TOM GROSS: FROM THE LEFT AND FROM THE RIGHT
As readers may know from my various articles over the years on the Holocaust, Nazis and neo-Nazis, there is no group that I believe are more repellent than right-wing fascists. President Trump was wrong not immediately to condemn in an unambiguous way the 200 or so ultra right-wing white nationalists who marched in Charlottesville 10 days ago.
But I have also long campaigned against the hateful human rights abuses in left-wing regimes from North Korea to Venezuela, and in addition have pointed out the anti-Semitism of leftists in many countries, including some in America. On this dispatch list I have also highlighted far-left rallies in Europe in recent years where placards showing Stars of David turned into swastikas have been on display.
Below, I attach three articles in left-leaning publications (The Forward, Haaretz, and The Atlantic) from recent days, noting the dangers of left-wing anti-Semitism.
Indeed many of the threats against American Jewish institutions made earlier this year, wrongly attributed to Trump supporters, were carried out by a left-wing journalist (Juan Thompson), and a deranged self-hating Jew.
| SHARING THE SAME METHODS AND ATTITUDES
From Haaretz: The far left’s presumption to be the only true opponent of the far right hides the fact it share the same methods and attitudes to the media and democracy They hate the police and the government. Put no trust in the mainstream media or the financial system. They’re in favor of limiting freedom of speech, outlawing what’s “dangerous” or “offensive.” They condone political violence (though they call it “protecting the community” or “direct action”). On foreign policy, they are fans of Vladimir Putin, Assad’s regime and Iran. Generally, they’re fine with most dictators. They oppose free trade agreements, abhor NATO and if they’re European, the European Union as well. If they’re American, they didn’t vote for “corrupt” and “warmongering” Hillary Clinton. Oh, and they don’t like most Jews (for whom they usually use labels like “Zionists,” “globalists,” “Soros financiers” and “Rothschild bankers” instead), and will accuse them of overusing the Holocaust for their own interests… The far left’s presumption to be the only true opponents of the far right covers up the fact that it shares the same methods and attitudes to the media and democracy, believes in the same conspiracy theories. |
| CELEBRATING VIOLENCE
From The Atlantic (Peter Beinart): On Inauguration Day, a masked activist punched a white-supremacist leader. In February, protesters violently disrupted UC Berkeley’s plans to host a speech by a former Breitbart editor. In March, protesters pushed and shoved the controversial conservative political scientist Charles Murray when he spoke at Middlebury College, in Vermont… These activists appear to be linked to a movement called “antifa,” which is short for antifascist or Anti-Fascist Action. The movement’s secrecy makes definitively cataloging its activities difficult, but this much is certain: Antifa’s power is growing. And how the rest of the activist left responds will help define its moral character in the Trump age… Such tactics have elicited substantial support from the mainstream left. When the masked antifa activist was filmed assaulting Spencer on Inauguration Day, another piece in The Nation described his punch as an act of “kinetic beauty.” Slate ran an approving article about a humorous piano ballad that glorified the assault. Twitter was inundated with viral versions of the video set to different songs, prompting the former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau to tweet, “I don’t care how many different songs you set Richard Spencer being punched to, I’ll laugh at every one.” The violence is not directed only at avowed racists like Spencer: In June of last year, demonstrators – at least some of whom were associated with antifa – punched people exiting a Trump rally in San Jose, California. An article in It’s Going Down celebrated the “righteous beatings.” … In Sacramento at an Anti-Fascist Action Sacramento counterdemonstration, at least 10 people were stabbed… All of this fuels the fears of Trump supporters, who suspect that liberal bastions are refusing to protect their right to free speech… Revulsion, fear, and rage are understandable. But one thing is clear. The people preventing Republicans from safely assembling on the streets of Portland may consider themselves fierce opponents of the authoritarianism growing on the American right. In truth, however, they are its unlikeliest allies. |
| “THERE’S NO ROOM FOR HATE IN A PLACE WHERE YOU’RE LOOKING FOR LOVE”
From The New York Post: After the violence in Charlottesville, some tech firms and social-media sites were quick to ban white supremacists – far quicker than they were when it came to scrubbing radical Islamic terrorists. GoDaddy, Google and even Russian Internet officials booted the Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi and white-supremacist Web site, after it published a despicable derogatory story about the woman killed by a white supremacist in Charlottesville… Even OkCupid, a dating site owned by Match .com, banned white supremacist Chris Cantwell for life for joining that rally. “There’s no room for hate in a place where you’re looking for love,” tweeted the folks at OkCupid. Yet the tech companies haven’t treated all “objectionable” sites equally, doing little if anything was done to shut down online violence-spouting left-wing extremists, such as the antifa thugs… |
| THE NEW YORK TIMES AND BREITBART
From The Algemeiner: When a New York Times column blaming right-wing Jews for Trump generates a reader comment with 410 upvotes and a gold ribbon “NYT pick”, some people might start suspecting the Times itself of engaging in Breitbart-style reader-comment opportunism. |
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