Tony Greenstein Expelled from the Labour Party – Good Riddance.
The Tendance is not in favour of any witch-hunts.
The Tendance does not see, however, why on earth Tony Greenstein wants to be a member of the Labour Party, why he should be allowed to join or keep his card.
The clue is in the response from Greenstein, and the reference to “noxious behaviour” in the Daily Mirror article.
Those who know the background are aware that Greenstein has harassed a large number of people, for a variety of alleged reasons, not always over the issue of Israel and Palestine. They include long-standing office holders and lay figures in the labour movement.
Anybody wishing to see something of Greenstein in action can see on the blog you are now reading.
This concerns only his style of argument, not the kind of close up obsessional intimidation he is so so often accused of.
“Reply to Bogdanor 8.9.14.
I had previously said that I wouldn’t respond to further replies from Bogdanor and his side-kick Ezra. However, now that I have some time, it would be churlish to avoid pointing out how our kosher fascist, in the absence of any coherent argument, insists on continuing to behave like a jaded holocaust denier.”31.8.2014.
I have posted a full response to the lies, deceptions and misattributions of Ezra and in particular Bogdanor, a vicious anti-Communist whose political position places him on the fascist map. Any further response from these 2 clowns will be ignored.
There is a lot, a lot, more.
The recent ruling (9th of January) by District Judge Susan Brown in Brighton merits a mention in this context, (Brighton and Hove News).
Apart from anything else, “The hearing – organised by Labour’s National Constitutional Committee – was given a copy of extracts from a recent county court judgment when Mr Greenstein unsuccessfully sought information held about him by the party using the Data Protection Act.
The judge described Mr Greenstein as “demonstrably intelligent” and “a highly controversial figure”.” (Brighton and Hove News.)
That is not the half of it….
On Greenstein, at the time engaged in one of his numerous court cases, this time about the Labour Party’s expulsion process, she said,
“It is important to say something about the applicant. He is demonstrably intelligent and has engaged in this process in an articulate and detailed way. He is also a highly controversial figure.
..
“This court deals with a wide variety of litigant. The applicant quickly brands a query as to why a claim form was not issued as being an allegation of fraud which viewed reasonably it was not.
“He alleges that only a ‘fool or a knave’ would interpret one of his comments in the way the respondent submits which is an emotive comment.
“Whilst he claims to be viewed out of context he has within document repeatedly used language which is offensive in any context – ‘racist Zios’, ‘fascist scum’ to give just two small examples.
“I do not underestimate the complexity of the applicant’s views but his views and the strength with which he expresses them is something the respondent is reasonable in taking into account in providing third party information.”
This is how Greenstein reacted:
Racists Celebrate as the Labour Right and the Zionists Gets Their First Victim.
This is the Mirror:
Tony Greenstein, who describes himself as an anti-Zionist, had his membership revoked on Sunday.
Labour activist Tony Greenstein has been expelled from the party over allegations of antisemitism.
The Brighton-based member was suspended in 2016 and a disciplinary hearing into his conduct was delayed until January for health reasons.
HuffPost UK understands the charges against him related to abusive online behaviour, including the use of the word “Zio”.
A Labour spokesperson confirmed on Sunday that the party’s National Constitutional Committee had found him guilty on three counts of breaching its rulebook.They added: “The NCC of the Labour Party has today found that all three charges of a breach of the Labour Party’s rule 2.1.8 by Tony Greenstein have been found proved.
“The NCC consequently determined that the sanction for the breach of Labour Party rules will be expelled from membership.“The Labour Party will make no further comment on this matter.”
Party rules state that no Labour member should engage in conduct which “might reasonably be seen to demonstrate hostility or prejudice based on age; disability; gender reassignment or identity; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; or sexual orientation”.
Greenstein is vice-chair of the Labour Against the Witchhunt group, which challenges the suspension of hard-left party members.
A spokesperson for the Jewish Labour Movement said: “We welcome the decision by the Labour Party to expel Tony Greenstein.
“His continued membership is at complete odds with our collective values of solidarity, tolerance and respect.
“Deliberately harassing, intimidatory and hateful language of the kind Tony Greenstein has continually used has no place inside the Labour movement.
“Despite the unacceptably long time it has taken to reach this conclusion, we are heartened that the party has sent out a clear message on this today.
“We will continue to press the party to deal firmly and swiftly with antisemitism including the high number of cases that are still waiting to be resolved.”
From Labour Against the Witch-hunt there are protests.
