Britain’s Sky News channel, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox company, has used the self confessed ‘prejudiced’ Mira Bar-Hillel as a talking head and authority on the subject of anti-Semitism.
Bar-Hillel, who is known for her irrational loathing of the State of Israel, was featured on Sky News as a panellist discussing the rise of anti-Semitism in the UK.
The author and commentator has form on the subject, and once wrote (emphasis added):
“The Jews of today scare me and I find it almost impossible to talk to most of them, including relatives. Any criticism of the policies of Israel – including the disgraceful treatment of Holocaust survivors as well as refugees from murderous regimes – is regarded as treason and/or anti-Semitism. Most papers and journals will not even publish articles on the subject for fear of a Jewish backlash. Goyim (gentiles) are often treated with ill-concealed contempt, yet the Jews are always the victims. Am I prejudiced against Jews? Alas, yes.”
Yet one of Britain’s largest broadcasters found it appropriate to host Bar-Hillel on the subject, who immediately tried to deny anti-Semitism would rise, then went on to immediately contradict herself and say that it might happen but wouldn’t be violent.
Critics have noted that Bar-Hillel admitted to holding the British Jewry accountable for Israel’s actions – an anti-Semitic trope in itself under the EUMC’s Working Definition on Anti-Semitism, i.e. holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.
Bar-Hillel then went on to awkwardly attack the former Conservative Party MP and now Sun newspaper columnist (also Murdoch-owned) Louise Mensch for daring to label her as anti-Semitic, though indeed Bar-Hillel has admitted the anti-Jewish prejudice herself.
She went on to say, “I’m beginning to think that being titled an anti-Semite is actually a huge liberation because now I can actually… you know… what else can they do to me?
“…the threat of saying ‘we’ll label you an anti-Semite’ is not the end of the world. And maybe people labelled anti-Semites should get together and stand up for free speech”.
The media watchdog CIFWatch also noted of the appearance: “…note that in a Sky News program about antisemitism, they didn’t seek the expertise of The CST (the British charity tasked with protecting Jews against antisemitism), or any official body which actually represents UK Jews, but, rather, a marginal commentator who has admitted to not being part of the Jewish community. If, for instance, they would have asked representatives from The CST, they would have provided data demonstrating that antisemitism has indeed increased in the UK since the beginning of the war.”
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