Yesterday, it was reported that a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office diplomat and Middle East expert, had delivered a disturbing and racist “Fucking Jews” diatribe in a gym. Unable to quieten Rowan Laxton down, staff called the police, who arrested him.
He is still in post.
This story is significant, because it indicates that at least one senior British advisor holds profoundly anti-semitic views.
Only seventeen stories have been written about this event. They are as follows:
– The Atlantic (Jeffrey Goldberg’s blog)
– Haaretz
– The Times
– The Australian
– Fox News
– Jewish Telegraphic Agency
– Ynet
– Jerusalem Post
– Haaretz (again)
– Digitaljournal.com
– The Telegraph
– Metro
– Press TV (where he is arrested for “criticising Israel”)
– Arutz Sheva
– First Post
– This is London
– Spectator (Melanie Phillips Blog)
It hasn’t been picked up by any of the news wires.
Nor has it been reported in any organ of the liberal press, including the Guardian and the BBC.
UPDATE
Sid at Pickled Politics gets it spot on:
I think this is far more serious than Carol Thatcher’s “golliwog” comment.
When discussions on PP turns to matters in Zimbabwe, as they sometimes do, I am yet to hear anyone making a comment on the lines of “Mugabe, that fucking n****r!”. And if there were, I am pretty sure that the outrage would be universal and correct from commenters across the board, as it should be. But it is now commonplace to see racist material against Israeli leaders or Jewish people whenever the discussion has turned to the I/P affair, as it often has in the last 2 months.
Most readers of this blog would be moved to posting angrily in response to any comment which made abhorrent and aggressive racist remarks such as “pakis”, “muslims”, “wogs” or indeed any racial slur aimed at any community or race.
If this senior British diplomat were working for foreign policy in the Gulf States, and happened to rant apoplectically in a gym about “fucking pakis, fucking wogs”, there is no doubt in my mind that readers of this blog would want the man given his marching orders.
The universal reaction on PP to this scumbag should be EXACTLY the same.
The comments on Sid’s article were bizarre and disturbing. I don’t blame him for “pruning”: although you really do have to see the reaction to believe it.
Largely, they consisted of Muslims questioning Sid’s level of religious observance.
Sunny, on Liberal Conspiracy, is also very clear in his condemnation.
