Carswell: It’s my duty to stand up to anti-Israel prejudice among British elite
Douglas Carswell has pledged to make it his job to stand up to the anti-Israel prejudice among the “elite” in Britain in his first address to a pro-Israel gathering since becoming a UKIP MP.
The former Tory politician was speaking at a Friends of Israel in UKIP event in Westminster, which also saw addresses from two prominent MEPs and a brief surprise appearance from Nigel Farage.
Carswell told the 60-strong gathering that one of the first things he did after winning the seat in October was to call Conservative Friends of Israel’s Stuart Polak to assure him he would “always remain” a friend of the Jewish state despite his defection.
He said: “No country better embodies the idea of national self-determination than Israel. For a millennia Jewish people have said ‘next year in Jerusalem’.” He pointed to the country’s triumphs in the tech arena and suggested those who oppose Israel among the left have invented “the myth of tyrannical Israel” in an effort to explain its successes.
Carswell suggested Israel no longer receives the fair hearing it once did in Britain and said he saw his duty as “standing up against prejudice among the elites”.
Asked about the upcoming vote in the European Parliament on recognition of a Palestinian state, expected later this month, Carswell suggested those that wanted to a state “must act like a state” and not launch rockets attacks.
It came in the same week as the MP held talks with representatives of the Jewish Leadership Council and CST – but the Board of Deputies stayed away after, in order to save its group in the European Parliament, UKIP joined forces with a Polish MEP whose party leader has stated that Hitler was “probably not aware that Jews were being exterminated”.
JLC chief executive Simon Johnson said concerns over the alliance were raised: “I consider that this was right meeting, with the right person, at right time. We found Douglas Carswell continuing to be supportive on all the issues of current concern to the Jewish community.”
At the Westminster event – organised by FOI in UKIP chair Shneur Odze – UKIP MEP Steven Woolfe, the party’s defend the alliance but said they wouldn’t work with him if further information came to light suggesting he had personally made racist or other statements.
Meanwhile, UKIP will hold hustings for the three Barnet parliamentary seats next week. Finchley and Golders Green and Hendon, the constituencies with the largest Jewish communities, and Chipping Barnet will all select candidates.
Finchley’s Tory MP Mike Freer pointed to the party’s 0.6 percent share of the vote in 2010 and said: “Of course will be interesting to see how the candidate justify their deportation of immigrants policy in a constituency built on immigration.”
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.
