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British pol is beaten by man in Israeli army t-shirt, and the chattering classes are silent

The outspoken British member of Parliament George Galloway was set upon in London on Friday afternoon by a supporter of Israel evidently enraged by Galloway’s sharp criticisms of the country.  On Russia Today, Anissa Naouai interviews him and wonders why his beating has not drawn more attention.

Galloway says that his assailant wore an IDF t-shirt and was “shouting support for Israel and opposition to my views on Israel” as he unleashed a “torrent of punches and kicks.” Galloway says that the man posted on his Facebook page that he wanted to cut George Galloway’s throat. The attack is “unprecedented in recent times.” MPs have not been savagely attacked in this way.

Is the lack of response from fellow MPs an indication of the Israel lobby’s power?

It is something quite serious. It has been remarked on… by a Conservative writer Peter Oborne…. If this can happen to Galloway, it can happen to anybody.

Here is that Oborne column saying that a similar attack from a fanatic on the other side would have resulted in a national outcry. “Why the silence over the assault on George Galloway?” and an excerpt:

There is something very disturbing about the response to this event by the mainstream British political establishment. Mr Galloway has received no public message of sympathy from a single MP from any party – nothing from Speaker Bercow, from the Prime Minister, or from any of the other elected political leader.

I know that Mr Galloway is a very controversial figure and that many people, for honourable reasons, disagree very strongly with his views. Yet that is irrelevant. The attack on Mr Galloway is beyond doubt an attack on British democracy itself…

Had an MP been attacked by some pro-Palestinian fanatic for his support of Israel, I guess there would have been a national outcry and rightly so.

Back to the RT interview. Naouai quotes Galloway saying, We don’t want Israelis to come to Bradford (his district in Yorkshire), and asks whether his anathema on Israelis is anti-Semitic.

The word Jew never crossed my lips, would never cross my lips.

Zionism has nothing to do with Judaism, Galloway says. Ilan Pappe is on my side.

What about Hamas, do they bear responsibility? Naouai asks.

Well the Palestinian resistance has for almost 70 years been trying to restore their country to the map. It was wiped off the map…. Nobody would accept that. You wouldn’t accept that. Mycountry wouldnt’ accept that… You’re gong to struggle to return, and it is the legal and moral right of the Palestinian people to resist the occupation of their country.

The Israeli opposition to apartheid?

Though they are the bravest people on the earth the opposition to the apartheid system in Israel are very very small in number.

(I keep saying that the violence will come to our shores. Not an eventuality I’m hopeful about. But when US pols turn against Israel we can expect the rage here too.)

Thanks to Scott McConnell. 

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Yes, it’s coming to our shores.

The reaction to the rage you expect would be overwhelming and not very kind

Galloway is a mensch.

What is this “religiously aggravated assault” charge? This is attempted murder and a hate crime, isn’t it? (the thug wrote that he wanted to cut his throat and then hunted him down and viciously attacked him!) Galloway has made his thoughts well known about Israeli actions and Palestinian rights, never about ‘Jews’. Is this more official endorsement of the “Jewish- only state”?

As for the government and other MPs– they quite obviously are heavily dosed with Ziocaine and paid shekels for their silence in this particular situation and crime. (And many others by and for Israel.)

The word Jew never crossed my lips, would never cross my lips.

No, but he meant Israeli Jews. I don’t think Galloway wouldn’t want any Palestinians living inside Israel to feel unwelcomed, we all know who he meant. He was weasel-wording his way through that interview.

That being said, any violence whatsoever is despicable. It’s as simple as that.

Thanks for this report Phil. Galloway one of my heroes. His commitment to justice is impenetrable. His decades long awareness and witness to the crimes committed against Palestinians and brave actions to put a halt to Israel’s crimes has been steadfast.

If a pro Israel individual had been beaten this way in the U.K. it would be all over the media. Thanks for the heads up.

Yesterday (Monday) watched C-Span’s coverage of the Canadian parliament discussing recent events etc. One member after the next brought up Israel’s recent slaughter in the Gaza. Cameron, Gerald Kaufman, Jeremy Corbyn. Cameron was surprisingly outspoken. More members (did not get all of their names) demanding that Canadian weapons sales etc to Israel be halted. Israel’s “land grab” “land theft” in the West Bank brought up over and over again. How terribly counter productive Israel’s actions continue to be.

Too bad U.S. Rep’s continue to refuse to apply such independent and factual thinking to U.S. policies towards Israel.