Have we become frogs in the water

In 1933, about 600,000 Jews lived in Germany, less than one percent of the total population. Most Jews in Germany were proud to be Germans, citizens of a country that had produced many great poets, writers, musicians, and artists. More than 100,000 German Jews had served in the German army during World War l and many were decorated for bravery.

Jews held important positions in government and taught in Germany's renowned universities. Of the 38 Nobel Prizes won by German writers and scientists between 1905 and 1936, 14 went to Jews. Marriage between Jews and non-Jews was becoming more common. Although German Jews continued to encounter some discrimination in their social lives and professional careers, many were confident of their future as Germans. They spoke the German language and regarded Germany as their home.

On 1st April 1933, the Nazis announced their boycott of Jewish businesses and professionals. Sturmabteilung, or SA, officers stood outside Jewish-owned businesses, intimidating them, and signs were posted that read, “The Jews are our misfortune” and “Don’t buy from Jews.”

The boycott was both a reprisal and an act of revenge against  Greuelpropaganda (atrocity stories) that German and foreign Jews, assisted by foreign journalists, were allegedly circulating in the international press to damage Nazi Germany's reputation. Germans to shame non-Jews who continued to patronise Jewish businesses. While the boycott lasted only a few days, it marked the beginning of the systematic targeting and discrimination of Jews in Nazi Germany.

The boycott was a countermeasure to an appeal from Jewish organisations in the United States to boycott German products. They wanted to protest against the mistreatment and discrimination of Jews in Germany. The boycott in Germany was not a great success. Many Germans did not care much, one way or the other, and the foreign press condemned the action. It was still an important moment in the development of anti-Jewish measures, though. 

For the first time, the Nazis showed clearly that they wanted to make life impossible for the Jews. Although the national boycott operation, organized by local Nazi party chiefs, lasted only one day and was ignored by many individual Germans who continued to shop in Jewish-owned stores, it marked the beginning of a nationwide campaign by the Nazi Party against the entire German Jewish population. 

A week later, the government passed a law restricting employment in the civil service to "Aryans." Jewish government workers, including teachers in public schools and universities, were fired. 

The modern day bpycott and the 'New' Neo-Nazism

A little over 90 years later Jewish companies and companies willing to sell Israeli products or have premises in Israel again face a boycott. Nothing has changed. Violent SS and SA troopers in their black or brown uniforms have been replaced by thuggish pro-Palestinian keffiyeh wearing neo Nazi-like bigots, who damage property, commit vandalism or, more dangerously and shamelessly threaten Jews or pro-Israel supporters.

Don't believe me? How about a pro-Palestinian rally held in the USA on 14th December, 2023 in front of Townhouse, an upscale restaurant and bar in downtown Detroit, led its owner to contact law enforcement and increase security. In social media posts, people reported hearing  one speaker say: "How many kids did you kill today?.There are dozens, if not hundreds more examples I could have offered.

Meanwhile in the UK and Europe it is no better - take the protest against Miznon Notting Hill restaurant in London, the gang attack on HaMakom cafe in Leipzig on Wednesday, the unionization against New York City Bread's Bakery participation in Israeli events, and the closure of the Tantura restaurant in Lisbon. All caused by violent extremists, these new neo-"Nazis". eager to perpetuate their inheritance of threat fand violence against Jews.

The illegitimacy of the BDS Movement

Of course, the BDS movement is in very large part at the heart at this antisemitic campaign and justify their campaign by comparing their "cause" to the fight to overthrow South African apartheid, but even a cursory glance shows overwhelmingly an absence of integrity in the BDS Movement  Take a few of the following examples:

Elbit Systems (Bristol, UK): The most prominent target is Elbit's facility near Bristol. In August 2024, protesters used a van as a battering ram to enter the site, causing approximately £1 million ($1.4 million) in damage, including smashing equipment and spraying red paint.

Other Defence Targets: Activists have targeted Thalesn Glasgow and Instro Precision in Kent. Blockades have also been organized at companies like Eaton Mission Systems in Dorset

Meanwhile in the USA:

Restaurants and Retail: The Philadelphia-based falafel shop Goldie was targeted by protestors over its owner's donations to an Israeli ambulance service. Similarly, Philadelphia restaurant Laser Wolf faced protests, and other Middle Eastern food businesses, such as New York City’s Ayat reported receiving abusive calls and negative reviews.

Defence Contractors: Companies supplying military equipment to Israel, such as Lockheed Martin (which produces F-35I fighter jets), have faced protests from groups demanding a halt to arms sales.

Tech and Financial Firms: Major U.S. tech firms including Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Meta have been accused by activists of supporting Israeli government activities through cloud computing and AI technology. Activists have also targeted financial institutions like Citibank or alleged financial links to Israeli security operations.

