The
Independent
London, Monday, August 3,
1998
"Anti-Semitic"
letter referred to DPP BY LOUISE
JURY Jewish leaders are calling for the
leading British supporter of controversial
black leader Louis Farrakhan to be
prosecuted over a letter they claim is
anti-Semitic. They have referred to the Director of
Public Prosecutions a letter from Paul
Twino of Operation Farrakhan. Mr Farrakhan, who is based in America,
has been accused of anti-Semitism and is
currently banned from Britain for his
outspoken views. In the letter, to Jack Straw,
the Home Secretary, Mr Twino accused the
Government of kowtowing to "your Hebraic
puppeteers". He said the American leader had been
vilified by "that loathsome and slanderous
generation of Talmudic vipers known to the
broad public as the Board
of Deputies". "With insolence unparalleled, the Jews
have been shameless in their mutilation of
his utterances. The absurdity of the false
allegations levelled against the
Honourable Minister Louis Farrakhan has
been outweighed only by their sheer
vindictiveness." | 2. The letter, sent to Mr Straw on 10 July
and copied to the Board of Deputies of
British Jews and many MPs, concluded: "I
wish to forewarn you that if the exclusion
order is not terminated, this nation will
face demonstrations that will make the
Drumcree donnybrook look like a stroll in
a playpen." Neville Nagler, director general
of the Board of Deputies, which represents
the Jewish community in Britain, said the
language was "consistently offensive and
insulting". "It is highly abusive towards Jewish
people and has many passages which reflect
the writer's hatred towards members of our
community. It might incite followers of
the Nation of Islam to hatred against
Jews." The board thinks the letter breaches
the 1986 Public Order Act, which states it
is an offence to use abuse or insulting
words to stir up racial hatred. A spokeswoman for the Director of
Public Prosecutions said they had received
the letter and were considering it. Paul Twino said he thought his
characterisation of the Board of Deputies
was justified in the context. The board had criticised Mr Farrakhan
on the basis of comments taken out of
context from the minister's speeches. Mr Twino said: "I didn't mean to offend
anyone. But I would be more than happy to
defend in a public forum or at court what
I wrote." He said the exclusion was unjustified
and they would continue to fight to have
it lifted. |
write to David Irving