Glastonbury censorship: another blow to freedom of expression
LabourList, an online platform which describes itself as “the leading forum” for news, analysis and debate about the Labour Party, reports with apparent approval that the Glastonbury festival has bowed to pressure to ban the film Oh Jeremy Corbyn: The Big Lie.
Its June 20 email newsletter asks why the festival had not taken the decision earlier, given that the film has already been banned elsewhere. Freedom of expression, it seems, is dispensable in the war against the left in an increasingly authoritarian Labour Party.
Among those demanding cancellation of the film showing, scheduled for July 25 on the Pilton Palais screen, were the right-wing anti-Palestinians of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and anti-Corbyn turncoat Paul Mason. The BoD quoted Mason’s entirely unfounded charge on LabourList on June 19 that “The film presents a full-blown conspiracy theory about Corbyn’s opponents, conflating Zionists, Jews and Israel as part of a force that “orchestrated” his overthrow.” Mason also wheeled out the favoured weapon of those determined to censor supporters of Palestine – the IHRA definition of antisemitism which is in fact the source of much of the current, dangerous, real conflation of Jews with Zionism.
The Big Lie producer Norman Thomas has hit back with a press release, reproduced below, rejecting the charges against the film. Narrated by Jewish comedian/writer Alexei Sayle, it makes the case that Jeremy Corbyn was a victim of a concerted smear campaign, that Keir Starmer played a deceptive “spy cop” role in Corbyn’s shadow cabinet and that there is now a purge of the left in the party of which many of the film’s Jewish participants are victims.
It’s difficult not to agree with Norman Thomas when he says of those campaigning to have the film cancelled: “They don’t want people to know the truth and they don’t want films like this to be seen. And they know how to put the boot in.”
NWI
See a trailer of the film: https://youtu.be/9TACIA7oSIk.
For details of screenings:
https://www.facebook.com/platformfilmsuk/ or email [email protected].
GLASTONBURY AXING OF JEREMY CORBYN FILM “DISGRACEFUL” ACT OF CENSORSHIP, SAYS PRODUCER
—BUT PULLING OF FILM IS CAUSING A BOOM IN SCREENINGS!
The axing of the screening of a film about Jeremy Corbyn by Glastonbury is a disgraceful act of censorship caused by outside pressure groups, the film’s producer claims.
The producer Norman Thomas said: “Outside pressure groups have declared war on our film. They wrote to the festival’s sponsors, including Vodaphone, and whipped up huge storm of complaints about the film claiming, without any foundation whatsoever, that the film is antisemitic.”
Mr Thomas continued: “The claim that the film is antisemitic is a total lie. The festival organisers even had a lawyer examine the film who pronounced it totally devoid of antisemitism. On top of that, most of the principal commentators in the film are actually Jewish, so, by banning this film, the festival is actually banning Jews.”
Narrated by Alexei Sayle, the documentary, “Oh Jeremy Corbyn – The Big Lie”, claims Jeremy Corbyn was a victim of a concerted smear campaign, that Keir Starmer played a deceptive “spy cop” role in Corbyn’s shadow cabinet and that Starmer is now waging a witch-hunt in the party.
Mr Thomas pointed out that the festival has been advertising the screening on their website for almost a month, but the lobbyists have timed their attack on it now, with just a few days to go before the festival starts, to do maximum damage.
Mr Thomas said: “The people behind this attack are skilled in what they do. They don’t want people to know the truth and they don’t want films like this to be seen. And they know how to put the boot in.”
The screening of the film in the festival was due to be followed by a discussion with Ken Loach, who also appears in the film.
Mr Thomas said: “The same people who have got our film banned are also viciously attacking Ken. Next thing they’ll be trying to get his much-praised films banned, too.”
“This has gone on long enough. Journalists, who know very well what’s going on, have to stand up and call this out for what it is: rank censorship. The problem is, if they do, they fear being accused of antisemitism. But if enough of us stand together the accusation won’t stick and this madness will end.”
In the meantime, though, according to Mr Thomas, the banning of the film seems to have backfired in a big way. He said: “Since news of the ban has got out, we have been inundated by people wanting to organise screenings of the film in towns across the country. They want to see what these self-appointed censors don’t want them to see.”
He said: “Since being launched in London earlier this year the film has been taken up and screened by local groups in hundreds of towns across the country, from Penzance to Glasgow. Now the screenings are just going on and on.”
Re Labour List, it clearly supports the ban. And where next force Mason now that he’s proved his loyalty to the Starmer project? An ambitious man
Ah yes, LabourList – once a forum for discussion, now just another blog controlled by editors.
Doesn’t the phrase:
“That, to me, appears to match at least two examples of anti-Semitism in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition, and should raise legal and ethical questions for any venue considering screening it.”
which appears in Paul Mason’s review look rather convoluted?
It looks like he is more interested in shoe-horning a reference to the IHRA Definition into the text, rather than actually commenting on the film.
Glastonbury was in the past noted for being radical squanded it’s reputation for a mess of pottage disgraceful
Glad the film will have extra audiences!
Hoping to view this film soon in Norwich. Have an eye on a couple of venues, just hope they’re (both) big enough.
Of course, counter to those desperate to shut down dissenters, the mere fact that they’re so desperate rather implies that there’s something they wish to keep hidden. Makes me all the more determined.
From philosopher and Labour member Bertrand Russell: “Tolerance, as a practical maxim, has two sources: on the one hand, the realization that we may be mistaken; on the other hand, the belief that free discussion will promote the view we favour. This latter opinion must be held by anyone whose opinions are formed on rational grounds. Dogmatists, on the contrary, fear that free discussion would show their beliefs to be groundless, and that is why they always favour censorship.”
The mere fact that the Pilton Palace had advertised it and now it has been “Banned” will surely encourage those who were only mildly interested to seek out more information! This is “NEWS” so why have’nt other news outlets mentioned the banning of the film? So the organisers at Glastonbury – after a few letters from people who don’t want the truth out there , get to decide if their customers can watch a film about the truth?
All the more distressing and outrageous given the warm welcome Jeremy received when speaking at Glastonbury in 2017.
Who do we contact to organise a screening
For details of other screenings of the film go to https://www.facebook.com/platformfilmsuk/ or email [email protected]
The bad faith in these accusations in most evident in the strategic absenting of contradicting evidence. The idea that citing that the ‘The Lobby’ even exists, is an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, is entirely negated by the Al Jazeera footage of an Israeli Embassy staffer offering £1mil to those who’d target British pro-Palestinian politicians (The Lobby -2017). That was hardly his personal pocket money!
Israel’s sister racist white settler states – Rhodesia & South Africa – both had lobbies too, and no one said identifying them was an insult to anyone’s religion.
The other thing is that some of the material in ‘Oh Jeremy Corbyn – The Big Lie’ is supported by evidence produced in Al Jazeera’s award winning ‘The Labour Files’.
LabourList now joins Mason in the growing list of procession of media commentariat that are evidence-free and totally untrustworthy on this topic.