London, June 29, 2020
StandWithUs UK condemns the #BlackLivesMatterUK (BLM UK) Twitter account for posting that “mainstream British politics is gagged of the right to critique Zionism”. This is an oft-repeated antisemitic lie which is used to silence Jews and discourage them from speaking out against antisemitism.
Anti-racism is at the core of our mission at StandWithUs UK. Whilst the StandWithUs Centre for Combating Antisemitism was established to confront bigotry against the Jewish people, we are also guided by a broader vision of a world free of racism and all forms of hate. As such, we unequivocally agree that Black lives matter and support the cause of justice and equality for Black communities.
Unfortunately, we must make distinctions between these values and specific organisations and individuals who use the platform of BLM to spread narrow anti-Israel and antisemitic political agendas.
The BLM UK Twitter account followed its antisemitic post with a series of spurious tweets promoting misinformation. At such a sensitive and volatile time, promoting these lies is both disappointing and dangerous. Radical antisemitic and anti-Israel groups are working hard to exploit the pain of Black communities. Linking this pain to an unrelated and destructive propaganda campaign can only fuel more conflict and more hatred.
StandWithUs UK Executive Director, Sara Sherrard, said: “We stand against racism and discrimination. The fact is – you cannot fight hate with hate. The posts published by the BLM UK Twitter account are incendiary and should be rejected by all those who genuinely seek to fight racism in this country and beyond.”
StandWithUs is an international, non-partisan education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism. StandWithUs empowers and energizes students and communities with leadership training and educational programs on hundreds of college campuses, high schools, and middle schools. StandWithUs informs through social media, print and digital materials, films, weekly newsletters, and missions to Israel. StandWithUs takes legal action through the StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization has chapters and offices throughout the U.S., Israel, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Australia. More at www.standwithus.com.
