Bully Alert: A Hooligan and A Charity

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Last Friday , we learned from The Guardian and other news outlets, that a former Tory council candidate and
conservative activist, Joshua Spencer has been charged for violently threatening a Labour MP. On his social media, he alleged to have hired crack heads to beat up Yvette Cooper. He seems to have a problem with her stance on Brexit. Spencer has been sentenced to nine weeks in prison and given a restraining order banning him from contacting Cooper for 10 years.

The photo of Spencer that’s been circulated with this story caught my attention. More specifically, it is the emblem in the lower left corner.  The rainbow star of David is the logo of Together Against Antisemitism, whose .com links directly to Campaign Against Antisemitism.  It got me to thinking what exactly is Jewish solidarity really about?

The CAA pumps the mantras of standing with Jews, united with Jews, justice for Jews, etc. yet, we’ve watched the CAA terrorizing musicians, artists, comedians/satirists, dj’s, music venues, ordinary citizens and most notably Labour Party members and former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Head of Political and Government Investigations at CAA, Joe Glasman, recently made a video boasting how the CAA and its volunteers brought down the Labour Party, or to quote him, “slayed the beast”.  How can the notions of “togetherness” or “unification” apply only to one tiny group?  It’s antithetical to suggest the many must unite behind the one, but the one doesn’t feel obliged to unite with the many.

One must wonder why in the last 4-5 years a tsunami of relentlessly venomous campaigns and even violence has been carried out by the ones who claim to be fighting against these things?  Somehow, either directly or indirectly, these incidents seem to connect back to the CAA. What is it about their philosophy
that attracts hooligans and ardent aggressiveness? And while they claim to seek unification or togetherness, in reality it’s the most blatant separatist agenda I’ve seen. Seeking justice, where virtually no injustice exists, begs the question what is it they really want?

Are we to expect an organization that calls itself a charity, enjoys the benefits of charity status but behaves in a most aggressive, bordering on unlawful, manner to pass without comment? Are we to assume that
the leaders of the charity are permitted to interfere with British politics,  attempt to impoverish
law-abiding citizens and British businesses, or that its supporters act aggressively or threaten to have politicians beaten to a pulp simply because they don’t subscribe to the orthodoxy? Nothing about this logo or philosophy suggests togetherness in universal terms. At the end of the day, if British police are interested in quelling terrorism they better dig into the nature of the association between this hooligan and the bogus charity.

Joshua Spencer, like many of CAA’s supporters, downloaded the rainbow star of David to his social media image with just two clicks. However, the website offers a few wares for purchase, from lapel pins, to t-shirts and hoodies. I’m not sure how this is supposed to stop anti-Jewish sentiment. I get the idea of sharing a message or an aspiration, even selling for profit items that tell the world in what one believes. But I’m figuring if British Jews are dealing with the existential threat the CAA claims it to be, one would want to
get this message out there as quickly and easily as possible. Don’t sell the items, give them away. I suppose I find this a bit interesting due to the fact that Chief Executive of CAA, Gideon Falter, sued Gilad Atzmon for libel a couple of years ago when Atzmon suggested the CAA was using anti-Semitism as a business plan.  I’m guessing they are turning a profit, or at least trying to, by offering for sale fashion items promoting their business.  Call me crazy but it sounds like a business plan to me.