Israeli-Linked Manufacturers: Agilite an Israeli tactical gear manufacturer with U.S. retail locations, was flagged for advertising its products' use by the Israeli military in Gaza.

Political Comment

In short, the evidence is clear - we are like frogs in the water (drop a frog in hot water and it will  jump out, but put it in cold water slowly and heat it up then the frog will stay until it perishes) and nobody is helping us. In the US the view appears to be that Europe has fallen but we (ie America) are safe.. Are you? Look at the data and you will see your situation is as bad - businesses boycotted or vandalised, visible Jewish people attacked  and synagogues vulnerable to arson attacks or worse, shootings. You are no different,

Meanwhile in the UK and most of Europe things are far from good and there isn't a single political leader standing in our defence - look at Starmer, Macron or Pedro Sanchez. Like Europe of 1933 they are only concerned for themselves. Remember, Jews didn't start facing persecution when the Final Solution was enacted, it happened years before - and barely a soul said anything - much like today.

So what should we do? For many aliyah is a perfect solution, but after some thought it is not an option I will choose and it's not because of a lack of love for Israel. It is because until my last breath I intend to stay and fight. I will not be silent about what is happening, I will shout from the tallest rooftop and expose the dishonesty amongst our enemies; it is because I will face the pro-Pallies head on and attack their vile antisemitic and neo-Nazi rhetoric and show it for what it is; I will face and expose their shameful deceit in the passionate belief that truth and honesty will eventually prevail - and if I fail, I will be able to face those who might judge me and say at least I tried.

Chag Pesach Sameach.

Welcome - I am back!!

First, and before I go any further, thanks for visiting my blog – I hope you’ll find it informative and interest you enough to make you want to come back. As I sued to 10 years ago, at the bottom of all my posts, I’ll leave space for you to comment, or ask questions on any of the topics, so feel free to participate in any way you feel appropriate. Most of my posts will be about fascism past and present as well as the far-right in the UK and some of my opinions won’t meet with everyone’s approval, particularly if you are, or have been a supporter of a British far-right, fascist or neo-Nazi group – so be warned. I’m not setting out to offend people, but equally, I think it would be dishonest if I tried to pretend that I have no opinion on the matter. I do (I would describe myself as anti-fascist) and with this in mind, you need to know that discussion and different views will always be welcomed, but any offensive comments directed directly towards me or any contributors will be deleted and repeat offenders will be blocked from making further comments.

Harsh I know, but I want this to be a safe space for moderate and liberal people to speak freely and without fear of being abused.

As for me, I first became “interested” in the far-right as a teenager and watched with interest and concern as groups like the National Front, National Party and British National Party grew and then faded away into near oblivion. It didn’t take very long for me to move from being a student sitting on the side-lines into becoming an activist and one of the early members of the Anti-Nazi League (ANL) in the South-West of England. As the years went by and the clashes between the far-right and ‘anti-fascist became fewer, I returned to being a student (albeit informally) as I was particularly interested in understanding their history and political ideology. In all this I was fired by a single question – ‘How could ultra-nationalist, anti-democratic ‘political soldiers’ attract support after all the misery and horror of the Second World War’?

I never really found an answer.

But what I did notice was that over the years, I heard liberals, left-wingers and ‘anti-fascists’ call their opponents “fascist”, “Nazi”, “far-right”, or “neo-Nazi” without regard for whether these labels were accurate. As I listened, it seemed most of the people were using these terms as abuse rather than with any concern for accurate political labelling. So, Margaret Thatcher became a “Nazi” with no evidence she was antisemitic (yes, that is how it should be spelt!) and Tony Blair was a ‘fascist’ because of his action against Saddam Hussein. Then, as this labelling became more common the power behind the words started to wane, until finally two mates drinking in a pub arguing about their local club football match might end up calling each other ‘fascist’, almost as an amiable (but with no offence meant) slur.

So, I decided to resurrect this blog, but this time I. I wanted to define these terms and see if others were also concerned about how we are watering down our language by using terms like ‘Nazi’. In all of this, I wanted to rediscover:

What is fascism?

What is Nazism?

What is neo-Nazism?

What do we really mean by the ‘far-right?’

With this as a foundation, I began to set about the task and as I did, I realised that it was impossible to discuss these terms without looking into the history of British and European fascism. So, it became clear that another aspect of this blog would be to go on to explore the nature and history of the far right in Britain tracing its roots from about the start of the twentieth century and following through to the present day. As part of this, it became clear to me that it was essential to look at the people behind these groups and how their views made them into some of the most hated people of their time.

I hope you agree it’s an exciting project and I look forward to sharing it with you.