Time away from the media, blogosphere and PCs often results in a shock when you have to digest what has happened and what is happening around the world.
I am catching up and in the process looking at Rupert Murdoch’s ugly mug plastered across most news bulletins.
His recent second day at the Leveson Inquiry was amusing for his bumbling, blame shifting and barely convincing mea culpa.
The Guardian has good coverage and comment.
Reading material for Rupert Murdoch.
Ex-News International employees are not too happy with Murdoch’s attempt to shift of blame.
According to one of his fans, Rev. Stephen Sizer will not be doing porridge, although I think a bowl of humility and sensitivity might be more appropriate, but that’s not going to happen.
Racism in Northern Ireland.
Anti-Fascists Online has details of another racist crank who wants to attack Muslims.
According to Hope NOT Hate the EDL leader, Stephen Lennon, is joining up with another bunch of neo-fascists in the British Freedom Party. The BFP is made up of ex-BNP misfits and assorted racist flakes.
Across the pond, 200 threatening and racist phone calls.
In oil news, Turkey is searching for it.
Martin Bright in JC probes an area not often covered, British PoWs in Auschwitz.
The BNP Organiser & The War Criminal.
Racism in Hockey, North America still has many problems.
Finally, in Syria, the ceasefire is not working.
Soupy One 
Perhaps it’s CCJ that ought to be called to humility? At the very least an apology should be offered for the distress caused and their wasting of police time.
Phil,
If Rev. Sizer hadn’t chosen to use material from an antisemitic web site then this wouldn’t have occurred.
If Rev. Sizer had apologised profusely and explained why he chose that racist material then the distress that *he* caused might not have brought about their intervention.
If Rev. Sizer hadn’t shown himself to be insensitive to anti-Jewish racism in the past then we wouldn’t be where we are…
If those such as yourself paid attention to the issues Stephen raises — if Israel began to treat the Palestinians with dignity and respect as fellow human beings — then we wouldn’t be where we are now. Trying to distract from those issues by falsely accusing those who highlight them of antisemitism and/or stirring up racial hatred is sheer folly and will never get to the root of the problem.
Phil,
Why must you always argue? These are fairly incontestable points.
I would hope that if people are genuinely concerned about Palestinians (which I think is a very good thing) then they should avoid anti-Jewish racism.
They should be sensitive to how the Far Right and other extremists exploit the Palestinians’ cause and use it to push anti-Jewish racism.
It’s not a terribly difficult thing to do, just be sensitive, just checked your sources and avoid associating with racists and extremists.
And if Western supporters of the Palestinians’ cause don’t do that (as frequently happens) then they laid themselves, justifiably, open to criticism.
It is a simple case of taking care, avoiding dodgy material and being aware of other people’s sensitivities.
Surely, Phil, you see that?
Sorry, Soupy One, but when I see someone being falsely accused of antisemitism or of stirring up racial hatred, I will challenge those making the accusations; and all the more so when I think those accusations are being used as a diversionary tactic to avoid engaging with the real issues: it’s as simple as that. Surely you, in turn, can see that?
Phil,
The evidence is that a fair few Western supporters of the Palestinians’ cause have a tendency to post material from racist or extremist sites.
That’s what Rev. Sizer did.
Not once, not twice but apparently on three occasions.
So the point is, that shouldn’t happen.
I would hope that you would understand why it is wrong for the Palestinians’ cause to be associated with racism towards Jews? Or do I have to expand on it?
So when Rev. Sizer links to an antisemitic web site, it *does* cause offence.
I am most happy for him to criticise any government, including the Israeli government, for their actions, but I’m not happy when he links the racist material, as he did.
Once more, Western supporters of the Palestinians’ cause should just take more care on the material they use. They should avoid extremist and racist material, directly or indirectly, because it gives the impression that they condone it.