are customary in the family of nations to which it aspires to belong. The world has actually refrained so far from really intervening in what has been carried out by the dictatorship of the occupation, where Israel does what it pleases, continually showing contempt for the world. But now the world has begun to direct its attention to what has been going on lately in Israel. That is its right and obligation.

Contrary to the slanderous and foolish comments of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, whose ministry said European countries were in danger of making themselves irrelevant by their criticism of Israeli settlement policy, that is the only way the world can be relevant. True, at times the world is afflicted with hypocrisy and double standards, but that doesn't give Israel the right to oppose such interference. If the world is witness to discrimination against women, injustice done to refugees and migrant workers and anti-democratic nationalist legislation, it speaks out. Israel cannot respond like Syria or Libya with the argument to leave it alone because these are internal matters.

But all this is just the coming attraction for the major intervention that will be more blatant than anything seen so far and may be coming soon. Once the world despairs of a two-state solution, which no longer has much prospect of being implemented, it will direct its concern to human and civil rights in the one state that already exists: Israel.

Then, the world will say: "You wanted occupation. You wanted the settlements. We will have to accept them, because there's no turning back, but we will by no means accept a situation in which two million Palestinians in the West Bank live forever without civil rights and a million and a half Palestinians in the Gaza Strip live under conditions of partial siege. We will not accept such a situation in the new Middle East, which is rising up against dictatorship.

The new world will then tell Israel: Stay in the occupied territories, but give all its residents equal rights and justice. What will Israel say then? Interference in its internal affairs? Foreign intervention? You've got to be kidding.

Melanie Phillips: Take a hint, Lady!

Mad Mel Phlipps’ inverted worldview is paying her little dividends these days: it’s the second time in a couple of days her articles invoke almost nothing but opprobrium from the Daily Hate Mail audience.

Here she basically equates Obama and Ron Paul as ‘isolationists’ and get all 35 comments to bitterly oppose her ludicrous stance.

Here she comes all out in defence of Gingrich’s ‘Palestinians are an invented people’ tosh, clutching Ye Olde Mappes firmly in her crooked fist. Of the 22 commenters there’s one numpty cheering her on, about one fence sitter and the rest relegate Mizz Phillips’ ruminations to the circular filing system.

Long gone seem the days when fanatical Israel Firster types ruled the roost at her Spectator blog…

You’d have thought that having been quoted at length by mass murdering Anders Breivik and admired by anti-Muslim crusader Vlad Tepes would make one consider revising one’s position on certain issues but not so for Mad Mel…

Modernity Blog: Good Riddance!

Tidings of joy (may be there is a G-d after all)! Belatedly news reaches these shores that Modernity blog (“Modders, you plonker!”) has gone into what will hopefully be permanent hibernation. This twit, who repeatedly called me and anti-Semite and fascist (this on the grounds that Mr Semitophilic believes that in ‘anti-Zionism’, Zionism stands for ‘Jooooos’) has decided to call it a day, blogging wise.

To his credit, this faux-leftist ended his short-lived contribution to the Zioprop blog ‘CiFWatch’ (by ‘Hawkeye’) after about one fart and stopped commenting on the increasingly right wing blog, the Brown Sauce (‘Harry’s Place’, the now Washington based outfit run by David S. Toube - moneyed lawyer to the seriously financially comfortable) not so long ago. Neither of these publications appears on the blogroll of the final version of ‘Modernity blog’, nor on the list of stuff he claims he’ll still be reading.

Always one for fiercely protecting his own privacy but without any qualms about libelling/slandering those willing to fight with an open visor, by means of endless internet linkages, Moddy was your ultimate tinkerwebs hypocrite. With his and his Israeli firster comrades’ capability of ‘deep searching’, Modders would have been capable of linking David Cameron to ‘Lady’ Renouf, if it suited him.

You will not be missed, Moddy, at least not by me, and Christmas has just gotten a lot better. Cheers Modders, Merry Christmas, mate!

Israeli Foreign Ministry official sounds like the Syrian Ambassador to UN!

Ha’aretz:

A senior Foreign Ministry official told Haaretz that what would have been a mundane discussion turned into an "attack on Israel," lead by Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin along with the Indian, Brazilian, and South African representatives.

However, sources said that the assault wasn't limited to the representatives of those nations, with European UNSC members joining in as well. The only country reportedly not engaging in the unusual bout of criticism was the United States.

The discussion's focal points were the so-called "price tag" attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank; continued settlement construction; and claims that Israel refused to provide the Quartet with its stances on issues such as borders and security arrangements in a future peace deal with the Palestinians.

