Read on Twitter
1/ A few comments on the Loach/Oxford affair:
There is a striking UK Jewish consensus on Loach's unsavoury record on antisemitism, and this consensus cuts through the Zionist/non-Zionist divide. It's not universal (it never is) but close. In other words, no, it's not about Israel
There is a striking UK Jewish consensus on Loach's unsavoury record on antisemitism, and this consensus cuts through the Zionist/non-Zionist divide. It's not universal (it never is) but close. In other words, no, it's not about Israel
2/ It is not good that people on the left are happy to dismiss and even mock these concerns. It's not new and it happens to other groups - we should remember this and make these connections. https://twitter.com/BlewishAnd/status/1359200332363026434?s=20
3/ Loach should not have been invited, and it is legitimate to call for the invitation to be rescinded. That's very different from calling to ban the event, or for the University to intervene - which imo would be crossing a dangerous line.
4/ The incident showed the limits of IHRA working definition. Did the definition help the case in any way? Is it more persuasive to say "he violated the IHRA" than "he promoted Holocaust revisionism"? Well it clearly didn't help in this case.
5/ Arguably, the reference to the IHRA made it easier for people to argue "it's all about Loach's position on Israel/Palestine". Which, again, it isn't
