BIGOTS FOR PALESTINE HOW THE PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN TOLERATES JEW-HATRED CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANTISEMITISM ) [email protected] PO Box 2647, London W1A 3RB x +44 (0)330 822 0321 Registered charity 1163790 = www.antisemitism.uk BIGOTS FOR PALESTINE PAGE 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 3 Background and Introduction 4 About PSC 4 Methodology 4 The International Definition of Antisemitism 5 Findings 6 Summary 6 Types of Antisemitism 6 Jewish Power Conspiracy Myths 7 Jewish War and Terror Conspiracy Myths 8 Holocaust Denial 9 Holocaust Inversion 10 Religious Antisemitism 11 General Antisemitism 11 Calls for the Destruction of Israel 12 Culpability of PSC 12 Conclusion 14 Appendix 1: Definition 15 Appendix 2: Trade Union Policies 17 Appendix 3: Example Motions 19 CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANTISEMITISM ) [email protected] x +44 (0)330 822 0321 = antisemitism.uk BIGOTS FOR PALESTINE PAGE 3 FOREWORD Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK (PSC) antisemitism by allowing it to seep into portrays itself as an organisation political discourse, and wrapping it in concerned with human rights and justice. patronage and trade union affiliation. Its 28 patrons include Britain’s Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn MP. It is PSC states that “it was established to publicly endorsed by 17 affiliated trade campaign…in opposition to racism, unions and many students’ unions. Yet including anti-Jewish prejudice”. Yet PSC many PSC supporters wholeheartedly does not adhere to such values and its espouse a vicious strain of modern inaction disproves it claim to be a antisemitism, and within PSC circles their legitimate and respectable organisation. Jew-hatred is entirely tolerated. We challenge the patrons, trade unions For an entire month, we monitored and students’ unions that endorse PSC to comments on PSC’s Facebook page, publicly withdraw their support until PSC reviewing and categorising almost 3,000 unequivocally endorses and enforces the user comments. PSC’s Facebook presence International Definition of Antisemitism is a cesspool of antisemitism which used by the British Government, the proliferates and normalises hatred of Jews. College of Policing and the National Union of Students, along with thirty other nations. In this report, we present research which finds that over 7% of user comments on Sadly it is common for Jews to suffer a PSC’s official Facebook page are overtly double antisemitism: not only are we antisemitic. In many cases, PSC subjected to antisemitic abuse, but when supporters are posting visceral Nazi-era we highlight that abuse we are accused of anti-Jewish hate. PSC tolerates its dissembling and conspiring to cry wolf as supporters’ antisemitism by not moderating a means of silencing our enemies, a claim it out; but our researchers found that PSC which itself is antisemitic. Campaign does remove other forms of hate speech. Against Antisemitism is concerned with Our research also shows that the cards are antisemitic bigotry. We act without any stacked against counter-speech. Simply reference to politics whatsoever. Yet we put, in PSC circles Jew-hatred is accepted. fully expect that among PSC supporters, this report will be seen as a cynical political PSC is a powerful proliferation channel for manipulation, thus further proving our claim antisemitism. The hatred posted by its that the pro-Palestine movement is deeply supporters can routinely be seen by infused with antisemitism. hundreds of thousands of people on PSC’s official Facebook page. More insidiously, Gideon Falter PSC camouflages and normalises CHAIRMAN CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANTISEMITISM ) [email protected] x +44 (0)330 822 0321 = antisemitism.uk BIGOTS FOR PALESTINE PAGE 4 BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION ABOUT PSC METHODOLOGY PSC was founded in 1982. It is the largest In the first phase of our research, we UK proponent of Boycott, Divestment and audited social activity on PSC’s Facebook Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. At the time page, @palestinesolidarityuk, during the of writing, its Facebook page had 494,000 entirety of the month of November 2016. likes and its website lists 55 local branches We studied 2,991 user comments and in England and Wales. threaded replies on PSC’s Facebook. We identified and logged user comments that PSC’s stated goals include the “right of engaged the International Definition of return” for Palestinians and “Israeli Antisemitism (see the following section). All withdrawal from the occupied territories”. antisemitic comments were archived to preserve them for reference and this report PSC describes