"The whole debate was conducted in a disgusting manner," a Foreign Ministry official with knowledge of the UNSC proceedings told Haaretz, adding that "Israel was assaulted with every minute detail, mentioning every mosque that was torched and arguing that state authorities weren't doing anything to stop settler attacks against Palestinians."

Foreign Ministry officials said that the EU representatives "hijacked" the session, when, following it, they decided to release a joint statement detailing the contents of the sealed meeting.

In the statement the diplomats criticized the council's failure to take action against escalating violence by Israeli settlers and urged a speedy resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Britain's UN Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, also speaking for EU members France, Germany and Portugal, said "Israel's security and the realization of the Palestinians' right to statehood are not opposing goals."

The envoys called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's denouncement of the acts a "step in the right direction," adding, however, that they were waiting to see real results.

On Wednesday, Foreign Ministry director general Rafael Barak held a special ministry session following the statement, with one source saying that the Germany and U.K.-led maneuver managed to enrage even the most moderate among ministry officials, who usually disagree with Foreign Ministry Avigdor Lieberman on his tough stances regarding the Palestinians.

"The Europeans pulled out the horn and turned up the volume to a thousand decibels," one official said, adding that the move was "unacceptable and unfriendly."

Most of the Foreign Ministry indignation was over a portion of the statement that dealt with the price tag attacks, and which hinted that the Israeli government wasn't acting to apprehend the perpetrators.

"It's a blatant interference in Israel's internal affairs," one ministry official said, adding that that statement is "a veiled threat that if Israel doesn't prosecute the perpetrators the EU will drag it into international courts," he added. [my emph.]

We should be so lucky… not that Israel would recognise such a court anyway!

And in other news, that other expert on peace, Vampire Nuland, spokesperson for the ‘honest peace broker’:

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that the
criticism of Israel issued by the European members of the UN Security Council did not aid in resuming Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

“Shouting from the rooftops of the Security Council is not going to change the situation on the ground, which is that these parties have to get back to the table and settle these issues together, and that’s the way we’re going to have a lasting, stable peace,” said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. [my link]

Palestinians are heroes, braving Israeli dictatorship

Amira Hass - Ha’aretz

The Palestinians are heroes, and that's the only fact that's relevant after the slight shock of the hilltop thugs. The hands are the hands of thugs, and the head? The head is the head of the hostile regime under which the Palestinians live and which harasses them every moment of every day, week after week for decades. To live this way and remain sane - that's heroism. "And who says we're sane?" Palestinians answer me. Well, here's the proof: self-irony.

The thugs of the hills are only the icing on the cake. Most of the work is being done by thugs wearing kid gloves. Unlike the people who threw the stone at the deputy brigade commander, these are fan favorites in Israel. The flesh of our flesh. Officers and soldiers, military jurists, architects and contractors in the service of the army, Interior Ministry and National Insurance Institute clerks. The hands are their hands. The head is the head of the demos, the Israeli-Jewish people, who by the democratic process send governments to be the dictator over the Palestinians.

What is the Israeli dictatorship over the Palestinians? Not only control of their space and the creation of isolated enclaves; not only the 19-year-olds who are sent - masked and armed to the teeth - on military raids (560 last month, according to the monitoring group in the PLO's negotiations department ); not only daily arrests (257 arrests in November, including 15 Gazans ) and the 758 temporary roadblocks that were placed on West Bank roads that month.

The dictatorship is not even just a ban on Palestinian construction in more than 60 percent of the West Bank, permission to invent a new law every day to disenfranchise and expel, and the demolition, during 2011, of 500 Palestinian dwellings, wells, cisterns, animal pens, toilets and other essential structures. The dictatorship is all that together, and much more.

The Israeli dictatorship is the art of the double standard (Palestinians cannot build on their agricultural land so as not to impair rural zoning, but the state can legalize a Jewish outpost on Palestinian agricultural land ). It is the champion of self-righteousness and arrogance ("the only democracy" ), and holds an advanced degree in hypocrisy ("ready to return to negotiations any time" ). Instead of going crazy with rage, the Palestinians know that these characteristics will hurt the Israelis themselves.

Anyone who has been harmed by the Israeli dictatorship feels alone, weak, angry and desperate. But every family in its own way cultivates its humanity. In a curious and moving way - despite internal rivalries, an unfair distribution of the burden, manifestations of ignorance and opportunism and disappointing leadership - the ability to remain steadfast and social solidarity are the overall result.

That's the summud that attorney Raja Shehadeh wrote about ages ago, when we still deluded ourselves that the Israeli-Jewish people can heal itself from the disease of lordship. This totality also typifies every individual and family: the ability to remain resilient and show wise restraint, which has become routine bravery and will be translated in due time into mass collective resistence.

