So says the JC:
The JC has learned that the Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, is fighting a lone battle within Whitehall to prevent Mr Moussawi’s admission to speak at a conference at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies on March 23.
The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, is thought to be willing to admit the former head of political programming at the antisemitic Al Manar television station.
Last week, Ms Smith told the JC that antisemitism was a key factor in determining exclusions.
No other Cabinet minister has, the JC understands, sided with Ms Blears, and the Hizbollah propagandist is to be granted a visa.
Ms Blears is believed to have argued that allowing preachers of hate into the country does not promote good community relations and that allowing him to speak in Britain would directly contravene the resolutions of the London Declaration on Combating Antisemitism, which she signed two weeks ago together with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Foreign Secretary David Miliband, and Ms Smith. Signatories to the declaration agreed to “speak out against antisemitism” and isolate those who “engage in hate against Jews”.
The Prime Minister has refused to back Ms Blears either in private or public. When the JC contacted 10 Downing Street for the Prime Minister’s view, it was told to “speak to the Home Office”.
The Home Office refused to comment on an individual case.
What is this crap?
In what way does a Government ‘combat antisemitism’, by admitting – and not even condemning – a man who works for a terrorist organisation that has killed Jews – not simply Israelis – all over the world? A man whose job description, as a media executive for Hezbollah’s tv station and newspaper, is “whipping up hatred against Jews”?
This is the government that so proudly banned Wilders, whose Fitna took the views of Moussawi and his ilk, and implied that they were shared by all Muslims. The Government wasn’t quite so silent about that, was it?
But Moussawi is a different case. He represents a constituency of racists and terrorists that is prepared to bomb, and riot and incite hatred.
And, so it seems, he must be appeased.
UPDATE
From Lebanon, there has been strong opposition from the World Council of the Cedars Revolution:
We have an enormous respect for Great Britain’s continued support for the protection and preservation of democracies such as that of Lebanon. However, we are extremely concerned at your recent announcement that you are considering or have decided to open dialogue with the very terrorist militia which has caused untold damage to the lives of many Lebanese over decades and to innocent people in many spots around the world, including in Iraq and Argentina.
Are you aware of the pain and suffering this decision has already caused and will continue to cause to millions of people simply by announcing the possibility of opening dialogue with that terrorist militia Hezbollah?
Can you imagine the hurt, the despair and the feeling of betrayal by the families of over thousands of victims who were killed in the defense of their sovereignty, independence and democratic freedoms at the hands of Hezbollah’s evil sponsors the Syrian and Iranian regimes in Lebanon? Already Hezbollah tramples upon their memory, their graves and their legitimate right to honorable recognition of their martyrdom.
I know exactly how they must feel.
