If you believe Ken on this, you'll believe anything

Apparently, Ken Livingstone has tried to brush aside accusations that his "go back to Iran" remarks about the Reuben brothers were anti-semitic, because he says he thought they were Iranian Shias.

He says he didn't know they were Jewish.

He said he had not been aware the brothers were Jewish and from their names would have thought they were Muslims.

Yeah, right. David and Simon Reuben. Very Iranian Shia/Muslim names. And of course he's been sounding off in public about the Reuben brothers since last October. And just managed to go on not knowing that these brothers, whose web site tells you that they are Indian-born Iraqi Jews, are Jews. And even the Evening Standard's press article about Ken's objections to them last October mentioned that they are Jews of Iraqi origin.

Even if they were Iranian Shias, it would still be utterly reprehensible and racist for someone holding the office of Mayor of London to tell them to go back where they came from.

But with his usual relish for being gratuitously viciously offensive, Ken has gone on to add to his insults to the Reuben brothers.

This is what he said on being pressed to explain his remarks today:

I would offer a complete apology to the people of Iran to the suggestion that they may be linked in any way to the Reuben brothers. I wasn't meaning to be offensive to the people of Iran

If you're into signing an online petition objecting to Ken's racism, there's one here.

David Hirsh of Engage had this comment piece about Ken's insults up on the Guardian today. Judging by the hostile and dismissive tenor of so many of the comments on his article, his opening remarks about Ken's motives seem to be right:

It seems that Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, has made a political judgment that it is good for his public image and electoral prospects if he employs low-level racist abuse against Jews every now and then.

Comments

[Rick]

Look I know Jews probably feel very sensitive with matters in France and the way Livingstone behaves looks like he has found new Anti-British friends in extremist Islam now the IRA have become domesticated enough for tea at 10 Downing Street, but.................

and.........I stress the but.......do remember that this man is and always has been a self-serving, self-promoter of the very worst kind more akin to Horatio Bottomley than any effective politician..............he represents noone but a clique of ageing Leftists from the 1970s sustained by apathy and inertia on the part of London voters and the failure to find any serious candidate for the ceremonial post as Mayor of London.

Do not get angry about his behaviour but do ridicule him because being made to look a fool is not something he can take

[Steve M]

He represents Londoners, Rick. When should we get angry?

[Rick]

Why angry ?

Just laugh and humiliate the fool......ridicule will hurt him much more.............

[chevalier de st george]

'that it is good for his public image and electoral prospects if he employs low-level racist abuse against Jews every now and then.'
Spot On!
but I would add financial to that.
His prospects for middle eastern lecture tours with 5 figure fees and first class travel with 5 star accomodation are now secured for his retirement.
Will his ME star status even outdo Galloway's?
Perhaps but surely not Jimmy Carter's!

[Huldah]

Rick

It seems to me that this "self-serving, self-promoter of the very worst kind" elected by London voters thinks that making a "why don't you go back where you came from" comment to immigrants he doesn't like is no big deal.

Further more, having discovered that his targets have Jewish blood in their veins he is confident (apparently correctly)that apologising to Iran for having suggested that Jews should live there, will raise hardly any eyebrows at all amongst his "clique of ageing Leftists from the 1970s".

The problem is that many of those ageing lefties are now in positions of considerable power in, amongst other places, Higher Education, politics and of course, the media.

Unfortunately for the Jewish community of Britain.