Anti-semitic bigot writes to DomPost
Adam was saddened, but not he has to say surprised by this letter. Unfortunately, it is one which he has been expecting to see ever since the National Government with John Key at it’s head assumed office.
Debate over the actions of Hamas and Israel is fully justified. This letter goes beyond that in the aspersions it throws upon the character of our Prime Minister and members of his cabinet.
Indeed in some countries the letter could be taken as an example of the promotion of hate speech.
Dominion Post Letters to the Editor - 31 December 2008
Adam is of courses referring to the final hateful, bigoted and spiteful comments in the last paragraph of the letter, viz:-
No doubt his comments are the result of our having a Jewish prime minister.
This statement is appalling. Though perhaps Adam should not be surprised, given the xenophobia and racist attitudes displayed by many in NZ.
Trackbacks
Comments are closed.
The Inquiring Mind 
Tony
Good points, your comment much appreciated
LikeLike
Calvert and Ben’s comments are simply offensive. A Jew with suspect loyalties? Where have we heard similar before? The “Jewish lobby” in the USA (a la Walt and Mearsheimer) … Jud Suss … L’Affaire Dreyfus … The Jewish Doctors Plot … Protocols of the Elders of Zion etc etc.
Adam, your first point that Key has stated “that he is not a practicing member of any religion” is entirely irrelevant. Whether practising or not, Key’s Judaism is posited by Calvert / Ben as a reason why the Government has not (yet) dealt unfairly with Israel (unlike the last Government whose foreign and domestic behaviour was a disgrace – e.g. Goff hugging Arafat, Hobbs / Clark hosting Kharrazi the then Iranian FM).
New Zealand’s governance has strayed so far from its former traditions of right and decency that were forged by the Anzac experiences that it will take extraordinary efforts to restore the country’s position to anything like respectability in the eyes of defenders of democracy. I wish Key and his team every success in repairing the damage.
A good place to start will be New Zealand’s standing up for decency and / or boycotting Durban II (April 2009 in Geneva), the UN’s updated charter for Israel-bashing, building on the egregious 2001 Durban I. At that last conference Canada said:
““Canada is still here today only because we wanted to have our voice decry the attempts at this Conference to de-legitimize the State of Israel and to dishonour the history and suffering of the Jewish people. We believe, and we have said in the clearest possible terms, that it was inappropriate – wrong – to address the Palestinian-Israel conflict in this forum. We have said, and will continue to say, that anything – any
process, any declaration, any language presented in any forum that does not serve to advance a negotiated peace that will bring security, dignity and respect to the people of the region is – and will be – unacceptable to Canada.
“That is why the Canadian delegation registers its strongest objections and disassociates itself integrally from all text in this document directly or indirectly relating to the situation in the Middle East. We state emphatically that this text is ultra vires; it is outside the jurisdiction and mandate of this Conference.”
Will the New Zealand Government possess similar integrity?
LikeLike
However Rocky I also believe it is a good thing to publish these type of letters it lets us know that there are people like that out there and we need to be aware.
LikeLike
And I agree. Ben is so far off the mark. But then he probably believes its ok for HAMAS to lob rockets into Israel because they only kill and injure a small amount of people and to have the charter they have because their weapons arent as powerful as Israels and the only good Jew is a dead jew.
I try not to hate anyone but it is so hard with people like him.
LikeLike
Further, given the way the letter was written, I think I am entitled to draw the inference that I have.
LikeLike
Ben
John Key has stated that he is not a practicing member of any religion.
My annoyance, nay dismay at J Calvert’s comment is that he/she considered that it was Key’s religion that was the reason McCully had not criticized Israel.
Personally, I think Israel has, due to internal political reasons, fallen into the trap set for it yet again by Hamas.
That however is beside the point.
Calvert uses religion to assert the reason. Would he/she say the same if Key was a Catholic. I doubt it.
Far too many New Zealanders are prone to assume race/religion as the guiding element in decisions.
I have in the past heard people refer to somebody as the ‘right kind of Jew’.
Let us not forget that NZ is a country where in the not too distant past there was significant prejudice against Catholics in some areas, let alone Chinese and Maori.
On McCully’s response I think it is appropriate. Let us not forget that Hamas stated aims are the elimination of Jews from the Middle East and that they have been firing rockets into Israel even during the so-called ceasefire.
LikeLike
Sorry, where’s the xenophobia and racist attitude in this letter?
The letter writer is advancing the proposition that our foreign policy is guided in part by the cultural heritage of the PM. I have no idea if that is true or not. But it is hardly xenophobic or racist to suggest that is what may be going on. Something must explain the government’s position on the matter – why not heritage? I prefer other explanations, like keeping the US on side and the low cost of deciding to not take sides in the matter. But why is JK Calvert so wrong to point at Mr Key’s heritage? I imagine many of the people expessing outrage over this comment think heritage is highly relevant to all sorts of things. Where is the offence in suggesting Mr Key is not above that?
LikeLike
It doesn’t say much for the judgement of the editor in allowing publication either. Many worthwhile viewpoints are refused publication. Perhaps Nicky Hager is standing in for him over the holidays.
LikeLike
All McCully is doing is keeping an open mind. Something that is clearly out of the purview of JK Calvert.
LikeLike
A supporting thread appears here, with due credit to Adam
http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/2008/12/bigotry-in-dom-post.html
LikeLike
Tauranga, eh?
I wondered how they’d go without Winston.
JC
LikeLike
Adam is right to be concerned. Keeping Stock will link to this post now.
LikeLike