Rarely can one short statement have exposed its author as a shallow, inconsiderate, mean-spirited, callous opportunist than that made by Jeremy Hunt (the former Culture Secretary) in a calculating and cheap attempt to smear Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and then widely shared by the publishers of Jewish News.
You've got to be a complete Hunt ...
Here’s what he said, verbatim: “When I went to Auschwitz I rather complacently said to myself, ‘thank goodness we don’t have to worry about that kind of thing in the UK’ and now I find myself faced with the leader of @UKLabour who has opened the door to antisemitism”. Hunt is such a complete Hunt that he considers what happened at Auschwitz-Birkenau to be “that kind of thing”. He wasn’t paying attention.
... to trivialise what happened here
An estimated 1.3 million individuals were sent to Auschwitz; 1.1 million died. 90% of those who died were Jews. Approximately one in six Jews who died during the Holocaust died at Auschwitz. It was not merely “that kind of thing”. Nor is what happened at Auschwitz even remotely comparable to Hunt’s cynical smear of a lifetime anti-racist.
Small wonder the criticism was instant and sustained, as from Michael Beglen: “It’s quite deplorable that a Jewish news outlet would highlight the attempts of a mindless and nasty individual to smear a mainstream political opponent by making comparisons with the Holocaust, thus trivializing the horrors committed by the Nazis. Unbelievable really”.
Sabine Roach added “#JeremyHunt is an unspeakably monstrous when invoking the Holocaust in THIS context. Surely he cannot be so ignorant as to compare the Labour Party to the NSDAP. So all I can presume is that this is an evil manipulation worthy of a very accomplished psychopath. Sickening!” And there was more.
“Terrifying the Jewish community for political purposes is one of the lowest political moves I have ever seen in my lifetime … Spreading irrational fear amongst Jewish people is irresponsible and wrong. Mr Hunt should consider the effect his intemperate and inflammatory remarks could have on Jewish people. Fear-mongering like this is abhorrent”. Aaron Bastani added “the idea that someone would visit Auschwitz and use it as a means to attack a leader of a mainstream political party in the UK is utterly insane”.
And the Tweeter that is Another Angry Voice summed it up: “Using Auschwitz to score cheap political points has to be one of the most despicable things I've ever seen, even from a Tory. Dredging up all of that unimaginable human suffering purely for your own political advantage. Despicable!” Despicable is dead right.
Moreover, one thought occurs: if the far-right ever did seize power in the UK, those prepared to put themselves in harm’s way in order to defend minority communities - as happened at Cable Street and elsewhere in the 1930s - would not include Jeremy Hunt. They would not include any of the Tory right. Nor would they include any of the mealy-mouthed punditerati who cheer them, and those further right, to the rafters.
But those manning the barricades to defend those minorities - including Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and yes, Jews - would include Jeremy Corbyn. While the likes of Hunt mouth their platitudes, Jezza has always been ready to stand against the fascists.
Enjoy your visit to Zelo Street? You can help this truly independent blog carry on talking truth to power, while retaining its sense of humour, by adding to its Just Giving page at
No matter how low the bar is set, a Tory will slither under it.
ReplyDeleteCorporate media will of course fail to challenge Hunt on this. Morally decayed cowards both.
ReplyDeleteNever forget, this fellow is the tory scum who ensured the NHS was and is slowly strangled of adequate funds. All while his party "found" billions for the Crossrail Rat Run (possibly also Crossrail Rat Run2) and yet another runway at Heathrow. All while the rest of the country was starved of sufficient finance.
Hunt and Johnson are no different. Small wonder even Cameron couldn't avoid the pejorative "Effin' tories".
Just another suited-up, lying, hypocritical M25 spiv.
Disgusting.
ReplyDeleteAs Anon says the media won't challenge this; it suits their agenda to slur an anti-racist. I watched Mock the Week last week and it's so achingly predictable. They start by discussing Boris Johnson's little scandal and then Hugh Dennis crowbars in an anti-Corbyn joke about sitting on his garden fence. Comes from absolutely nowhere but is clearly a tick box exercise. This alleged impartiality continued towards the end of the programme when they realised they'd stuck it to the Tories quite a bit and now needed some anti-Corbyn sentiment for 'balance', whereupon they proceeded to throw tons of A/S bullshit at a photo of him. Cue Dara O'Briein chuckling with "This Jewish stuff ain't going away is it?" No, course it's not. Not with you lot bringing such falsehoods up every week.
What's the betting the likes of Frances Barber, Tracy Ann Oberman and Rachel Riley will be nodding their heads at Hunt's words - because they're so blindsided by their hatred of Corbyn they can't see someone trivialising the very things they claim to hold close to their hearts.
"I went to aushwitz, and it reminded me that the nazis killed 275'000 disabled people, and I thought to myself 'thank goodness that sort of thing doesn't happen in the uk' then I remembered that the tories have passed the halfway mark... and they're still counting."
ReplyDelete