Tony Greenstein –v- Campaign Against Anti-Semitism Libel Action

The High Court Decided Today that Calling Someone an Anti-Semite is a Matter of Opinion not Fact! We shall be appealing to the Court of Appeal

At first sight it is surprising. Zionists never hesitate to accuse their opponents of ‘anti-Semitism’. After all if you are forced to defend shooting unarmed demonstrators and demolishing villages and homes it’s far easier to attack the messenger than the message.

No group is more assiduous in doing this than the misnamed ‘Campaign Against Anti-Semitism’. So when, in February 2017 and on 4 subsequent occasions, they accused me of being a ‘notorious anti-Semite’ you might have thought that they would leap at the opportunity to justify the truth of their assertion.

The original article on the CAA's website

The original libel - repeated on at least 4 more occasions - the CAA is notoriously reluctant to justify their libels

Not a bit of it.  Their legal team, led by Adam Speker of 5RB, the same Chambers that today’s presiding Judge Mr Justice Nicklin belongs to, has fought desperately to be able to rely on section 3 (‘honest opinion’) rather than a section 2 (‘statement of fact’) of the Defamation Act 2013.

Section 3 is the old ‘fair comment’ common law defence that was usually used to protect journalists who wrote in good faith about a politician. It protected free speech. The 2013 Defamation Act put it on a statutory footing and called it ‘honest opinion’. In other words, even if you are lying through your teeth, as long as you believe your own lies then you are in the clear.

As the Jewish Chronicle reported correctly (for once) ‘If [the libellous statements were] considered an opinion, it would lower the bar for the defence.’ In other words the Zionists want to be free to accuse any and everyone of ‘anti-Semitism’ but when forced to justify their accusations can then turn round and say it was only their opinion! When push comes to shove they run a mile from having to justify their lies.

Gideon Falter - smooth talking, corrupt liar who runs the CAA - a far-Right Israeli funded Zionist organisation

Section 2, however is much stricter. You have to be able to prove that what you said was true. For the CAA that presents serious problems. The CAA is led by Gideon Falter who is as bent as a 9 bob note. Making accusations that people are ‘anti-Semitic’ is his stock-in-trade. Anyone and everyone who criticises Israel is an ‘anti-Semite’.

To the CAA, which is almost certainly funded by Israel (its accounts for 2016 and 2017 do not disclose who its funders are but we can guess) support for the Palestinians is ‘Jew hatred’. 

Gideon Falter lied in court that Rowan Laxton had shouted out 'fucking Jews' - he was quite willing to ruin someone's career for the 'crime' of expressing outrage at Israel's barbarous attack on Gaza

Of course the CAA’s opinions are anything but honest as a cursory examination of both Falter’s and the CAA’s record will show. In 2009 Foreign Office diplomat Rowan Laxton was accused by Falter of having shouted out, whilst exercising by himself in a gym, ‘fucking Israelis, fucking Jews’ after having seen on a TV screen footage of an elderly Palestinian man killed by Israel in Gaza. Laxton, who is now Britain’s High Commissioner to the Republic of Cameroon, was prosecuted under s.5 of the Public Order Act for using ‘"threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour …’ in a public place. The Police were not inclined to prosecute at first but Falter leaked it to the Daily Mail and put the Police under pressure.  Laxton was convicted at first instance by Westminster Magistrates Court and was subsequently suspended by the Foreign Office.

The Daily Mail failed to report on the subsequent acquittal of Rowan Laxton - it didn't fit with the preconceptions of this antisemitic paper

Laxton appealed to Southwark Crown Court who acquitted him of using the phrase ‘fucking Jews’. In other words Gideon Falter was a liar who had tried to ruin someone’s career for expressing their emotions about an Israeli attack on Gaza which killed 1400 civilians.  The death of Palestinians is not something which disturbs Falter in the slightest. As Professor Geoffrey Pullum noted in The diplomat, the bishop, the bomber, and the fruit bat the Daily Mail which reported the initial conviction did not report Laxton’s successful appeal. 

