Last week I wrote about allegations made against Hove Labour
Party and PSC member Becky Matthews by the far right Zionist propaganda group,
the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism whose charity status is now being questioned.

Simon Cobbs of Sussex Friends of Israel organised the ‘meet a rape supporter’

In the course of this post I wrote that:

‘Hove AGM was cancelled because
the Jewish communal centre, Ralli Hall,
where the meeting was supposed to take place, unilaterally terminated the
booking.  This is the same Ralli Hall which staged a meeting 18 months ago
featuring Professor Mordechai Kedar of Israel’s religious University Bar
Ilan.  Kedar is a retired colonel in the Israeli army.  See The
Zionist Federation and Sussex Friends of Israel Invite an Advocate of Rape to
Speak

I wrote that:

Brighton and Hove Palestine
Solidarity Campaign held a demonstration outside the meeting.  Many Jewish
venues, including schools and synagogues, such as Finchley, cancelled their meetings
when Kedar’s comments became known.  Even the Board of Deputies of British
Jews dissociated themselves from Kedar but not Ralli Hall, which was quite
happy for the rally to go ahead. 

I have therefore
written to their Manager, Maxine Gordon as to why they prefer advocates of rape
to critics of Israel.  A letter from 8 members
of PSC, including myself, appeared in today’s Argus newspaper.  Ralli Hall has a lot of questions to ask.

I have also written
a second letter to those in control of 
Ralli Hall.  I won’t be holding my
breath waiting for a reply.

Dear Ralli Hall,

You appear to have ignored the
message that I sent you conerning your double standards when it comes to false
allegations of anti-Semitism and allowing, Mordechai Kedar, an advocate of rape
in war, to speak at Ralli Hall. 

According to the Argus your Manager Maxine Gordon said that she ‘no choice‘
but to cancel a meeting of Hove Labour Party because of ‘contentious
statements made by Rebecca Massey on social media about Israel and Judaism.’

Clearly Ms Gordon hasn’t heard of
free speech.  Calling out Israel’s racism is a matter of fact and is only
‘contentious’ in the eyes of those who prefer to turn a blind eye to Israeli
atrocities, i.e. apologists for Israeli war crimes. I won’t bother to enumerate
such minor matters as the making of an Israeli hero out of the cold-blooded
murderer Elor Azaria or the recent demolition of a Bedouin village Umm al-Hiran
in the Negev to make way for the Jewish town of Hiran.

In The Times in the
1930’s under Editor Geoffrey Dawson The Times forbade any mention of
German anti-semitism during the pre-war years when the Nazi
Party ruled Germany.  Criticism of the Nazis was also ‘contentious’ so Ms
Gordon is in good company.

You said that because Becky
Massey was attending a meeting at Ralli Hall on Sunday, February 3, you didn’t
feel it would be ‘appropriate for the meeting to continue.”

Perhaps you can tell me why it
was ‘appropriate’ for Kedar who said that ‘“The only thing that can
deter terrorists, like those who kidnapped the children and killed them, is the
knowledge that their sister or their mother will be raped.”  to speak
at Ralli Hall?

The only
conclusion that can be drawn is that you find support for rape in war less
objectionable than criticism of Israel’s war cimes.  I hope you found
our letter concerning this to your liking in yesterday’s Argus!  I attach
a copy.