Sunday 30 January 2011

What Was Shouted At Aaron Porter?

Aaron Porter, president  of the National Union of Students, is a Jew.  The Financial Times reports:

'Mr Porter told NUS members in an e-mail: “Just before the march started, I was surrounded by a particularly vicious minority of protesters more intent on shouting threatening and racist abuse at me rather than focusing on the issues. Instead of standing together and fighting the cuts, they instead chose to pursue me along Manchester’s Oxford Road and drive me away from the start of the march. As a result, under the strong advice of the police, I had to withdraw myself from the rally.”

What  'racist' abuse could be offered to Mr Porter other than 'Jew'?   The efforts of various blogs and media to assert that the words used were '... Tory too...' fail in the face of Mr Porter's clear statement of  being subjected to racist, as well as threatening abuse.  To call someone a Tory  is not  racist.  And this is not the first time that Jews qua Jews have been attacked by representatives of the Left.  Ken Livingstone's appalling assault upon Oliver Finegold has not been forgotten nor Livingstone's refusal to apologise.

The trades unions and the students might choose to look more carefully at those with whom they have made a common front against the 'cuts'.

4 comments:

Elby the Beserk said...

Why did the Guardian change its tune? Initially they reported the Semitic chanting, and then reported only ".... Tory too".

What sort of thinking was behind changing the story? What was intended to be achieved by this?

hatfield girl said...

And if what was chanted was '...tory too..' why were there counter-cries of 'no racism' reported?

In the photographs Aaron Porter looks absolutely appalled - as well he might if he was being treated like Oliver Finegold.

Anonymous said...

http://reallyopenuniversity.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/the-manchester-protest-against-aaron-porter-was-not-anti-semitic/

http://liberalconspiracy.org/2011/01/30/wheres-the-evidence-aaron-porter-was-racially-abused/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFiQ-i7UosM

hatfield girl said...

'Where's the evidence Aaron Porter was racially abused?' Variant,

Mr Porter is reported by the FT to have e-mailed NUS members that "a vicious minority of protesters [were] more intent on shouting threatening and racist abuse at me..".

Though certainly there are lots of rebuttals and 'explanations' in the blogs and media now. Still, presumably Mr Porter isn't being called liar as well.