Left-wing UK lawmaker suspended after claiming Jews can't experience racism

[CivilDiscourse]

I like the part that the apology mentioning that it was a draft. I too make anti-semetic remarks in drafts and then remove them before finalizing...

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/left-wing-uk-lawmaker-suspended-claiming-jews-cant-experience-racism

A left-wing U.K. lawmaker has been suspended after arguing in a public letter that Jewish people cannot be the victims of "racism."

Diane Abbott, was suspended as a Labour Party whip on Sunday after widespread backlash. She released a statement on Twitter apologizing for her remarks on Sunday and expressing her wish to "disassociate myself from them."

The U.K.'s progressive Labour Party has long faced accusations of antisemitism, and its leaders were quick to condemn Abbott's words and remove her from party leadership this weekend.

Abbott sent a letter to The Guardian responding to an article that had questioned whether only people of color can experience racism. Her response argued that while Jewish and certain White people may experience "prejudice," they do not experience "racism."


"They undoubtedly experience prejudice," she wrote of Jews and White people. "This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable."

"It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus. In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships," her letter finished.

Abbott released a statement Sunday following swift backlash, saying she would like to apologize for "the remarks and any distress caused as a result of them."

"I wish to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself with them," Abbott wrote, going on to blame the issue on an early draft of the letter being published. "But there is no excuse, and I wish to apologize for any anguish I caused."

"Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travelers and many others," she wrote.

Abbott's suspension will last until an investigation into the matter has been concluded, a Labour Party spokesman told the BBC.

© Copyright Original Source

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

I like the part that the apology mentioning that it was a draft. I too make anti-semetic remarks in drafts and then remove them before finalizing...

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/left-wing-uk-lawmaker-suspended-claiming-jews-cant-experience-racism

A left-wing U.K. lawmaker has been suspended after arguing in a public letter that Jewish people cannot be the victims of "racism."

Diane Abbott, was suspended as a Labour Party whip on Sunday after widespread backlash. She released a statement on Twitter apologizing for her remarks on Sunday and expressing her wish to "disassociate myself from them."

The U.K.'s progressive Labour Party has long faced accusations of antisemitism, and its leaders were quick to condemn Abbott's words and remove her from party leadership this weekend.

Abbott sent a letter to The Guardian responding to an article that had questioned whether only people of color can experience racism. Her response argued that while Jewish and certain White people may experience "prejudice," they do not experience "racism."


"They undoubtedly experience prejudice," she wrote of Jews and White people. "This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable."

"It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus. In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships," her letter finished.

Abbott released a statement Sunday following swift backlash, saying she would like to apologize for "the remarks and any distress caused as a result of them."

"I wish to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself with them," Abbott wrote, going on to blame the issue on an early draft of the letter being published. "But there is no excuse, and I wish to apologize for any anguish I caused."

"Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travelers and many others," she wrote.

Abbott's suspension will last until an investigation into the matter has been concluded, a Labour Party spokesman told the BBC.

© Copyright Original Source

She has fallen off her perch. Time to stand down I suspect.

[Gondwanaland]

I like the part that the apology mentioning that it was a draft. I too make anti-semetic remarks in drafts and then remove them before finalizing...

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/left-wing-uk-lawmaker-suspended-claiming-jews-cant-experience-racism

A left-wing U.K. lawmaker has been suspended after arguing in a public letter that Jewish people cannot be the victims of "racism."

Diane Abbott, was suspended as a Labour Party whip on Sunday after widespread backlash. She released a statement on Twitter apologizing for her remarks on Sunday and expressing her wish to "disassociate myself from them."

The U.K.'s progressive Labour Party has long faced accusations of antisemitism, and its leaders were quick to condemn Abbott's words and remove her from party leadership this weekend.

Abbott sent a letter to The Guardian responding to an article that had questioned whether only people of color can experience racism. Her response argued that while Jewish and certain White people may experience "prejudice," they do not experience "racism."


"They undoubtedly experience prejudice," she wrote of Jews and White people. "This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable."

"It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus. In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships," her letter finished.

Abbott released a statement Sunday following swift backlash, saying she would like to apologize for "the remarks and any distress caused as a result of them."

"I wish to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself with them," Abbott wrote, going on to blame the issue on an early draft of the letter being published. "But there is no excuse, and I wish to apologize for any anguish I caused."

"Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travelers and many others," she wrote.

Abbott's suspension will last until an investigation into the matter has been concluded, a Labour Party spokesman told the BBC.

© Copyright Original Source

She went and pulled a Whoopi. No surprise though, she was buddies with Jeremy Corbyn

[CivilDiscourse]

She has fallen off her perch. Time to stand down I suspect.

Stand down (Back off the criticism), or step down (her to resign)?

[rogue06]

She went and pulled a Whoopi.

Beat me to it.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Stand down (Back off the criticism), or step down (her to resign)?

Resign. She's becoming a laughing stock.

She went and pulled a Whoopi. No surprise though, she was buddies with Jeremy Corbyn

More than "buddies" apparently.

[rogue06]

I like the part that the apology mentioning that it was a draft. I too make anti-semetic remarks in drafts and then remove them before finalizing...

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/left-wing-uk-lawmaker-suspended-claiming-jews-cant-experience-racism

A left-wing U.K. lawmaker has been suspended after arguing in a public letter that Jewish people cannot be the victims of "racism."

