On the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street Fascism is Thriving in Today's Britain

Today marks 75 years since the infamous battle of Cable Street when thousands of East End residents rallied against fascist leader Oswald Mosley and 5,000 of his uniformed followers. The event was testament to the admirable spirit of East End Londoners.

Sadly, however, our society is still not free from fascism. Many, including former  cabinet minister John Denham,  have drawn comparisons between the 1936 Mosley rally and the English Defence League March earlier this year in a Muslim area barely a stone’s throw from Cable Street.

However, while many members of the English Defence League do come across as little more than fascist thugs with their Hitler salutes and skin heads, there is a more dangerous fascist threat.

Fascism is an apt label for the ideology subscribed to by many thousands of Islamic extremists living in Britain today who hold contempt for liberty and democracy, hate the Jewish people and do not respect the rights of women. That this ideology is alive and well is proved all the time by the organisation Student Rights who point out instances of Islamic extremists being invited onto university campuses. These individuals are commonly addressing lecture theatres in leading academic institutions all over our country, attempting to warp vulnerable young minds.


This fascist threat comes in a different form to that experienced 75 years ago.Where once it was men in black shirts, riding horses, showing a physical presence on the streets of London. Now fascism thrives in an academic environment where not to accept its presence would be “closed minded”.  But as we have tragically found out, British universities are quickly becomming the breeding grounds for potential one day terrorists.

Mirroring modern guerrilla warfare , fascists have taken to covert means to spread and strengthen their ideology, and only organisations like Student Rights are standing up to fight today’s fascist threat.

For more information about Student Rights go to http://www.studentrights.org.uk/

Human Rights Lunacy: Police Wrong to Detain Dangerous Sheikh... Because They Didn't Explain The Reasons in Arabic!

Sheikh Raed Salah has won compensation for being wrongly detained in Britain due to procedural impropriety on behalf of the law enforcement services.

Theresa May wished to detain the pro-Palestian activist who had been making a 10 day visit. The Home Secretary feared he might pose a danger to the peace because of his radical views including his conspiracy theory that Jews were warned to leave the twin towers before the 9/11 attacks while thousands of Muslims working there perished.

The issues at the heart of the legal case, which considered the legality of the attempted detainment of Raed Salah, were: (1) whether it was right to attempt to deport Raed Salah given he intended to return home anyway; (2)whether Raed Salah could be dealt with under the guidelines for dangerous foriegn national prisoners; and finally, (3) whether the reasons given to Raed Salah for his deportation adequately explained to him.

This third argument was very important to  the judge, Hon. Mr Justice Nicol , who felt that it was wrong of the police not to have immediately informed Raed Salah of the reasons in his native tongue, Arabic. By not doing so the judge felt that Sheikh Salah's rights under the European Convention on Human Rights had been violated. Justice Nicol said there "had not been a prompt explanation of the reasons for his detention in a language which he could understand".

Tony Blair the Neocon

The newspapers are reporting today that Tony Blair is no longer respected by Palestinian groups in his role as a Middle East Peace Envoy. The PLO have drawn up a motion to declare Blair a persona non grata because of his perceived 'pro-Israel' bias. Mr Blair will not be helped in defending this accusation of bias by stories that have been coming out over recent weeks about Blair using his position to aid Israeli companies, and an alleged affair with an Israeli tycoon.

One group you wouldn't expect Blair to receive much sympathy from are those on the right of the political spectrum. To name a few of their grievances, British conservatives and small 'c' liberals,  see Blair as a socialist who pretended to be on the side of business; a corrupt prime minister whose Chancellor spent excessively and a man hell bent on a policy of multi-culturalism which made social cohesion a thing of the past in Britain.

However, when it comes to foreign affairs Blair has a pretty right wing track record. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq became all about ensuring democracy and liberalism in very religious Islamic societies. This approach was what Blair called "liberal interventionism" but it is what Americans call "neoconservative". It was here that Blair and Bush were almost always on the same page.

