Mick Hartley

Jewish Guardian journalists speak to the JC after that Jonathan Liew article:

The Guardian has since issued a correction to the piece, removing the “petty symbolism” remark in order, it claimed, to avoid “misunderstanding”, as well as “clarifying” that his comment about “aggression” was “meant to refer to the described fears about the chain’s impact on small traders”.

However, speaking to the JC on condition of anonymity, one Jewish staff member said: “Jonathan Liew’s article is a classic case of progressive antisemitism. God knows how many editors had to read the piece and agree with it, as they have their entire worldview shaped by anti-Zionism. The subsequent explanation is gaslighting. It’s disgusting.”

Another added: “This hasn’t told me anything about The Guardian that I didn’t already know/suspect.

“The article would have been seen by at least five different pairs of eyes before launch, so I think it just shows how accepted these views are within the organisation.”

And a third accused the paper’s senior editors of “gaslighting” Jewish employees and readers over the issue.

“Especially since October 7 dozens of articles have appeared in The Guardian that have similarly demonised Jews and Israelis, and that have whitewashed, justified and even celebrated the openly racist targeting of Jews by antisemites under the guise of anti-Zionism,” they told the JC.

“All internal and public pleadings of Jews with the editor have fallen on deaf ears: These kinds of pieces keep dropping, and various writers of such articles have since been promoted by Kath Viner.

“One can therefore only conclude that these aren’t unfortunate editorial errors of judgment that have slipped through the net and which the editor regrets, but rather that these pieces are part of a deliberate, full-throated campaign aimed at further isolating and demonising Jews and Israelis.”

Not a lapse, then, but Guardian policy. What they reaaly think. They just got caught out this time.