Tory Ex-Chancellor Promotes Anti-Semitism

While new Labour leader Keir Starmer continues his efforts to build bridges with those parts of the Jewish community that took such grave exception to his predecessor that they refused offers to meet with him, it seems that casual anti-Semitism is fine, so long as The Red Team is on the receiving end. This has been demonstrated by Christian Adams, cartoonist for the Evening Standard, whose editor has supported him enthusiastically.

No further comment necessary

Ed's back, folks

That editor, Gideon George Oliver Osborne, heir to the Seventeenth Baronet, is of course the former Chancellor of the Exchequer. And for much of the time he was in 11 Downing Street, Labour was led by Ed Miliband. Osborne seems to have forgotten the anti-Semitic attacks on Mil The Younger (which included a viciously racist smear of Miliband’s late father by the Daily Mail) in his haste to promote Adams’ latest cartoon.

“Our [Adams Cartoon] [in the] [Evening Standard] as Starmer forms his Shadow Cabinet” he proclaimed. Moving right along from the lousy likeness of Starmer, it is jaw-droppingly obvious that the caricature of Mil The Younger is mining a series of anti-Semitic tropes. A Jewish MP pictured with a hook nose (which Miliband doesn’t have)? Buck teeth (he doesn’t have those either)? A bacon sarnie apparently dripping with blood?

Aaron Bastani got two of those. “The Evening Standard represents the return of Britain's most prominent Jewish politician to front line politics depicting them with a hook nose while eating a bacon sandwich”. Meanwhile, Daniel Grigg had another angle: “[Ayesha Hazarika’s] boss literally tweet[s] antisemitic cartoons everyone and I guarantee she won't call him out on it”. They were not the only ones passing adverse comment.

Another Tweeter observing the cartoon responded “This is using an antisemitic trope and it's not OK. You can try to argue the bacon sandwich incident was famous irrespective of Miliband's background, but antisemitism has been extensively debated since. Even if you let the original photo off the hook, we're way past that now”. Quite.

And so it went on, with James Doleman pointing out “Jewish politician pictured with a hook nose and a bacon sandwich?” and another Tweeter simply adding “Nice bit of antisemitism, you absolute weapon”. It looked bad, because it was bad. But it was about to get worse, courtesy of the man who drew the cartoon. Enter Christian Adams.

“Dear everyone. Here's Ed Miliband's nose” he Tweeted. With a photo showing that Mil The Younger does not have a hook nose or buck teeth. David Rudnick was not impressed. “It’s absolutely fine mate, you're a Tory, you'll have full establishment backing for casual antisemitism”. Una McCormack, who you can tell as she’s a doctor, added “Imagine choosing this as your hill to die on”. And Ally Fogg had a suggestion for Adams.

“Dear Christian, Here's the point at which you should stop digging”. Indeed. Quite apart from the piss-poor Starmer likeness, the Miliband caricature with its hook nose, buck teeth, and bacon sarnie apparently dripping blood (anyone heard of blood libel?) should have seen that cartoon spiked in short order. Adams fouled up, Osborne doubled down.

Anti-Semitism does not get a free pass merely because Tories approve it. Hint.

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