Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: “As a non-Jew..."

In Inghilterra aumentano atti di antisemitismo 
http://snipurl.com/bv27r
e  anche la politica estera non è esente da venature antisemite.
http://snipurl.com/bv28h
Ma ci sono anche figure ammirevoli, come John Mann, parlamentare
laburista, che cercano di porre un freno.
Labour MP John Mann is not Jewish. He is a blunt, tough-talking former
trade union official from Yorkshire who says he has only ever come
across one Jew in his Bassetlaw constituency in Nottinghamshire. There
may be nothing Jewish in his background but, according to informed
figures, no-one has done more than Mann in recent years to fight
hatred against British Jews.
He has persuaded parliamentarians from every continent to come to
London for the London Conference to Combat Antisemitism which begins
on Sunday. The cast of characters is, like Mann, predominantly non-
Jewish. He does not see this as strange or unusual. Indeed, he is
adamant that the fight against antisemitism should be led by non-Jews.
Over coffee at Westminster, Mann, who is the chair of the All-Party
Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism, recalls: “I went to a global
forum in Jerusalem where I was the only non-Jew attending and that
seemed absurd.
“It’s not the way we do things here. It’s imperative that the wider
community leads the fight against antisemitism, which should be called
what it is — a form of racism.
“The vast majority of MPs in this country are not Jewish and so the
vast majority of those involved in our work are not Jewish — it’s a
good thing that we have Muslims, Christians, agnostics and atheists
[in the parliamentary group]. It’s what makes our work
representative.”
The participants at the conference, which is hosted by the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office and is the first of its kind, will be discussing a
range of issues on which Britain has already made considerable
progress. In fact, those in the know feel that Mann and his committee
lead the world in many areas.
Mann says: “I hope that individual countries will be more inspired but
also more informed on specific actions they can take. What we want are
not grand plans but successes.”
He is particularly proud of the work his committee has done on
internet hate. He feels that the methods adopted by Britain should be
an example to the rest of the world.
“We’ve had huge successes in Britain and in our view, the world can
learn from that. We want to showcase the detail of how it’s been done
because in my view — and in this case the view of the British
government — this is a good model.”
Mann is also concerned to ensure that other areas are tackled
effectively — notably campus hate and antisemitism in football (he
also fronts the Football Association’s Task Force on Antisemitism and
Islamophobia).
Ironically, he believes that the fact there are more recorded cases of
antisemitic incidents in Britain compared to other European countries
is actually proof that we are getting things right.
“That is because people are more likely to complain and protest here
and also that the recording and monitoring systems are better. Others
could learn from that. We are the most honest here and increasingly
the Jewish community — not least the young Jewish community — is
prepared to do something rather than accept it.”
However, he does see as disturbing the fact that January’s total of
reported antisemitic incidents — more than 270 — is the highest on
record. “Of course it’s linked to Gaza,” he says.
“This has provided the subtext for those with hatred or ignorance.
It’s perfectly reasonable to have a debate over what is happening in
the Middle East, but to use it as an excuse for racist actions is not
acceptable.”
Mann is under no illusions that Britain faces a considerable
antisemitic threat but feels we all need to tread that fine line
between paranoia and complacency. “Despite the fact that Jews are
right to be on their guard, it is others who are on the receiving end
of the brunt of racism in the UK,” he says.
“The overwhelming majority of race-hate crimes are committed against
the Muslim community. It’s a far bigger population and tensions are
quite high in some areas.
“There aren’t those tensions in Jewish areas. The Jewish community is
well integrated in British society and has been there for a long time.
In light of that, it’s shocking that there are any incidents involving
the Jewish community at all. The risk to any individual Jewish person
is very small. But if you tolerate any risk, there is always a danger
that the problem could worsen.”
So what is the source of the problem? Mann feels that it lies in three
main areas which have been well documented by his committee — on the
far-right, from Muslim extremists and from those on the political
left. Of those three, he sees left-wing antisemitism as the most
insidious because of its dishonesty.
“Antisemitism on the left isn’t a new problem but it has re-emerged.
There is a deliberate and calculated confusion of anti-Israel
sentiments with antisemitism. Sometimes it is deliberate and sometimes
it stems from ignorance, but that doesn’t make it any different for
someone on the receiving end.”
Ignorance is certainly no excuse for parliamentarians and Mann has
witnessed serious antisemitism in the Palace of Westminster itself.
“As a non-Jew I hear things that people would not say if they
perceived I was Jewish. I have witnessed shocking, disgraceful and
outrageous antisemitism in Parliament, including statements from those
who are meant to be bastions against racism. One of the things I’ve
challenged is the perception that Jews are rich and therefore are
‘good for donations’. Other antisemitism has been more abrupt and
upfront — and completely cross-party.”
Mann has spoken fluently and passionately for nearly an hour on the
subject of antisemitism but he is much more reluctant to talk about
his own background.
He has been an MP since 2001 following careers as a union official and
as a businessman running a company organising conferences. He gives
his entire biography in two terse sentences and waits patiently for
the next question. So why did he get involved in the fight against
antisemitism? After all, there is very little, if any, political
capital in this issue.
He smiles and looks embarrassed. “I don’t know. I drew the short straw
I suppose. Someone asked me on the right day or perhaps the wrong day.
I didn’t have any great interest in it relative to other issues. I had
no particular knowledge or expertise.” His comments are perhaps
slightly disingenuous. He was noticed as a potential chair of the All-
party Committee when he turned up unannounced at a Commons adjournment
debate on antisemitism and gave what was widely perceived as the best
speech on the day. So what made Mann speak? “I can’t remember,” he
replies.
He considers for a moment before continuing: “If I may say so, it’s a
strange question. Why shouldn’t people be interested in this kind of
thing? If we are political leaders, shouldn’t it be part of our role?
The strange thing would be if people weren’t interested.” He adds with
a smile: “I have no vested interest and no one has paid me to do the
job. I wouldn’t accept the money anyway — I’m not in the House of
Lords, you know.”
Simon Round  
http://www.thejc.com/articles/interview-john-mann-mp
----
"mai in congiunzione col membro maschile" (Luca Logi / rodewalder)
cfr 
http://raionim.blogspot.com/2008/12/luca-logi-e-i-piselli.html

 Ma ci sono anche figure ammirevoli, come
Sir Gerald Kaufman, che ebreo lo è:
"My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town a
German soldier shot her dead in her bed.
"My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers
murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza. The present Israeli
government ruthlessly and cynically exploits the continuing guilt from
gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification
for their murder of Palestinians."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=IT&hl=it&v=qMGuYjt6CP8

 wrote:
http://www.buffalonews.com/494/story/578644.html
Orchard Park police are investigating a particularly gruesome killing,
the beheading of a woman, after her husband — an influential member of
the local Muslim community — reported her death to police Thursday.
(...)
Muzzammil Hassan is the founder and chief executive officer of Bridges
TV, which he launched in 2004, amid hopes that it would help portray
Muslims in a more positive light.

 Sir Gerald Kaufman,
a cui risponde David Lewis, uno dei militari che ha sconftto il
nazismo, e a cui Kauffman deve la vita.
http://snipurl.com/bx5x1
---
"ho utilizzato la parola "secco" solo 27 volte"  (Luca Logi /
rodewalder)
cfr 
http://raionim.blogspot.com/2008/12/luca-logi-e-i-piselli.html