Diversity Macht Frei
January 22, 2019
“I’m so saddened and troubled by it”
The UK's @ChiefRabbi tells @EmmaBarnett calling someone a Nazi can “never ever” be defended as “free speech”.
His comments come after Conservative MP @Anna_Soubry was called a Nazi for her #Brexit stance.#EmmaBarnettShow pic.twitter.com/XsKI43AflE
— BBC Radio 5 Live (@bbc5live) January 21, 2019
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has issued a warning about the dangers of social media during a radio conversation about the “Nazi” slurs recently directed at Conservative MP Anna Soubry.
In an appearance on (((Emma Barnett)))’s Radio 5 Live show, the Chief Rabbi said he had watched the video clip – that went viral – of a group of protesters verbally abusing Ms Soubry “so many times”, saying he was “so saddened and also troubled by it.”
Asked by Ms Barnett if the use of the word “Nazi” by the demonstrators could be defended under free speech laws, the Chief Rabbi said: “Never, ever.”
In an apparent condemnation of the police’s failure to take immediate action, he said: “I’m so surprised that it was allowed to continue.”
He added: “Those people saying that – they obviously don’t know what Nazism is all about. And if they had said it knowing it, them that makes it all the worse.
“This is just an indication of some of the discourse that is taking place today and we cannot allow it to get out of control.”
Not only does the revered rabbi think the word “Nazi” should not be used as a pejorative; he thinks using it in such a way should be a crime. Speech interdiction is something these Jews take seriously.
This is great news. Anyone impudent enough to think that ethnic Europeans have the right to go on existing must regularly suffer a barrage of insults from the Jews, including the ubiquitous “Nazi”. Here is but one example.
If the Jews now intend to heed the strictures of the sagely Ephraim Mirvis, this should go a long way towards re-rationalising and improving the tone of our public discourse.
I look forward to holding serious discussions with our friends the Jews and helping them down the difficult path to moral maturity.
The only other possible interpretation of the Chief Rabbi’s words would be that some people were allowed to use the word “Nazi” as a slur, but not others. That, however, would require abandonment of the Ethic of Reciprocity (aka The Golden Rule), which forms the moral foundation of almost all societies. It is is hard to believe that anyone of any degree of ethical seriousness could contemplate such a thing. Therefore I am sure that my original interpretation of the rabbi’s words is correct.
For anyone interested and unaware, here is the original incident the venerable rabbi was referring to. In it, Brexit traitor Anna Soubry is barracked by (ideologically confused) protesters, calling her a “Nazi”.