Left anti-semitism

The question of Israel-Palestine conflict is one of the most prominent in current world events. Nowhere more so, it seems, than on the far left, where action and stance taken on this issue often takes centre stage in the activity and political education of many a young militant.

The question of anti-Semitism and indeed of ‘left’ anti-Semitism is far older than the Holocaust and the establishment of Israel;

When capitalism and imperialism were first developing many confused and backward reactions to the new power of big finance conflated a stunted and reactionary form of ‘anti-capitalism’ with older anti-Semitic mythology. Indeed the first Immigration controls in Britain, the 1904 Aliens Act, specifically targeted against Jews fleeing persecution is Eastern Europe, was supported by the large portion of the British labour movement and even the Marxist Left.

Merseyside Workers’ Liberty are hosting a discussion to explore whether this kind of ideology has seeped into those whose entirely correct instincts are to to side with the Palestinians against the brutal Israeli occupation of West Bank and Gaza and their historic displacement since 1948, and discussing the influence of British imperialism, the Stalinist bloc, and Islamism and what we mean by ‘Zionism’ and ‘anti-Zionism’. Most importantly, we will discuss how we can practically fight for a viable and equitable settlement.

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/336096039764286/?context=create