Diane Abbott, was suspended as a Labour Party whip on Sunday after widespread backlash. She released a statement on Twitter apologizing for her remarks on Sunday and expressing her wish to "disassociate myself from them."

The U.K.'s progressive Labour Party has long faced accusations of antisemitism, and its leaders were quick to condemn Abbott's words and remove her from party leadership this weekend.

Abbott sent a letter to The Guardian responding to an article that had questioned whether only people of color can experience racism. Her response argued that while Jewish and certain White people may experience "prejudice," they do not experience "racism."


"They undoubtedly experience prejudice," she wrote of Jews and White people. "This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable."

"It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus. In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships," her letter finished.

Abbott released a statement Sunday following swift backlash, saying she would like to apologize for "the remarks and any distress caused as a result of them."

"I wish to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself with them," Abbott wrote, going on to blame the issue on an early draft of the letter being published. "But there is no excuse, and I wish to apologize for any anguish I caused."

"Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travelers and many others," she wrote.

Abbott's suspension will last until an investigation into the matter has been concluded, a Labour Party spokesman told the BBC.

© Copyright Original Source

The article's link to the Labour Party's problem with anti-Semitism in their ranks simply went to a list of stories about anti-Semitism in general.

Wiki has an entry on it: Antisemitism in the UK Labour Party

It looks like several Democrats, particularly some of the members of the "Squad" would be right at home there.

[rogue06]

Resign. She's becoming a laughing stock.

Do you think that the only reason that she should resign is because she's embarrassing the Labour Party?

[Ronson]

She's expressing what I believe a lot of blacks think - especially in America. I mean, our culture (and schools) drum this stuff into their heads constantly, and then they get in trouble whenever they repeat it. It doesn't surprise me in the least, except that it happened in Britain.

[EvoUK]

Interestingly, a lot of commentators from the left and far left of the UK political spectrum (people who think Labour under Sir Kier Starmer are too right wing or 'red Tory') are pretty united in saying it was an unbelievably stupid thing to say and that her losing the whip is totally justified.

From what I can see from her post she seems to believe that unless you're black or otherwise darker skinned, you can't really experience racism, only 'prejudice', which is so clearly wrong and misguided it's no surprise that no one is really leaping to her defence.

[CivilDiscourse]

Interestingly, a lot of commentators from the left and far left of the UK political spectrum (people who think Labour under Sir Kier Starmer are too right wing or 'red Tory') are pretty united in saying it was an unbelievably stupid thing to say and that her losing the whip is totally justified.

From what I can see from her post she seems to believe that unless you're black or otherwise darker skinned, you can't really experience racism, only 'prejudice', which is so clearly wrong and misguided it's no surprise that no one is really leaping to her defence.

The problem is that this line of thinking is pervasive in the us. This distinction of "Not racist, merely prejudiced" is pretty strong here...

[NorrinRadd]

The problem is that this line of thinking is pervasive in the us. This distinction of "Not racist, merely prejudiced" is pretty strong here...

Another problem is that "racism" has been redefined to include a power dynamic, such that only the person at the supposed lower end of the power gradient can be the target of "racism."

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Do you think that the only reason that she should resign is because she's embarrassing the Labour Party?

I think she is showing her age [she will be seventy this year] and to use a phrase is past her sell-by date. She has made some [shall we call them "unfortunate"] comments in recent years that have done little for her credibility.

I have mixed feelings towards her political position and I agree with her views on some issues but I never understood why she voted against Maastricht but then again, many on the Left in the UK had [and still have] a distinct animus towards the EU. She has also been guilty [as is often the way with politicians] of not always practising what she preached.

[tabibito]

Interestingly, a lot of commentators from the left and far left of the UK political spectrum (people who think Labour under Sir Kier Starmer are too right wing or 'red Tory') are pretty united in saying it was an unbelievably stupid thing to say and that her losing the whip is totally justified.

From what I can see from her post she seems to believe that unless you're black or otherwise darker skinned, you can't really experience racism, only 'prejudice', which is so clearly wrong and misguided it's no surprise that no one is really leaping to her defence.

Abbott sent a letter to The Guardian responding to an article that had questioned whether only people of color can experience racism. Her response argued that while Jewish and certain White people may experience "prejudice," they do not experience "racism."

"They undoubtedly experience prejudice," she wrote of Jews and White people. "This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable."The concept began to be taught in university courses a few years ago. Universities no longer define racism as prejudice based on race.

That garbage has been taught in universities for a few years now.

Another problem is that "racism" has been redefined to include a power dynamic, such that only the person at the supposed lower end of the power gradient can be the target of "racism."

yup. The word has been redefined to support a political agenda. Wasn't the concept floated in a novel some decades agone?

[rogue06]

I think she is showing her age [she will be seventy this year] and to use a phrase is past her sell-by date. She has made some [shall we call them "unfortunate"] comments in recent years that have done little for her credibility.

I have mixed feelings towards her political position and I agree with her views on some issues but I never understood why she voted against Maastricht but then again, many on the Left in the UK had [and still have] a distinct animus towards the EU. She has also been guilty [as is often the way with politicians] of not always practising what she preached.

That's all fine and good but didn't answer the question. Do you think that the only reason that she should resign is because she's embarrassing the Labour Party?