Should we ban 'Nazi analogies'? Using Nazi analogies to criticise Israel or Zionism may be offensive, but criminalize it?
Holy smokes!
Should we ban 'Nazi analogies'?
Using Nazi analogies to criticise Israel or Zionism may be offensive, but should it be against the law?
While much of the definition is unexceptionable, it cites five ways in which antisemitism could be seen to "manifest itself with regard to the state of Israel taking into account the overall context". One of these - "using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism... to characterise Israel or Israelis" - is fully justified. The other four are contentious: "Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination"; "Applying double standards by requiring of [Israel] a behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation"; "Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis"; "Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel". None of these four are self-evidently antisemitic. But all could be used to justify labelling legitimate criticism of Israel as antisemitic. So the authors' approval of them makes their claim that "Drawing attention to the consequent harms in [playing the Nazi card against Israel] should not be intended, or taken, in any way as an attempt to suppress criticism of Israel and its military practices" both naïve and flimsy.
Iganski has laboured hard and conscientiously in the field of hate crime, so it is unfortunate that he has taken this path towards criminalising something best dealt with by setting standards of public discourse that are voluntarily adopted. As associate editor of the Times Daniel Finkelstein writes in the Jewish Chronicle of a Nazi analogy such as the Warsaw Ghetto for Israeli military action in Gaza:
I find this a nasty, obtuse point to make, one that lacks all sense of proportion and knowledge of history. I think less of those who make it. I do not, however, regard the insult as racist.
But it is more than merely a question of casting the playing of the "Nazi card" as automatically antisemitic. People will use this report to justify demonising severe criticism of Israel (even though it actually also suggests some non-criminalising ways of tackling the problem of Nazi analogies). I don't believe that Iganski will welcome that.
Part of the fault here lies with the ethos of the body that commissioned the report. EISCA was officially launched in a packed House of Commons committee room in July 2008. The then Europe minister Jim Murphy gave the inaugural lecture, "Antisemitism: A Hate that Outlives All Others" - a nonsensical title taken from an equally nonsensical sentence in the lecture: "what is different about antisemitism is that it has both predated and outlived many, if not all, other reactionary instincts". Its new chair, Denis MacShane, is second to none when it comes to exaggerating antisemitism: "There is no greater intolerance today than neo-antisemitism in all its open and disguised, witting and unwitting forms" he wrote in Globalising Hatred. Given the tone of these remarks, the weaknesses of the "Nazi card" report are not surprising.
Had this report been commissioned by a university or a serious thinktank with proven expertise in this area, I'm a sure something more useful would have been produced. But the fact that the government can spend £20,000 in this way, backing a dubious body with no track record, is indicative of the sad politicising and devaluing of the entire field of contemporary antisemitism studies.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/24/israel-nazi-analogie...
No soup for these guys.
I think it's fair.
Israel gets to act like Nazis, and we get to go to prison for saying so.
What's the problem with that?
"The term nazi is used in various ways. It's often used to describe persons or groups of people who try to force an unpopular or extreme agenda on the general population, and also commit crimes and other violations on others...a person who is fanatically dedicated or seeks to control a specified activity, practice etc; someone who uses their authority over others in a very strict or cruel way.." - some of what a quck search turned up.
Seems to me if it quacks like a Nazi...
Anyway, a test case on the matter would be very interesting. And if criminally proscribed at the end of the day then "Zionist" will just have to suffice
If Isreal doesn't want to be compared too or called nazis..then they shouldn't act like nazis..
"women and children, were shot at short range when posing no threat to Israeli soldiers."
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/07/02/israel.gaza.deaths.amnesty/index.html
It almost seems that nazism is a by product of right wing governments that have enjoyed too much power for too long.You would think that after learning a bit of history people would reject it. By making the comparison aganst the law it begs the question who would be offended by the comparisin..answer...the nazis.
I guess another comparison would be left wing governments being compared to communists..something that has happened when they get too much power...is the word communism banned ..NO. Actually it's promotted by the right along with the word socialism and by the media . So yeh..if they behave like nazi's ..go for it, call them nazi's..promote it...rub it in there faces..
Maybe we should ban Nazi-like policies instead?
No, wait, that would make too much sense.
We should ban whistleblowers while we're at it. It can damage people's hearing when they're right in the middle of ethnic cleansing, aggressive warfare, and other day-to-day activiites.
The right would never go for it. You can't accuse someone of being the next Neville Chamberlain without suggesting that the leader of the country that we want to invade is the next Hitler: Hussein, Ahmadinejad, Chavez, etc.
This isn't really "national news". It's a political question, so let's move it to International News and Politics.
Sometimes this shit just cracks me up, just where is all this serious anti-semitic activity, Canada, no Jews dying here, the U.S., no Jews dying there, Germany, nope, France, nope, where? Israel is where they are dying and it where they make war, seems like they might make the connection.
As far as shutting people up with any kind of law around using Nazi to describe their behavior it doesn't seem to do anything but make the link more visible, personally I think it isn't such an effective word to use in regards to what is being done to the Palestinians, seems like we should have a new word.
Hey, as long as there are fascist regimes, all bets are off. And there is always the danger of such regimes coming into being as long as capitalism is in danger of getting the heave-ho by the citizenry. That's what fascism is.
Mind you, you've got to know your history. Mixing metaphors is just NOT RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes this shit just cracks me up, just where is all this serious anti-semitic activity, Canada, no Jews dying here, the U.S., no Jews dying there, Germany, nope, France, nope, where? Israel is where they are dying and it where they make war, seems like they might make the connection.
As far as shutting people up with any kind of law around using Nazi to describe their behavior it doesn't seem to do anything but make the link more visible, personally I think it isn't such an effective word to use in regards to what is being done to the Palestinians, seems like we should have a new word.
Well, its also anti-semitic to call them Zionists, or so it seems, when Zionist is contextualized negatively.
I would draw the line at comparing Nazis to Israelis.
Just think of all the books that would have to be banned.
I remember and IDF officer saying that the best thing to study for operations in the occupied territories was the German practice in the Warsaw Ghetto. What would happen to him?