Ivring Kristol famously declared that "A neoconservative is a liberal who has been mugged by reality". Blair's rhetoric on the problem the world faces from radical Islam is very strong and would indicate that he has indeed been mugged. In his book My Journey, Blair writes about the dangerous level of sympathy Islamic terrorists receive from Muslims of all levels of faith and observance- not just radicals.

The Palestinians plan to oust Blair from his role and unsurprisingly right wingers don't seem to be rushing to his defence. But if Blair does go, and a new envoy comes along who is more acceptable to the Palestinians, conservatives might actually miss him for once.

Socialist Admits the Left are too Cosy with Anti-Semites in Today's Guardian

Today's Guardian (26/09/11) contains an article about the shameful links between anti-Semites and socialists by trade unionist Andy Newman. Newman intelligently goes through examples of heroes to those on the left who are not merely opposed to Zionism but are, in fact, full of hatred towards Jews.

Newman gives the example of the Jazz musician Gilad Atzmon who is venerated by leftists including the Socialist Workers Party. Atzmon has written about the differences of "Jewish Marxism...which...is there to mould Marxist dialectic into a Jewish subservient precept".

By admitting that anti-Semitism, dressed up as anti-Zionism, is a real problem that the left has to face, Newman does not teach us anything new, but he should be applauded for criticising his political allies. Left-wing movements around the world would do well to heed Newman's call.

Van Rompuy: "EU is the Fatherland of Democracy"

In an incredibly conceited statement, Van Rompuy claims the EU is the fatherland (and to be P.C. he adds motherland) of democracy.

To demonstrate this point he highlights his very own appointment as President of the Council. Where once the Presidency was taken up by the head of one of the member states, it is now headed by an independent figure. Van Rompuy says this means where before the President acted in his or her own nation state's interest, now the President acts on behalf of all of Europe.

This begs the question, if the EU Council President's Office is now so legitimate that it can objectively represent the whole Union, could Van Rompuy along with Baroness Ashton put together a common foreign policy towards Palestine's statehood bid?  The newspapers from the last few months indicate that they tried and failed.

The question is not: when will the EU hold the level of democratic legitimacy to be capable of representing all member states on the world stage, rather, the question is, will it ever?

Europe Seeing Dangerous Increase in Social Hostilities Relating to Religion

At a fascinating meeting of the Henry Jackson Society in a House of Commons Committee Room yesterday, Dr. Brian Grim talked about the worrying findings of his new book: The Price of Freedom Denied: Religious Persecution and Conflict in the 21st Century (Cambridge Uni. Press, 2011).

Dr Grim highlighted the startling rate at which social hostilities relating to religion are increasing in Europe based on his research looking at the years from mid-2006 to mid-2009. Five of the 10 countries around the world that had a substantial increase in social hostilities were in Europe: Bulgaria, Denmark, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. These hostilities relate to all sorts of events which now feature commonly in the news in these countries: attacks against places of worship, violent demonstrations held by religious groups and terrorist attacks.

There can be no doubt the root of this problem in Europe is bad policy. The high rate of immigration into Europe, coupled with the high degree of movement between people in Europe is having a devastating effect upon the extent of social cohesion in various European nations.

UKIP has the right policy in this area. To curb this rise in social hostilities, we must reduce the number of immigrants coming to Britain from Europe and the wider world. This is the only sensible policy to protect minority communities and religious freedom.

UKIP FOI in Independence Magazine!

UKIP FOI had a featured article in July's Independence Magazine! UKIP FOI Press Officer Jacob made an excellent case for why UKIP must stay true to its Middle East Policy and why more UKIPers should get involved with UKIP Friends of Israel.

There might have been a little controversy, to be expected, however, UKIP FOI clearly declares that it is not part of the party, rather merely recognised by the party like many other interest groups. Today's professional political parties contain a wide variety of interest groups with all types of stances!

We believe that the existance UKIP Friends of Israel is an expression of pluralism, a liberal value which the UK Independence Party is firmly based upon. We don't want one European superstate but a variety of independent nation-states existing in their own right!

