Five Hertsmere Tory councillors rebuked over antisemitic abuse at Jewish candidate
JVL Introduction
In February 2020 Dan Ozarow stood as a Labour candidate for Borehamwood Kenilworth in a local election. He was defeated, he wrote at the time, “following a vicious, libellous racist smear campaign against me by Hertsmere Conservatives or their supporters”.
Two years later the five councillors involved have been formally reprimanded, as Lee Harpin reports in an exclusive in Jewish News (JN)
We’re delighted for Dan and his family after this long ordeal.
But we do find the JN reaction strangely restrained. Had this occurred in the Labour Party, it – and indeed all national media – would have been demanding immediate suspension or expulsion for all concerned.
Maybe the cries of outrage are still to come? But for now social media are very quiet about it all, merely reposting the JN story. National media (the Guardian, Independent) followed suit with restrained reports, not seeming much bothered by it.
Hertsmere is Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden’s seat. In 2020 he proudly wrote in the Jewish Chronicle of wanting to “turn the tide against online Jew-hate.
He has yet to comment on this case so close to home…
This article was originally published by Jewish News on Wed 27 Apr 2022. Read the original here.
Five Hertsmere Tory councillors rebuked over antisemitic abuse at Jewish candidate
Exclusive: the councillors were formally reprimanded after a QC-led investigation into a smear campaign against Labour’s Dan Ozarow
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This really supports the claim that the enduring media attacks on Labour were more about demonising and silencing critics of Israel, rather than tackling genuine antisemitism which is far more prevalent on the right and far right of politics.
“The named individuals, four out of five of whom are proud members of the Jewish Community are hurt and dismayed, over what are clearly politically motivated claims of antisemitism from Labour.”
Anybody who does anything the Conservatives do not like is described by them as ‘politically motivated’
Nothing on the Hope Not Hate website about this.
This was a disgusting episode in which these Tories knew exactly what they were doing. How they have the cheek to appeal I do not know. If there was a shred of decency amongst them they would offer their resignations.
Of course no outrage from the media because it is of no use to them in terms of protecting the establishment from pro Palestine activists.
Arrest and prosecute them for incitement to racism, hatred and violence.