The Observer reports today:
A close ally of Nick Griffin, leader of the British National party, has been forced to withdraw from speaking at a London conference in support of Palestine amid mounting fury from anti-fascist groups.
Several politicians due to speak at the conference, organised by the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), were alarmed to learn the background of fellow speaker Krisztina Morvai, a Hungarian MEP and leader of the far-right Jobbik party in the European parliament.
…
Labour MP Neil Gerrard pulled out of next month’s PRC conference after learning of Morvai’s background. The Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Tonge, independent MP and former Labour minister Clare Short, and Daud Abdullah, deputy secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, who are all due to speak at the event, were also alerted about Morvai’s role in Jobbik.The conference is promoted by the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza. A spokesman for the campaign confirmed that Morvai’s invitation had been withdrawn following protests. “We did not want to get into trouble, so we decided to exclude her,” he said. “We want the conference to be about raising awareness about Palestine.”
Having secured the support of one of Europe’s most notorious fascists for their conference, it is nice that these Hamas supporters are so candid about their reasons for dropping her.
Indeed, had Nothing British About the BNP had not got them ‘into trouble’ for, you know, linking up with a neo Nazi, they’d have happily ushered her onto the platform with Clare Short and the Liberal Democrats’ Baroness Tonge.
Of course, the immediate reaction of the Palestine Return Centre was to insist that no such invitation had been issued. Unfortunately, Morvai’s office confirmed that she had been so invited. The PRC rushed around trying to cover its tracks, but Google tells the truth of the matter:
Many high profile personalities have agreed to join and there are more to confirm. The following is a list of those already confirmed:
• Claire Short- British MP
• Baroness Jenny Tonge- Former British MP
• Professor Norman Finkelstein- American Political Scientist and Author
• Ambassador Khalil Makkawi – head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee
• Dr Daud Abdullah- Expert on Palestinian issue and Deputy Secretary General of the MCB
• Dr Bashir Nafi- Lecturer
• Rachel Rudolf – Professor in Political Science
• Sami Mashasha – UNRWA Spokesperson
• Ali Huwaidi – Director of Palestinian Organization for the Right of Return “Thabit” in Beirut
• Tariq Hamoud – Director of Palestinian Return Community “WAJEB” in Syria
• Wajih Azayiza – Jordanian representative of Palestinian Refugees
• Ali Mustafa – Representative of Palestinian refugees in Host countries
• Nadeem Shehadeh- Representative of Palestinian refugees in Host countries
• Kristina Morvai – Lawyer, Human Rights Lecturer and Member of European Parliament
• Anicee Van Engeland – Professor of Human Rights Law
Having been caught out, the PRC resorted to making comic threats against Nothing British. They have kindly shared with me an email which they received from Mr Sameh Habeeb of the PRC:
Nothing British’s recommendations
We believe it would be a terrible mistake for you to attend the PRC conference and to share a platform with homophobes, anti-Semites, racists and Islamists whose values are inimical to the gentle British values of tolerance, fair-play and respect for one another. This is very harmful paragraph. It destroys our renowned reputation that we have built over the years. Why didn’t you mention that NORMAN Frankstineine who is Jew is participating? This shows how unprofessional and bias you are.
URGENT REQUEST FROM PRC:
To avoid any problems and to avoid legal action we request the following:
1- Immediate removal of the article you are putting up.
2- Stopping the campaigning of Sabotage against PRC.
3- We ask you to commit the ethic of Journalism in writing your news.
4- We request you present your article in a very professional way without attacking us since you don’t have the right. That’s not journalism but unprofessionalism.
We are sorry if we take any legal actions against you and your website due to the false accusations in case we got no response to the above request.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Yeah, NORMAN Frankstineine the Jew. I think they might mean Finkelstein but, hey.
As things stand, Baroness Tonge will appear on the platform of an organisation which planned to put on a conference with a neo Nazi, and which employs Daud Abdullah, who signed the Istanbul Declaration which threatened attacks on ‘foreign Navies’ supporting the Gaza ceasefire, shortly after the Prime Minister had offered the support of the Royal Navy for just such a purpose.
Nick Clegg – take control of your party and rein in Baroness Tonge.