UKIP FOI One Year Anniversary Newsletter Needs YOUR Submissions

In the near feature, UKIP FOI is going to be distributing a newsletter in light of our one year anniversary since we were launched at the 2010 Autumn Conference.

If you would like to submit an article, please send it attached to an email to ukipfriendsofisrael@gmail.com

Best,

Julian,
Director

Arab Spring Is Bad News for Israel

On Tuesday I attended a talk given by Professor Benny Morris at a House of Commons Select Committee Room. Benny Morris had been invited to speak by the Henry Jackson Society on the subject of the implications for Israel of the so-called’ Arab Spring’. Benny Morris is a leading Israeli historian and a Professor of Middle eastern History at Ben-Gurion University in Israel as well as the Kennedy-Leigh Fellow at the Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Oxford University. He has written a number of bestselling books and his articles have appeared in numerous newspapers and journals.

The Select Committee room hosting the event was dotted with MPs and Peers who had slipped into the event to hear Morris’s views on the escalating revolutionary situation in the Arab World.

Morris proposed two chief consequences of the Arab Spring for Israel, both negative. First, Israel would suffer as a result of international attention being directed away from Iran and towards the Arab world. Morris proposes that the particular form of Islam adopted by the Iranian leadership is so extreme that any success for Iran in achieving nuclear weapons would be absolutely fatal for Israel. If the West continue to concentrate on Libya, Syria and other such countries undergoing revolution and does not focus sufficiently on Iran, a nuclear war could be a serious possibility.

Second, Morris suggested that the Arab Spring will bring a more severe threat to the existence of Israel from the neighbouring Arab countries which undergo revolution. Although countries like Egypt and Syria appear to be under the influence of democratic transformers, the likelihood is that any elections will give new power to extremist groups, notably the Muslim Brotherhood. This is the umbrella organisation which is made up of groups such as Hamas, the internationally recognised terrorist organisation in control of the Gaza strip.

Thus, the Arab Spring poses two new severe threats to the existence of Israel. Morris did also highlight the need for Israel to be strong in offering a two-state solution and show the international community Israel wants peace.

However, for me at least, the fundamental conclusion of Morris’s speech must have been that the future of Israel depends upon Western intervention and pressure on the region to prevent the success of extremists, particularly in Iran, but also in the rest of the Arab world.

NUS President Right to Criticize Palestinian Policy

The president of the National Union of Students Aaron Porter should be applauded for speaking out against the new policy of the NUS to pursue "freedom for Palestine" and the end of the occupation of Gaza. Porter does not criticize some of the rather controversial ways in which the NUS intends to achieve its new policy, including sending members on a flotilla to Gaza in cooperation with pro-Hamas groups like Viva Palestina. Rather, he highlights the fact that the policy will have negative effects for Jewish students on campus. This is true.

The NUS leadership contains many individuals who support the policy and would consider themselves pro-Palestine activists. I do not necessarily criticize them for this position. Yet, the main reason that many, and it seems to me most students are interested in the NUS is because an NUS card gives you access to discounts at almost every high street shop. Nevertheless, the NUS is supposed to represent students and while it is fair enough to say most students are opposed to tuition fees, is it really fair to say that most students want Israel to immediately pull out of Gaza? Do most students have nearly enough education on the matter to make a fully informed decision?

It is likely that most students do not see the NUS as an organisation that would adopt such a highly controversial campaign. I fear students on campus will jump on board a “human rights campaign” which they really know little about but act on good faith that the NUS has adopted a sensible campaign which reflects the views of the majority of students. As a consequence anti-Zionist activism on campus will increase and this undoubtedly makes campus a more uncomfortable place for Jewish students to be.

However, there is an even more worrying way in which the NUS policy could influence the behaviour of students on campus. The NUS will be working with groups like the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and while they criticise Hamas, they are very happy to work with Viva Palestina who are pro-Hamas. It is inevitable NUS pro-Palestinian activists will come into contact with pro-Hamas groups and this will help to legitimise Hamas among students. I can think of little worse for Jewish students than Hamas leaders becoming the Che Guevaras of the Palestinian cause.