On the basis of a quotation from Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, the CAA called Jackie Walker a 'holocaust justifier'

I could also mention the occasion in February 2017 that the CAA ran the headline ‘Jackie Walker Posts Text Asking Whether Hitler Can Really Be Blamed for the Holocaust?’. This was based on a passage in Nahum Goldman’s autobiography, The Jewish Paradox, which in turn quoted from David Ben Gurion on how the Palestinian reaction to Israel’s creation, that they were not responsible for the Holocaust was understandable. Goldman was former President of the World Jewish Congress and the World Zionist Organisation and Ben Gurion was the first Prime Minister of Israel! When the CAA realised their gaff they took the post down but not before groups like Canada’s Never Again had waxed lyrical on the subject.

Canada's Zionist 'Never Again' Facebook Group was Fooled by the CAA post

The CAA has therefore fought to avoid having to justify their accusations that I am anti-Semitic. Instead they wanted to hide behind ‘honest opinion’ instead.

However on the advice of counsel I am applying for leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal to the same Judge and if he refuses to agree then an application will be made to the Court of Appeal directly.

Associate of Britain 1st and the EDL, fascist sympathiser and Zionist Jonathan Hoffman imagines the curtains are closing

According to notorious Zionist Jonathan Hoffman, who openly calls himself a racist and who is equally happy to keep company with a variety of fascist and anti-Semitic organisations, ‘the net is closing in.’   Indeed Hoffman calls me a ‘a thoroughly nasty piece of work’ which coming from him is a rare compliment indeed!

It is our opinion that the Judgment of Justice Nicklin is an error of law and that the allegations made against me in 4 of the articles, that I am a ‘notorious anti-Semite’ are a bare comment i.e. a factual assertion.

The first article does make an attempt to justify their assertion that I am anti-Semitic but its arguments are so ludicrous that they would find it impossible to justify them. Hence why it is important that the CAA is able to pass off their lies as ‘honest opinion’ which means that the burden of proof is reversed. Instead of the CAA having to prove their lies, I have to prove that they are dishonest.

The sting in their allegations are in paragraphs 1.5 and 1.6 of the Appendix to the Judgment.

[1.5]      Greenstein is to be squarely defined as an anti-Semite under the International Definition of Antisemitism. which states that "Denving the intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germanv .. .during World War II is antisemitic.

[1.6] Mr Greenstein is to be classified as an antisemite on other grounds too. He openly and readilv admits to Holocaust inversion (calling Jews Nazis). This breaches the International Definition of Antisemitism by "Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis. "

Financial Appeal – Why I Need You

I have only been able to fight this battle so far because of the generosity of contributors.  It is a battle that I am fighting, not for myself, but for all those who are regularly libelled, defamed and slandered by Zionist groups such as the CAA. By attacking the critics of Israeli apartheid as ‘anti-Semites’ the Zionists hope to excuse their murderous, racist and indeed genocidal behaviour. It is time that we called them out and I am prepared to pay a heavy price, even bankruptcy, in order to show the CAA out for the liars they are.

BUT what I am also doing is asking you and your friends to dig deep to help support my efforts.  The Zionists have already spent about £50,000 defending their lies.  I have spent about £10,000.  However I have to fund both an appeal to the Court of Appeal and a further Case Management Conference and a full trial.  I have a good barrister who is ready and willing to take this on but I need to raise at the minimum £60,000.  So far I have raised less than one-third of this.

There are a number of ways you can contribute.  You can:

i.                   Donate to Go Fund Me but it will take about 5% of your donation

ii.                 You can send a donation to Paypal using my email address tonygreenstein111@gmail.com but don’t say its for services or buying anything as they will also take about 5%.

iii.              You can email me a cheque made out to BUWC at PO Box 173, Rottingdean, Brighton BN51 9EZ.

iv.              Or you can send by BACS to BUWC, 09-01-50, Account No: 04094107 with reference libel.

Thank you

Tony Greenstein

The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism is a Campaign of Political Terrorism

Please Support this Crowdfunding Appeal for my Libel Action Against this McCarthyist Campaign 

The Campaign Against Antisemitism is one of the nastiest and most vicious political organisations in Britain.  It specialises in defaming anti-Zionists and supporters of the Palestinians by accusing them of ‘anti-Semitism’.  No-one is immune to their depradations.