The Palestinians are heroes, and that's not simply a flowery journalistic phrase. It's a fact not intended for the thugs, but rather for people who shut their eyes - and they are many. Those who shut their eyes do so because they seek normalcy. What they don't see doesn't exist and doesn't bother them. Israeli normalcy longs for the Palestinians to disappear, or at least to remain silent and finally surrender. But Palestinian bravery will continue to thwart the longings of Israeli normalcy.

Jonafun Hoffman: ‘ISM/PSC desecrate Christmas!’

Yup. Jonathan Hoffman the Zionist anti-Zionist’s hero is at it again in quite characteristic clownesque mode:

Today the Israel traducers [ISM/PSC activists] sang carols with the words doctored in order to demonise Israel. Many passers-by expressed their disgust at this desecration of Christmas.

Desecrating Christmas, no less, for having the temerity of demonstrating…

From that (old) linked Jewdas piece:

On the JC blog site, Jonathan likes to abuse fellow posters, preferably calling them ‘trolls’. We can put this aside, perhaps this is standard conversational style in Woodside Park Synagogue. A particular poster, ‘Ben Abuyah’ however, got Johnathan’s back up. ‘Ben Abuyah’ was a critic of Israel, was pretty knowledgable, and, horror of horrors, worked for a Jewish communal organisation. How dare a community organisation employ someone whose views are not specifically endorsed by the Zionist Federation! Jonathan has been pretty clear – Jews who criticise Israel are a best not proper Jews and at worst not Jewish at all. But how does one tell? In good rabbinic style, Jonathan devised a simple and straightforward test for ascertaing someone’s Jewishness, posting the following:

To the Jewish Israel bashers:

Please confirm the following:

1. Examples of active participation in synagogue services over the last six months
2. The number of mezuzot in your home
3. Fluency in reading/speaking Hebrew
4. Participation in rabbinical shiurim in the past six months
5. Positions held within the Jewish community
6. Extent of kashrut observance
7. Examples of active support for Israel in past six months
8. Frequency of synagogue attendance

Has ever such a list been produced in all of Jewish history? Maimonides had his 13 principles but this is a whole other level – no longer is Jewishness to be based on descent or conversion, according to JH it needs to be frequently tested to check whether or not it has lapsed. Some questions remain – do all 8 areas score equally? Or does no. 7 trump all the others? An do Jews who are not ‘Israel Bashers’ have to submit to the quiz or are they exempt? And what happens if you score less than half points? Will the men in black hats come round to put you in cherem?

What was it, one might wonder that led Jonathan to produce such a list? What had got his back up? A notable omission from JH’s list is shabbat observance, a very traditional marker of Jewish religiosity. It turned out that this was very relevant. Ben Abuyah pointed out that JH had been posting on the JC blog on shabbat.

Hilariously, both the shabbat posts and Ben Abuyah’s flagging of them have now disappeared from the JC site. JH was obviously highly gefruntzled by this having his shabbat desecration pointed out; it seemingly led him to do some research and then gleefully ‘out’ Ben Abuyah. At that point the trail goes quiet – though it seems likely that Hoffman will now try to make things difficult for ‘Ben Abuya’ in his communal organisation. (update: Hoffman’s questionaire seems to have also disappeared from the site – the moderators are zealous in their efforts to protect ZF spokespeople)

Special Appeal: Medical Aid to Palestinians

Via subscription email.

It is at this time of year, particularly as a father of two boys, that I feel most depressed about the complete injustice and terrible conditions the innocent children of Palestine face every day.

These young children have lived through horrendous atrocities: air strikes and rocket attacks by the Israeli military, death and destruction on an unimaginable scale and grinding poverty caused by decades of military occupation.

Many children in Gaza are deeply scarred by what they have witnessed: frightened, confused and angry. How could they not be? So many still suffer from flashbacks, nightmares, bedwetting, sleep disorders and depression.

I have just returned from Palestine, where I was amazed by the energy and friendship of the children there. Even with their physical or mental scars, the children still have the strength and resilience to look to the future with optimism. But to do so they need our help to heal deep emotional wounds that have harmed their young lives.
Please donate today. You could help us bring comfort and support to a young child who has lost their childhood.

Whilst on visits to Palestine, to see MAP’s work, I have often been questioned by young Israeli soldiers about why I visit and what I do. Their ambivalent attitude towards aid workers throughout Palestine is hard to explain when they can see that we are there to help. They don’t appear to understand or care that a terrified seven-year-old just wants to be a child, just wants to grow up to do something with their life. They ignore the fact that imprisoning people behind a blockade and denying them their fundamental right to access adequate health care will mean they never heal the wounds of conflict. I wanted to tell them about nine-year-old Fatima. She was six years old when Israel invaded Gaza and took her childhood, leaving her a terrified shell of a girl who still finds it hard to cope and play with other children. With your help we can reach children like Fatima, giving them the care and support they need to recover.