Hamas and Fatah Reconcilliation

Concerns must be growing in light of the developing pact between Hamas and Fatah. This will make the prospect of peace, and establishing a sovereign Palestinian land as difficult as ever. Hamas is an extremist organisation, a wing of the Islamic Brotherhood and crucially does not recognise Israel's right to exist. This is a step backwards for the Palestinian authority.

Jewish Council Candidates Defect to UKIP

The UK's biggest Jewish newspaper, the Jewish Chronicle is reporting that 3 Jewish candidates in Bury's local elections to be held on May 5th have defected from the Conservative Party to UKIP

This comes as very welcome news to those of us in UKIP who know about the strong link which is growing between UKIP and the Jewish community of Britain.

Former Bury Conservative Councillor Peter Redstone expressed his grievences over the council's reluctance to fly the Israeli flag on Israel Independence day despite willing to make similar gestures for other religious/cultural communities. This is typical of the double-standard "multi-cultural" society in which we are now living under the Tories where it is now the norm to give Zionists special treatment.

UKIP Friends of Israel hopes that the defecting candidates will get involved with UKIP FOI and help us to stand-strong against ill-treatment of the Zionist community of Britain . UKIP continues to expose anti-Zionism and anti-Semetism in the EU institutions.

Labour MP in the House of Commons: “Here we are, the Jews Again”

Labour MP Sir Gerard Kaufman commented “Here we are, the Jews again” when Louise Ellman MP began to speak during a debate on the Police reform and Social Responsibility Bill. Both MPs are Jewish and Mrs Ellman has reported the remark and made a formal complaint to the Labour Party.

The comment came as Mrs Ellman stood up to intervene during a speech by Labour's Ann Clwyd criticising the government for allegedly being persuaded by the Zionist lobby to change the law to make it easier for Israeli politicians to visit the UK. Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was faced with an arrest warrant during a visit to the UK in December 2009. It was withdrawn after she cancelled her visit.

It is well known that many modern day anti-Semites hide behind the cloak of calling themselves anti-Zionist. What is perverse is that now even a Jewish person will use language which conflates the two stances. It would be unthinkable in the past for a Jewish, British MP to use language of such an obvious anti-Semitic nature.

A family slaughtered in Israel – doesn't the BBC care?

Tory Mp, Louise Bagshawe exposes the BBC for reporting so little about the slaughter of an Israeli family. Further evidence of the BBC anti-Zionist bias. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8402973/A-family-slaughtered-in-Israel-doesnt-the-BBC-care.html

Egyptian Uprising- good for Israel?

Unusually, Israelis and pro-Israel Americans are split over the events taking place in Egypt. This fascinating article in The Washington Post examines the two sides.

Lies About Israeli "Brutality"

In a letter to the Independent, UKIP FOI Press Officer, Jacob Campbell vehemently refutes false claims about Israel's recent security operations

DEAR SIR, It is with horror that I read that Israel has orchestrated a massive cover-up of its brutality in the Gaza flotilla raid, that the IDF murdered 759 innocent Palestinians in Operation Cast Lead, and that Israeli soldiers used civilians as human shields ('Israel betrays its ideals by whitewashing the military', 24 January). I read these things with horror because none of them is true. The Turkel Commission was a scrupulously thorough investigation into the military's handling of the flotilla incident which was overseen by a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a Canadian QC. Both international observers were fully satisfied with the impartiality of the commission. To all but the most rabidly anti-Zionist demagogue, it is patently clear that responsibility for the 9 Turkish deaths lies solely with those who resisted IDF commandos by attacking them with knives and iron bars. As for the 2008 Gaza War, the number of Palestinian civilians killed was approximately 295 (1 in 4 deaths), despite the best efforts of Hamas to maximise civilian casualties by operating in densely populated areas. This makes Operation Cast Lead one of the most humanely fought conflicts in the history of modern urban warfare. The sheer mendacity of the claim that IDF soldiers used children as human shields does not even warrant a response. How can peace ever be possible when such lies are allowed to masquerade as fact in the pages of British newspapers?