Absurdly this racist group is a charity.  Perhaps it is not so absurd because the Charity Commission was, until recently, headed by one of the chief Islamaphobic bigots in public life, William Shawcross, who was on the board of the Anglo-Israel Association and the far-Right Henry Jackson Society. [see Rightwing thinktank pulls funds for Commons groups after disclosure row]

The CAA is a far-Right organisation with close links to far-Right Zionists who work with the Football Lads Alliance, Tommy Robinson and assorted fascist organisations. The CAA chose to call the fascists who attempted to disrupt the recent Al Quds demonstration, ‘anti-terrorism activists’.

I am bringing a libel action against the CAA for having called me a ‘notorious anti-Semite.’  I am not alone.  If you are Jewish and anti-Zionist then you are almost certain to be defamed by the CAA.  Its list of victims is a lengthy one and includes Israeli Professor Moshe Machover, the late Gerald Kaufman MP, Jackie Walker as well as assorted Palestinians.

I have decided to make a stance against this McCarthyist organisation which pollutes public life and destroys debate and dialogue.  It has borrowed all the techniques of the American political scene where ‘attack ads’ are the standard fare in political life.  The CAA believes that by screaming ‘terrorist’ and ‘anti-Semite’ at anything to do with the Palestinians or anti-Zionism that it can drown out rational discussion and intimidate its opponents into silence.

On the basis of the quote  by Ben Gurion above, Jackie Walker was accused of  exonerating Hitler

The CAA operates according to Goebbel’s maxim that the bigger the lie the more likely it is to be believed.  It particularly specialises in distorting what people say to fit in with their agenda. So when Jackie Walker asked why should Arabs make peace when the Zionists have taken their country and stolen their land the CAA screamed 'anti-semitism. When she then went on to say that anti-Semitism, the Nazis and Hitler had nothing to do with the Palestinians, the CAA pounced.  Jackie Walker was accused of exonerating Hitler of the Holocaust. Indeed she was all but accused of denying that there was a Holocaust. EXCLUSIVE: The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism Accuses Jackie Walker of Holocaust Denial

The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism is racist and Islamaphobic

The only problem was that Jackie Walker  didn’t say this.  She was quoting from a book by the former President of the World Zionist Organisation, Nahum Goldmann, The Jewish Paradox!  Even worse Goldmann was in turn quoting from the first Israeli Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion!  Needless to say this post was quickly pulled but not before it had been widely quoted and copied.

The CAA  launched a vicious attack on the late Sir Gerald Kaufmann when news of his death was announced.  Sir Gerald despite his earlier Zionist politics had been an outspoken Jewish supporter of the Palestinians

Only an organisation that deliberately sets out to distort and mangle what people say, in order to silence any criticism or debate about Zionism could possibly mistake a quote from Ben Gurion for an apologetic for Hitler. Ben Gurion was trying to understand and explain Arab hostility to Zionism from the Arab perspective.  He was trying to put himself in the shoes of the Arabs. The CAA is consistent in refusing to admit or accept that the Palestinians have any case. They are unconcerned with the feelings of Arabs or Palestinians. Arabs are cardboard cut-out terrorists and ‘genocidal  anti-Semites’ (one of their favourite phrases).  In their eyes all Muslims are anti-Semitic (apart from a few tame quislings).

The CAA targeted Malaka Mohammed, a young anti-racist Palestinian at Exeter because she was Palestinian - even the Daily Mail apologised for the CAA's lies

The hall of shame - racists and bigots to a man (including the one woman)

In the past 18 months, the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism has accused me of being a ‘notorious anti-Semite’ five times in retaliation for my initiating a petition to have the Charity Commission deregister them.  Accusations of 'anti-semitism' were made by way of retaliation.

I therefore decided, that we have to put an end to these McCarthyite accusations of anti-Semitism – which are nothing more than a form of political terrorism.  I  launched a libel action earlier this year.  Libel actions however cost money.  An earlier crowdfunding appeal raised £8,722 of which £2,400 was spent paying a barrister to draft the initial Particulars of Claim.  I now need to be able to pay for more legal work and that is why I am relaunching my CAA Libel Appeal.  There is still £6,222 left from the original appeal but given that libel actions can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds my appeal for £15,000 is for the bare bones and nothing more.

Just a few of the CAA's anti-Corbyn headlines

So please give generously to the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism Libel Fund!  This is not for me but for all those campaigners for Palestine who have been accused of ‘anti-Semitism’.

