Pro-Israel figures have been trying to defend or downplay the Nazi salute of world’s richest man Elon Musk. And in some cases, this flies completely in the face of their previous desperate attempts to smear lifelong anti-racist Jeremy Corbyn as an antisemite.
Legendary Jewish academic David Graeber described the weaponisation of antisemitism accusations against Corbyn when he led the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020 as “so cynical and irresponsible that I genuinely believe it to be a form of antisemitism in itself”. Award-winning Israeli journalist Gideon Levy, meanwhile, stressed that Corbyn had faced a “systematic campaign” against him for ‘daring to criticise’ Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine.
Musk case study #1: pro-Israel propagandist Angela Epstein
Countless genocide experts have called Israel’s brutal assault on Palestinians in Gaza since 2023 a genocide. But a couple of months into the settler-colonial power’s atrocities, pro-Israel propagandist Angela Epstein targeted Corbyn for calling them out. She said his concerned comments for human rights “vile” and untruthful, before saying they would increase antisemitism. And for good measure, she added “Corbyn is a friend of Hamas”.
Vile, unfounded observation which will inflame antisemitism whilst having no base in the truth . But then Corbyn is a friend of Hamas. And to think Keir Starmer once campaigned for this man to be PM… pic.twitter.com/L5H1ZVF5Z3
— Angela Epstein (@adepstein1) December 4, 2023
But this genocide apologism was far from her first attempt to smear Corbyn. Back in 2019, for example, she tweeted:
When referring to Jeffrey Epstein ( NO relation), during TV debate Corbyn pronounced his surname ‘ Epschtein ‘as if to emphasise his Jewishness. Disgusted by anti Semitic way Labour leader bastardised my surname, as I write in today’s Mail.#Antisemitism
This ridiculous effort to smear Corbyn as antisemitic because he didn’t pronounce someone’s name correctly was a real ‘scraping the barrel’ moment for Corbyn’s opponents. As the son of a Holocaust survivor, Andrew Feinstein would later ask:
What does it say about our politics, our public life and, crucially, our media that Jeremy Corbyn was criticised more for the way in which he pronounced Jeffrey Epstein’s name than scrutiny is being given to the fact that Keir Starmer’s leadership is being advised by one of Jeff Epstein’s mates?
What’s truly absurd is that propagandists sought to pick up on anything they thought they could sell as a critique of Corbyn and a reason why Jewish people should be afraid, but don’t have the dignity to do the same with their own ideological bedfellows. Because when billionaire Elon Musk did three Nazi salutes in quick succession this week, Angela Epstein sought to defend him. In an almost enthusiastic fashion, she appeared on LBC suggesting Musk was just an “excitable boy in the playground” and that:
he was so excitable that his hand sprung out
And she added:
I didn’t feel offended by it.
'I didn't feel offended and there's an awful lot to be offended by when you're Jewish.'
Journalist @adepstein1 argues that Elon Musk's gesture was likely because he was 'so excitable'. pic.twitter.com/QlYgl1bZgT
— LBC (@LBC) January 21, 2025
So she felt outrage at a lifelong campaigner against antisemitism pronouncing a criminal’s name incorrectly, but no offence when a far-right billionaire did a few of Nazi salutes. In short, she is not a serious person. She’s just a cynical propagandist.
Case study #2: the ADL
As the Canary previously reported, the pro-Israel lobbyists at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) shamelessly defended Musk‘s Nazi salutes. This was probably in large part because, like most other multi-billionaires, Musk supports Israel. It said he had:
made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute
And it argued that “all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt”.
However, when it came to Corbyn, the ADL had previously said his leadership of the Labour Party “provides the clearest example of how antisemitic rhetoric surrounding Israel and Zionism and other forms of antisemitism were tolerated within a major political party”. It also absurdly insisted that “an antisemite became the leader of a major party and created a welcome space for antisemitism. Had he become Prime Minister, the British Jewish community would have been suffered a major blow”. The lifelong anti-racist campaigner Corbyn, then, received none of the “grace” or “benefit of the doubt” that the ADL now wants us to give to Musk.
If the ADL had been an honest commentator, it would have seen that antisemitism in Britain was an issue, but certainly not a type of discrimination that Corbyn caused or welcomed. Because after becoming Labour leader, the veteran anti-racist took firm action against the very small amounts of racism within the Labour Party, apologising profusely for any that existed.
Former Labour general secretary and Corbyn ally Jennie Formby, meanwhile, outlined in detail the “serious and extensive work” the party had done to stamp out antisemitism in particular. And numerous high-profile Jewish figures openly supported Corbyn in this fight and accused his right-wing opponents of ‘weaponising’ allegations of antisemitism to try and undermine his popularity. There was also weaponisation within the party, with strong right-wing efforts to undermine Corbyn revealed in the Labour Leaks scandal. The report further exposed racism and discrimination targeting Corbyn allies, and attempts to pressure Formby into numerous controversial suspensions of left-wingers.
So the ADL felt less comfortable with someone taking firm action to reduce antisemitism than with a billionaire who’s actively seeking to bolster the far right around the world. In short, the ADL is not a serious organisation.
It’s just another propagandist for Israel – like Angela Epstein is.
Featured image via the Canary