MAP’s programmes save and improve the quality of lives in many ways – but none is more important than giving scared children the chance to just be children. Imagine if we could help more children who are hoping that someone will listen giving them the space and time to find their feet again.

We could reach more of these children, but we cannot do this without your support. If you could help us, we could make sure that Palestinian children receive the care they need to heal their physical and mental wounds.

HOW YOUR GIFT TODAY COULD HELP:

£20 could help supply toys, paper and crayons – tools which the children of Gaza can use to help express their trauma.

£50 could help pay for an experienced psychologist to provide expert care to psychologically injured children.

£500 could help a child attend 14 sessions on MAP’s psychosocial care programme and start to recover from their experiences of conflict

Last year I made a promise to the children of Gaza, I promised that MAP would be there to help the children rebuild their lives. I am asking you again to remember those brave children who, despite their suffering, have dreams of a better world. Please will you make a donation today to help us support vulnerable Palestinian children.

To help children cope with trauma, MAP provides a programme of specialist care. We give children the time, attention, support and professional care that helps them to recover and begin to enjoy their lives, to be children again.

Please will you make a donation this Christmas so MAP can continue to give children the medical aid and practical support that could save their lives?

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Steven James

Chief Executive

P.S. Between 7th and 13th December:

• 14 Palestinian children were injured by the Israeli Army in demonstrations in the West Bank
• 1 child was killed by the Israeli Army in Gaza
• 8 children were injured by the Israeli Army in Gaza

For more information on MAP's continuing response please sign up to our E-newsletter - The Monitor or email us at info@map-uk.org or telephone us on 0207 226 4114

Lizard Gingrich: what a toe rag…

The latest crop of Republican wannabe nominees is by far the most ridiculous bunch of pond life thrown up by that event in many ‘election’ cycles. From Michele Bachmann (too vapid to mention), Rick ‘Ooops’ Perry, Herbert ‘Us-beki-beki-stan-stan’ Cain, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich to Ron Paul, its all of a sadness that defies proper description. One almost, but not quite, feels for Paul. And I’m sure I forget the odd cardboard cut out.

Of all the slimeball vote whores falling over themselves showing just how tough they’ll be on Iran (exception: Ron Paul), thereby securing a good slice of the American Jewish Zionist vote, Gingrich is the most gregarious. In a very recent interview with ‘The Jewish Channel’, Newt basically reiterates an old conspiracy theory in which the Palestinians are an invented people, presumably concocted by the Arab League to make life hard for Israel, nay destroy it:



Someone might try and explain to Newt that prior to 1948 there was no State of Israel either, that prior to 1776 there was no American State and that much more importantly the universal rights of people living somewhere aren’t predicated on belonging to a ‘real’ People or having a ‘real’ Religion. These rights of those living back then in what we now call historic Palestine were brutally violated by the interlopers known as Zionists, to this very day.

Newt, apparently, stands by his musings (he’s not a bad calculator). So if the American public votes in this scumbag we can be sure that the US will be once again an ‘honest broker’ in the ME ‘peace process’!

Worst weekend?

Source: JTA

The delicate touch-me-nots of US Zionism are hurting, apparently:

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The Obama administration is reaping a whirlwind of criticism in the wake of pointed remarks about Israel by several U.S. officials over three days.

The U.S. ambassador to Belgium, Howard Gutman, caused an uproar when he suggested on Dec. 1 that hostility among European Arabs and Muslims toward Jews was rooted in anger over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and should be distinguished from traditional forms of anti-Semitism. Jewish groups condemned his remarks, which drew calls for his dismissal from Republican presidential front-runners Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.

The following day, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta stirred controversy when he told an audience at the Saban Forum, an annual Washington conclave for American and Israeli policymakers, that Israel needs to “get to the damn table” to negotiate with the Palestinians and “mend fences” with its neighbors. The Anti-Defamation League expressed “surprise and dismay” at a speech that it said “disproportionately put the onus on Israel to overcome its isolation.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made waves a day later at the Saban Forum when she reportedly expressed some concerns about the state of Israeli democracy.

The confluence of controversies has added up to a headache for the Obama administration’s Jewish supporters and given fodder to its critics.

“This is the worst weekend we’ve had in a while,” said a Jewish Democratic activist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, referring to the outcry over the remarks.

See, I wish wholeheartedly that I could call it the ‘worst weekend’, in fact I wish I could simply call it a ‘bad weekend’ but perhaps for a lobby that’s used to having an American administration reply to requests to jump for the Zionist Entity with ‘how high?’, all this must feel like a catastrophic loss of traction. If only it was…