And please sign the petition to deregister the CAA as a charity

Tony Greenstein

Over 5,000 people Sign a Petition saying the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism should not be a charity

It’s time for the Charity Commission to Deregister a Political Rottweiler which libels, smears and destroys individuals who oppose Zionism and support the Palestinians

Some 5,680 people have signed a petition calling on the Charity Commission to deregister the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism.  It brings the whole charity sector into disrepute. There is no discernible public benefit arising from its operation.  It is widely suspected to be funded by the Israeli state as part of its anti-BDS dirty tricks operations.

Extract from JNF lease

In reaction to the Israeli Supreme Court decision that they couldn't refuse to rent to non-Jews the JNF responded saying that 80% of Israeli Jews prefer a Jewish to a democratic state.  The Knesset overturned the ruling in Kadan.

The CAA is chaired by Gideon Falter, who is a Director of JNF UK. The JNF is committed by its constitution to managing land on behalf of Jews only.  It owns and controls 93% of Israeli land.  It is one of the main instruments of apartheid in the State of Israel. It is an openly racist organisation and it is no surprise that Falter is a Director.

The CAA specialises in targeting and bullying vulnerable individuals, smearing and discrediting critics of Zionism, especially Jewish opponents, by taking out of context, distorting and manipulating what they say.  Lies come easily to them. 

Malaka Shwaik Mohammed, a 26 year old Ph. D. Student at Exeter University was an ideal target. Malaka comes from Gaza. She was understandably traumatised by Israel’s blitzkrieg in 2014, Operation Protective Edge, when 66 of her own family and friends were murdered.

The CAA harvested tweets and social media posts by Malakha, in particular one where she said ‘If terrorism means protecting and defending my land, I am so proud to be called terrorist. What an honour for the Palestinians!’ This was enough for Malaka to be described as ‘a terrorist-supporting antisemite.’

Although I wasn’t party to this conversation I imagine that Malakha was accused by a Zionist opponent of being a ‘terrorist’ and she replied that if support for things like the Right of Return and the creation of a democratic rather than a Jewish state meant that she was a terrorist then so be it. That wasn’t an admission that she was either a terrorist or an anti-Semite it was merely a ways of saying that if being a Palestinian meant she was defined as a terrorist then so be it.

Likewise Malakah said that “The shadow of the Holocaust continues to fall over us from the continuous Israeli occupation of Palestine to the election of Trump”.  If Israel claims its foundation was the consequence of the Holocaust then it can hardly complain that its actions are seen as the legacy of the Holocaust.  One would think this would be an uncontroversial statement. 

The CAA falsely claimed that ‘According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is anti-Semitic.’  This is an example of the CAA’s brazen dishonesty.

What they term the ‘International Definition’ of anti-Semitism is the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition, which specifically states that it is ‘non legally binding.’

The actual definition, which is 38 words long, says nothing about drawing comparisons with the Nazis.  The IHRA definition is accompanied by 11 examples of behaviour which it says ‘may serve as illustrations’ of anti-Semitism.  Note the word may.  One of these examples speaks of ‘Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.’

The introduction to the 11 examples of ‘anti-Semitism’ states ‘Contemporary examples of antisemitism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere could, taking into account the overall context, include, but are not limited to:’  and then it gives a list of the 11 examples, 7 of which refer to Israel.

In other words the CAA, by stating that comparisons, regardless of context, between Israel and the Nazis are automatically anti-Semitic are simply lying.  Israelis make comparisons between their opponents and the Nazis regularly. Daniel Blatman, a Holocaust researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, makes just such a comparison between Israel and Nazi Germany in Heading Toward an Israeli Apartheid State .

None of this stopped the CAA smearing and libelling Malaka as an anti-Semite, despite her involvement in anti-fascist and anti-racist mobilisations at Exeter University.  When the Exeter Guild of Undergraduates investigated the CAA’s allegations they were found wanting and she was cleared.  The Daily Express, Mail and other media outlets apologised for taking up the CAA smears. The full story is told here.

The CAA accused Jackie Walker of Holocaust denial before realising that she had only been quoting Israel's fist Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion - the post has since been taken down!