itself in moderate and provides hyperlinks to every antisemitic peaceful terms as “a community of people comment identified by our research. working together for peace, equality, and justice and against racism, occupation, We audited posts at least seven days in and colonisation.” It emphasises that it is arrears; for example, a post that PSC an anti-racist organisation and specifically published on the first of the month would states that it was founded “in opposition to not be audited earlier than the eighth. This racism, including anti-Jewish prejudice”. was done to provide a reasonable period for PSC supporters to comment and to give The PSC website lists 28 patrons: John ample time for PSC to moderate out anti- Austin, Rodney Bickerstaffe, Sir Geoffrey Jewish hate speech. Bindman QC, Victoria Brittain, Julie Christie, Caryl Churchill, Jeremy Corbyn The second phase of our research tested MP, William Dalrymple, Pat Gaffney, Rev whether PSC permits its supporters to Garth Hewitt, Ghada Karmi, Bruce Kent, express other forms of bigotry on its Ken Loach, Kareem Dennis (“Lowkey”), Facebook page. To do this, we duplicated Kika Markham, Professor Nur Masalha, antisemitic comments and modified them Karma Nabulsi, Dr Ilan Pappe, Hilary and to target abuse at the “Bangalla People”, a Steven Rose, Dr Salma Abu-Sitta, Alexi non-existent African tribe featured in the Sayle, Keith Sonnet, Adhaf Soueif, David 1950’s comic strip, The Phantom. In total, Thompson, Baroness Jenny Tonge, Dr we posted nine instances of Antoine Zahlan, Benjamin Zephaniah and ‘Bangallaphobic’ hate speech and Betty Hunter. monitored PSC’s moderation response. CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANTISEMITISM ) [email protected] x +44 (0)330 822 0321 = antisemitism.uk BIGOTS FOR PALESTINE PAGE 5 THE INTERNATIONAL DEFINITION OF ANTISEMITISM In 2005, the EU Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), now the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), adopted a “working definition on antisemitism” which has become the standard definition used around the world, including by the European Parliament, the UK College of Policing, the US Department of State, the US Senate, and the 31 countries comprising the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. In 2016, the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee joined Campaign Against Antisemitism’s longstanding call for the British government to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism, which the British government then did. The International Definition states that: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities. Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.” The International Definition of Antisemitism is reproduced in full in Appendix 1. CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANTISEMITISM ) [email protected] x +44 (0)330 822 0321 = antisemitism.uk BIGOTS FOR PALESTINE PAGE 6 FINDINGS SUMMARY These findings are shocking given PSC’s public claim to oppose racism generally and anti-Jewish prejudice specifically. Having audited the almost 3,000 comments posted by supporters on PSC’s Our research shows that PSC has the Facebook page in November 2016, our key means to block antisemitic hate speech on findings are that: its Facebook page, if it wished to. It is profoundly disappointing that leading • Over 7% of all comments and replies British trade unions, with strong anti- on PSC posts were antisemitic and discrimination stances, allow themselves to included anti-Jewish conspiracy myths, be affiliated to an organisation that Holocaust denial, Holocaust inversion proliferates hate. and religious and general hate speech against Jews. • There was very little counter-speech TYPES OF by PSC supporters. Hate speech ANTISEMITISM against Jews was more likely to attract likes and supportive comment than PSC routinely permits its supporters to condemnation from PSC supporters. express the following types of antisemitic • PSC permits hate speech against hate on its Facebook page. Each category Jews, but does not permit it against squarely engages the International other groups. We tested PSC’s Definition of Antisemitism. moderation policy by posting hate speech against a non-existent people 1. Jewish power conspiracy myths from a comic strip (the “Bangalla 2. Jewish war and terror conspiracy myths People”). The ‘hate speech’ we posted 3. Holocaust denial was almost identical to anti-Jewish 4. Holocaust inversion sentiment which PSC allowed to be 5. Religious antisemitism published. Within six hours, PSC 6. General antisemitism removed the “Bangallaphobic” content 7. Calls for the destruction of Israel and banned the account which posted it. • Some PSC Patrons were complicit in We detail each of these categories