By Andrew L. Jaffee

While the Mohammed cartoons are widely described as an “unforgivable insult” by the mainstream media, Reuters calls anti-Semitic comments by London’s Mayor “feisty.” Britain’s Jews haven’t gone on a rampage of killing and burning, despite Mayor Livingstone’s refusal to apologize. The outrageous double-standard continues. Here’s what the mayor of a city of 8 million people said, from Fox:

The mayor had told the panel that he had not meant to offend the Jewish community when he asked Evening Standard reporter Oliver Finegold whether he had been a “German war criminal.”

Finegold, who had approached the mayor for comment after a reception for the gay and lesbian community in February, replied that he was Jewish.

Livingstone told the reporter he was “just like a concentration camp guard. You’re just doing it because you’re paid to, aren’t you?” He referred to Finegold’s employer as “a load of scumbags and reactionary bigots.”

Au contraire, I believe the mayor did mean to offend, as anti-Semitism has become common parlance among European/American/Leftist elites. They just hide their hatred by explaining, “I’m not anti-Semitic, I’m anti-Zionist.” Other forms of discrimination are common — as long as the bigotry is aimed in a politically correct direction, or the person making the comments has the correct political affiliation (or ethnicity).

A few weeks ago, Muslim protestors in London carried placards which stated, “Massacre those who insult Islam;” “Europe you will pay, your 9/11 will come;” “Behead those who insult Islam;” “Be prepared for the real Holocaust;” and “Butcher those who mock Islam.”

Democratic Senator Robert Byrd once belonged to the KKK and used the term “white nigger” on national television. Anti-European-American, racist comments have been enshrined in a monument erected with taxpayer money in Baldwin Park, California. Kamau Kambon, visiting professor at North Carolina State University, called for the elimination of all white people on the planet. U of Colorado prof Ward Churchill labeled 9/11 victims as “Nazis.” Harry Belafonte referred to Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell as “Uncle Toms.” And Howard Dean quipped that African Americans are only good for the dirty jobs as “hotel staff.”

What? No riots? In fact, none of those involved in the above-mentioned incidents have been censured in any meaningful way.

On the other hand, Trent Lott had to resign his position as U.S. Senate Majority Leader for less innocuous comments made in December 2002.

Livingstone is facing some consequences. He

…has been suspended from office on full pay for four weeks for comparing a Jewish journalist to a concentration camp guard.

The Adjudication Panel for England ruled Ken Livingstone had brought his office into disrepute when he acted in an “unnecessarily insensitive” manner.

I personally am not shilling for the suspension of any publicly-elected official, no matter what he/she says, and I don’t live in the UK. My purpose is to point out the double-standard of reactions to “offensive” messages.

The UK’s Green Party has termed the Mayor’s punishment as a “hysterical over-reaction.” Were they so kind to Flemming Rose? I doubt it.

Strange. Jews and Arabs are both Semites, but it seems that anti-Semitism against Jews is acceptable while similar hatred against Arabs/Muslims is not. More generally, and to quote Orwell, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

---

---

Related: Europe, Political Correctness

---