The 'anti-semitic' text that according to the CAA were holocaust denial thus proving Jackie Walker was anti-semitic.  In fact they came from David Ben Gurion!

Possibly the most ludicrous of their vile nasty attacks on individuals came when they accused Jackie Walker of posting texts asking whether Hitler can be blamed for the Holocaust!  On 7^th February 2017 the CAA posted that Jackie Walker has now posted a text on Facebook which asks whether Hitler can be blamed for the the (sic!) Holocaust, and leaves open the possibility that he was justified.

What you may ask did Jackie Walker say? What anti-Semitic inquity?  Well it was a quote from Nahum Goldman, the former President of the World Jewish Congress and the  Zionist Organisation asking why the Arabs should make peace when they were expected to pay the price for Hitler and Auschwitz. It takes a quite malevolent and insidious mind to twist such a quotation into Holocaust denial.  However, given them their due, the CAA has a limitless talent for invention and creative writing.  What made matters worse was that Goldman, in his autobiography A Jewish Paradox was quoting from David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel! Needless to say the CAA quickly pulled the post when they realised their error but it is indicative of their methodology.

The CAA's viciously racist image of a 'typical' Muslim - substitute 'Jew' for 'Muslim' if you have difficulty seeing it

The CAA has dedicated itself to stirring up trouble and conflict between Jews and Muslims.  The CAA is a viciously Islamaphobic organisation.  In the Forward to a pamphlet British Muslims and Anti-Semitism the CAA write:

On every single count, British Muslims were more likely by far than the general British population to hold deeply antisemitic views. It is clear that many British Muslims reserve a special hatred for British Jews, rating Jews much less favourably than people of other religions or no religion, yet astonishingly British Muslims largely do not recognise antisemitism as a major problem.

The CAA also posted a racist image of the archetypal Muslim man, reminiscent of similar cartoons depicting Jews in years gone by.  If someone posted a similar cartoon about a typical Jewish male there would be universal outrage.

If you go to the CAA site there are no less than 200 articles attacking Corbyn.  In a piece entitled J’Accuse, an absurd parody of the anti-racist article that helped ensure the pardon of Alfred Dreyfuss, a Jewish officer in the French army, Gideon Falter wrote explaining why they were calling a demonstration outside the Labour Party HQ.

 “Under Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party has been seized by racists. Jeremy Corbyn is at home amongst them, having spent his political career seeking out and giving his backing to Holocaust deniers, genocidal antisemitic terrorist groups, wild antisemitic conspiracy theorists and a litany of Jew-haters. This is the point of no return: Britain must stand up for its Jewish community against the racists in control of the Labour Party.

Bob Blackman MP - an Islamaphobic CAA patron

The ranting hysteria, the hyperbole and the outright lies would be appear odd if it came from Britain’s fascist fringe.  Even Nick Griffin at his worst would find it difficult to emulate Falter. The suggestion that Corbyn has ‘given his backing to holocaust deniers’ is a lie without a shred of evidence to support it, yet this is a charity with a list of Zionist patrons such as the Islamaphobe Bob Blackman MP. 

I have previously written about how the CAA fiddle and manipulate surveys they commission and how they draw tendentious conclusions such as that nearly half of Britain’s Jews are about to take the boat to Israel.  They have even come under heavy criticism from sections of the British Jewish establishment with their sloppy and unscientific methods with the intent of deliberately stoking up perceptions of anti-Semitism in order to create an atmosphere of fear and tension. 

In the Charity Commission’s Guidance Campaigning and political activity by charities at a glance, there are a number of bullet points that the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism are in breach of.  In particular there is a legal requirement that

political campaigning, or political activity... must be undertaken by a charity only in the context of supporting the delivery of its charitable purposes. Unlike other forms of campaigning, it must not be the continuing and sole activity of the charity’.

The Charity Commission stipulates that

‘in the political arena, a charity must stress its independence and ensure that any involvement it has with political parties is balanced.’

The Charity Commission has, until recently, been Chaired by the Islamaphobe and right-wing bigot William Shawcross. Shawcross was an ex-Director of the cold war Henry Jackson Society and he was reported in the Guardian as having said in 2012 that ‘Europe and Islam is one of the greatest, most terrifying problems of our future”.  The CAA, in response to a petition calling on the Charity Commission to deregister them tried to intimidate Change.org into taking the petition down (they failed!).