JACOB CAMPBELL, York Press Officer, UKIP Friends of Israel

End this Misguided Criticism of Israeli Settlements

In a letter to the Guardian newspaper UKIP FOI Press Officer Jacob Campbell argues the path to peace is not be found in settlements

DEAR SIR, Not for the first time, I read with exasperation that "all settlements built on territory occupied by Israel in the 1967 war are illegal under international law" ('Palestine papers are distortion of truth, say Palestinian officials', 24 January). No they are not. The illegality of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is contingent upon their violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which stipulates that "the occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies". Yet those territories captured quite legitimately in self-defence by Israel during the 1967 war are not "occupied" at all, since they did not previously belong to any sovereign power. Furthermore, the notion that settlement-building is "one of the most sensitive issues to be resolved in the conflict" is demonstrably incorrect. Thousands of Israelis settled in the Sinai between 1967 and 1982, and every last one of them was uprooted in accordance with the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. In short, settlements are not a barrier to peace.

JACOB CAMPBELL, York Press Officer, UKIP Friends of Israel

"A Textbook Example of the European Left's Delusion Over the Arab-Israeli Conflict

In a letter to The Guardian, UKIP FOI Press Officer Jacob Campbell points out the flaws in Naomi Shepherd's thinking.

DEAR SIR,

Thanks to Naomi Shepherd for her article ('Israel needs a coherent opposition', 19 January), which is a textbook example of the European Left's delusion over the Arab-Israeli conflict. If only Israel could get its act together, she sighs, there would be peace in the Middle East.

How many more failed negotiations will it take for Ms Shepherd to realise that no concession Israel can afford to make will be great enough for the Palestinians to accept? The idea that "the Palestine Authority [sic] needs only an end to settlement building to resume talks" is absurd, not least because even the recent ten-month moratorium could not coax the PA back to the table. The settlements issue is a red herring; the real clincher is the Palestinian 'right of return', which would be a death sentence for the Jewish state.

Even more outlandish is the belief that "Hamas is prepared for an indefinite truce" - a pronouncement so trusting of a fascist regime that it would make Neville Chamberlain blush - when precedent shows that Hamas only favours ceasefires when it needs time to rearm. Common sense dictates the futility of negotiating with someone whose raison d'être is to have you annihilated, but Ms Shepherd is apparently impervious to common sense.

Whether "the time is ripe for an end to the conflict" is questionable, but Israel cannot be blamed for Palestinian obduracy.

JACOB CAMPBELL, York
Press Officer, UKIP Friends of Israel"

Letter to the Independent

UKIP FOI Press Officer, Jacob Campbell has sent the following letter to The Independent highlighting the hypocrisy of Arab citizens living in East Jerusalem.

DEAR SIR,

Why are Arab residents of East Jerusalem protesting the construction of 1,400 new Israeli homes ('New Jerusalem settlement hits peace process', 17 January) when a recent poll informs us that a majority of them would rather live in Israel anyway?

Decades of Israeli 'occupation' have brought them access to world-class healthcare, education and employment, as well as the ability to vote in the only free and fair elections held in the Middle East. With plans in the pipeline for an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital threatening this comfortable status quo, they should be welcoming the new settlement.

Instead, it appears that East Jerusalem's Arabs would rather have their cake and eat it. While content to reap the benefits of living under the ward of the Jewish state, they are appalled by the prospect of having Jews in their neighbourhood.

Nimbyism, it seems, is alive and well in the Holy Land.

JACOB CAMPBELL, York
Press Officer, UKIP Friends of Israel

Expose this ignorant bigotry

In a piece published in the Jewish Chronicle, Prof. David Conway makes an eye-opening criticism of the United Nations Conference on Racism.