OPINION: Tony, tackle Holocaust distorters and let the rest say fish ride bikes
Richard Ferrer has been editor of Jewish News since 2009. As one of Britain's leading Jewish voices he writes for The Times, Independent, New Statesman and many other titles. Richard previously worked at the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, edited the Boston Jewish Advocate and created the Channel 4 TV series Jewish Mum Of The Year.
By Richard Ferrer, Editor Jewish News
First, an admission: I like Tony Blair. A lot. Despite Iraq.
He might grin too widely and tan too easily. He might be a little too fond of soundbites and speaking fees. But, eight years after leaving Downing Street, he is still the biggest beast in British politics – a persuasive pragmatist who still makes me think the world can be a better place. Yes, despite Iraq.
David Cameron might mimic his hand gestures, but he’d give his right arm for Tony’s common touch.
Blair’s charms and inward palms failed to win over the Israelis and Palestinians during a tricky stint as the Quartet’s Middle East envoy, so now he’s taken on another tough gig – chairman of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, which aims to make Holocaust denial illegal.
This is Tony’s most hopelessly misguided policy since, well, Iraq.
It is misguided for three reasons. First, people have every right to be outed as idiots. They should be free to say that fish ride bikes, Qatar is an appropriate World Cup host and the Holocaust never happened. Others react accordingly. Think that guy on the bus. Or Katie Hopkins.
The village idiot has always been treated as such, even now, when the village is a billion Twitter users. But criminalising stupidity? Where does that end?
Second, free speech is too damned important. Mess with it at your peril.
Hitler denied virtually every freedom, but he started with free speech. Silencing opinion, no matter how obscene, is the first step on a perilous road.
Third, Tony’s way off-target. He’s fighting the wrong fight. Flat-out Holocaust deniers are few and febrile. These days, they tend to wear red trousers and tweed jackets and stare oddly into the middle-distance.
Think of goons such as Nick Griffin or oafs like David Irving. Granted, Holocaust denial is still rampant throughout the Muslim world, where it is often seen alongside Jewish plans for world domination (ah, those), but in countries where Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion isn’t a bestseller, you have to work harder to get an audience.
Flat out Holocaust denial is so last century. Instead, Tony should focus on the Holocaust blurrers. They’re a whole different kettle of bike-riding fish.
To their credit, the Jew haters are really upping their game. A new breed have realised they’ve got to get smarter to undermine mankind’s darkest hour.
So instead of downplaying or denying hard facts, the 2015 Revisionists’ Guidebook recommends drawing equivalence and false comparison. So, yes, the Nazis were bad. Yes, they didn’t like Jews. Yes, it was a bad thing that lots were killed. But did they really build gas chambers and kill six million? Really?
And anyway, look at Israel’s Nazi-like tactics towards the Palestinians. Look at the genocide in Gaza. Isn’t that as bad? Isn’t it? Just asking…” Why deny the Holocaust against the Jews when you can use the Holocaust against the Jews? You can almost hear Goebbels cheer.
This pseudo-academic ‘Yes, but…’ stuff, rife on social media whenever Israel hits the headlines, is the new clear and present intolerance Blair should be worrying about. That’s no small task. It’s tricky spotting the difference between a wilful misreading of history and honest ignorance.
Holocaust blurring now tops many militant agendas, including those of some student unions. London’s Goldsmiths rejected Holocaust Memorial Day for being “Eurocentric and colonialist”; the pro-life movement compared Nazi genocide with abortion; and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals juxtaposed images of Jews in concentration camps on animals in factory farms to claim meat represents a “Holocaust on your plate”.
So, Tony, this from a fan: don’t squander your talents silencing jokers and fools and trampling over free speech. Tackle the distorters instead – those hell-bent on bending history and poisoning the well of rational thought. Let the rest say fish ride bikes.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