The CAA politely ticks of the anti-semitic press for their coverage of George Soros - no hysterical attacks on antisemites or genocidal killers

These newspaper headlines about George Soros the 'puppet master' merited no criticism from the CAA

This has however got to be the beginning of the campaign to remove this political cancer. The CAA needs to be treated as any other racist and fascist organisation. It’s actions against genuinely anti-Semitic individuals are a mask for its real purpose. It pursues individuals like Alison Chabloz, a complete nonentity with severe personality and mental health problems, whilst refraining from criticising any anti-Semitic organisation that is pro-Israel. When the Tory newspapers launched a campaign against George Soros, using the traditional anti-Semitic meme that he was an international Jewish financier who was trying to ensure that Britain remained subject to the control of ‘global interests’, the CAA exonerated them.  It’s headline was: ‘Today’s article in the Daily Telegraph about George Soros’ intervention in British politics is not antisemitic, but editors chose their headline poorly. Yes quite. And its reaction to the Sun’s ‘Puppet Masters’ headline?  There wasn’t one!

What you can do – share this post as widely as possible on social media.  The CAA is at the heart of the false anti-Semitism campaign.  It works closely despite being on the far-Right, with the so-called Jewish Labour Movement. We may need to take legal action to force the Charity Commission to act so people need to know what is at stake. Below is my letter to the Charity Commission.  Please email Ms Grenfell and the Charity Commission at the email addresses below to let them know what you think of their inactivity to date

I have also posted a considerable number of posts on the CAA see!

Campaign Against Anti-Semitism tries to intimidate Change.org to remove Petition criticising them

VICTORY as the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism Fails to Intimidate Change.org into Taking Down Petition

EXCLUSIVE - Lifting the Lid on the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism

EXCLUSIVE: The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism Accuses Jackie Walker of Holocaust Denial

Fake Zionist ‘charity’ Campaign Against Anti-Semitism targets female Palestinian student from Gaza

The Racist 'Campaign Against Anti-Semitism' Fails in its Attempt to cancel Palestine Expo 17

Stirring up hatred – CAA exonerates the far-Right and blames Anti-Zionists and Muslims for anti-Semitism

Fake Charity ‘Campaign Against “AntiSemitism” ’ Attacks Tony Greenstein - Author of Petition to Charity Commission

Bogus Zionist ‘Charity’ Attacks Labour Candidates as ‘Anti-Semitic’

The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism Smears Veteran Israeli Anti-Zionist Professor Moshe Machover

Fake Zionist 'charity' the Campaign Against 'Anti-Semitism' is Supported by Daily Mail

Have They No Shame? Whilst his body is still warm – Fake ‘Anti-Semitism’ Charity Continues to Defame Gerald Kaufmann's Memory

Libel Crowdfunding Appeal to Stop the Campaign Against Antisemitism's Defamatory Attacks Reaches 20%

A Crowdfunding Appeal to sue the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism for Defamation

5,000 people have called on the Charity Commission to Deregister the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism – let’s make it 10,000 by next week

Fake Charity 'Campaign Against Anti-Semitism' Runs Scared that it will lose its 'Charitable' Tax Advantages

More False Allegations of Anti-Semitism - their purpose is to shore up position of Progress MP Peter Kyle

Tony Greenstein

Thursday, 03 May 2018

Jane Grenfell,

Senior Technical Case Manager,

Regulatory Compliance

Charity Commission 

OperationsTaunton@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk, RCCorres1@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk, 

8^th May 2017

20180226 - FAO Mr Greenstein -Campaign Against anti-Semitism CRM:0050736

Dear Ms Grenfell,

Fifteen months ago I submitted a complaint to the Charity Commission concerning the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism [CAA], Charity No. 1163790.  I asked you to launch an investigation into this bogus charity and to derecognise it. To date you have done nothing.

I am therefore writing to you again asking you to deregister this bogus charity.  It’s behaviour has become even more outrageous and it is openly running a campaign to slander and remove the Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn MP.  I enclose a Petition of over five and a half thousand people who are making the same request.

