Remarks I made on BBC TV’s Sunday Politics seem to have caused some controversy. Even before the credits started to roll, Twitter was going into meltdown.
I had said there was no equivalence between antisemitism and Islamophobia. The former was a deranged demonisation of a people; the latter was used to shut down debate.
Cue foaming outrage. No matter that I acknowledged the existence of prejudice against Muslims, just as against Sikhs, Hindus and others. In denying Islamophobia, I was an Islamophobic bigot. And of course out poured the antisemitic comments. I was a “Zionazi” and “Mossad agent”, antisemitism claims were “bullshit”, and so predictably on. Mel Phillips.
To read my whole Times column (£), please click here.
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