My complaint is a very simple one. The CAA is an overtly political organisation whose principal concern is to label as anti-Semitic supporters of the Palestinians or the opponents of Zionism.  The CAA has not hesitated to smear Jewish anti-Zionists as anti-Semitic whilst turning a blind eye to anti-Semitic supporters of the Israeli state.

There is, for example, not one mention of Tommy Robinson, the anti-Semitic founder of the English Defence League. Robinson is a died in the wool racist who is also a supporter of Zionism.  Contrast this with veteran Israeli anti-Zionist, Professor Moshe Machover who is the target of 7 articles such as the absurd CAA lodges complaints over professor’s support for genocidal antisemitic terrorists.

A cursory look at their website demonstrates where the CAA’s concerns lie.  180 articles attacking Jeremy Corbyn compared to 20 articles supportive. of Theresa May, for example CAA congratulates Theresa May.

Because the CAA is only interested in the ‘anti-Semitism’ of opponents of Zionism there are just 2 posts concerning the British National Party and nothing at all about the English Defence League.

The CAA has however take umbrage at the formation of Jewish Voice for Labour calling it a sham.  Why should the JVL arouse its ire?  Because it isn’t a Zionist organisation.

An example of how the CAA deliberately distorts the message of its opponents is its blatantly false article Jeremy Corbyn’s friend Marc Wadsworth expelled from the Labour Party for accusing Jewish MP of orchestrating media conspiracy. Marc didn’t even know that the MP in question, Ruth Smeeth, was Jewish.  He didn’t accuse her of orchestrating anything. 

The CAA followed up this series of lies with CAA calls for Chris Williamson MP to have the whip withdrawn after he backs expelled activist Marc Wadsworth .  What possible charitable purpose is served by this non-stop diet of personal and polemical attacks on Black and Jewish anti-racists by this so-called charity?

On Sunday 8^th April the CAA called a protest demonstration outside the Labour Party headquarters.  Gideon Falter, the Chair of the CAA was quoted as saying:

“Under Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party has been seized by racists. Jeremy Corbyn is at home amongst them, having spent his political career seeking out and giving his backing to Holocaust deniers, genocidal antisemitic terrorist groups, wild antisemitic conspiracy theorists and a litany of Jew-haters. This is the point of no return: Britain must stand up for its Jewish community against the racists in control of the Labour Party.

How can the Charity Commission possibly accept these continual attacks on the Leader of Britain’s second major party?  To accuse Corbyn of backing holocaust deniers, genocidal anti-Semitic terrorist groups etc. is reminiscent of Nazi propaganda. There isn’t a single word of truth in these vicious lies yet the Charity Commission is like the 3 wise monkeys -it neither sees, says or hears anything. 

If this kind of attack on the Labour Party is allowed to continue then you may as well tear up your Campaigning and political activity guidance for charities (CC9) which states that ‘in the political arena, a charity must stress its independence and ensure that any involvement it has with political parties is balanced.’ 

This kind of demonization owes more to Goebbels than a British charity.  It is unacceptable and I am asking you to revoke their charity registration without further delay.

If the CAA’s charity registration is allowed to continue then virtually any political campaigning organisation, as long as it’s not standing for elections, should be eligible to register as a charity.  The CAA demonstrates its political balance by repeatedly using the phrase ‘racist labour’.  Not once has it applied such a pejorative term to the Conservative Party despite its history of racism from Enoch Powell to the present Windrush scandal.  The CAA has never commented on the Conservative Party’s links with anti-Semitic parties such as Poland’s Law & Justice Party in the European Parliament.  Why?  Because these parties may not like Jews but they love Israel.

The primary purpose of the CAA is not to oppose anti-Semitism per se but to tarnish and smear supporters of the Palestinians and opponents of Zionism as ‘anti-Semitic’. 

In addition to those who have signed the Petition calling on the Charity Commission to deregister the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism I also enclose nearly 1,000 comments which have also been made by the signatories. I look forward to an early and positive response.  In the words of one of the signatories, David Reece of Exeter:

‘Anti-Semitism is abominable. Using false accusations of anti-Semitism to silence legitimate political disagreement is despicable, and should not be tax-exempt.’

It’s a message I expect you and the Charity Commission to take to heart and quickly. You have had enough time.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Greenstein