That is their right.
They are marred by this ridiculous sentence,
It is shameful that anti-Semitism has been cynically weaponised by the right-wing to purge Labour of Corbyn supporters, while much more prevalent anti-black racism and, until Jeremy Corbyn spoke out against it, Islamophobia, have been ignored by the party.
Whatever.
Tendance Coatesy 
Greenstein supporters in mass moblisation:
Andrew Coates
February 19, 2018 at 4:33 pm
If Mt Greenstein was a new, raw, recruit to our ranks, there might be grounds for excusing his use of the term “Zio” and his repeated comparisons between people who defend Israel’s right to exist, with Nazis, and his sexist denunciations of women. But this stupid, ignorant, objectionable piece of shit has been around for years. Surely the Labour Party has the right to chuck him out?
Jim Denham
February 19, 2018 at 10:00 pm
Goodbye to bad rubbish but why was he given so much space when he and the people around him are few and insignificant?
Dave Roberts
February 19, 2018 at 11:13 pm
Given that Greenstein has been chucked out rf resigned (the last one was from Left Unity) from a long list of left groups, most people would assume that joining Labour was a stunt, much in the line with the Weekly Worker’s recent activities.
But as Jim says, the scale of his obnoxiousness alone is enough to merit this action.
Unfortunately Dave, this has been given wider publicity. Witness the fact that Ken Loach spoke on the same platform as him for the LAW campaign.
Andrew Coates
February 20, 2018 at 1:29 pm
[…] Tony Greenstein Expelled from the Labour Party – Good Riddance. […]
Signs of the times – “An object of scorn and ridicule” – Belgian Ecclesia Brussel – Leuven
February 20, 2018 at 3:34 pm
I see Jim has got hold of the Labour Party document which outlines the charges against Greenstein,
National Constitutional Committee,
Skeleton Argument, about his “abusive behaviour” (that is the least of it!).
It is very heavy stuff and would bring into question anybody defending this individual:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pqDOysXUuYujuCoUBmGz3C1lVfe2iFkK/view
Andrew Coates
February 20, 2018 at 3:43 pm
Paras 24 & 25 nail it
Boleyn Ali
February 20, 2018 at 4:51 pm
It is quite a thorough document isn’t it?
The ‘racist whore”Janus faced whore’ ‘gay zionists want to make me puke” are perhaps no surprise to anybody who’s had dealings with Monster Raving, though the causal sexism of his verbal assault on the ‘girl’ Ms Rose, ‘monkeys’ and the list on 105 are strong stuff indeed..
Andrew Coates
February 20, 2018 at 5:45 pm
It sure is, and if that is Counsels “skeleton” the papers must be voluminous.
Boleyn Ali
February 20, 2018 at 8:44 pm
Also v important ahead of what the MRGP and others will soon say; the skeleton demonstrates Counsel fulfilling a brief – get him expelled – and NOT a detailed political consideration of the finer detail surrounding definitions of anti Semitism. He is going to say “I wasn’t expelled for AS but for being a bit rude at times” and whilst this is obviously nonsense, the above point needs to be made. A skilled barrister went for the jugular in a tribunal and NOT to achieve a rounded political assessment of the MRGP programme. (Which is anti Semitic)
Boleyn Ali
February 20, 2018 at 10:50 pm
I think it’s worth considering a union/workplace analogy.
You can run a campaign, even maybe win a strike ballot, if someone has been sacked and trade unionists in the workplace feel he/she has been picked on, unfairly treated, victimised for trade union activities, etc., etc.
But if someone gets sacked for a ‘legit’ reason, then there’s usually no chance of running a campaign. Unfortunately, that’s also often the case when the ‘legit’ reason is a cover for the real reason: he’s a good bloke, and management’s always had it in for him – it’s just a pity he left himself wide open by coming into work under the influence and taking a swing at his manager.
If someone behaved in the workplace in the way in which Greenstein has behaved on social media, the average trade unionist would be 100% behind his dismissal. They would not go out on a limb for someone who denounces his female workplace colleagues as racist whores and Zio bitches, and who spent his ‘leisure hours’ tweeting abuse about workplace colleagues.
And supposing you were Mr Greenstein’s union rep at his disciplinary hearing?
I think you would say: Your behaviour has been indefensible. As a trade union rep I cannot defend it. My role here today is really just to ensure that the correct procedures are followed and that the appropriate penalty is implemented. And a lot of members out there don’t think I should be providing you with any help at all, especially the ones you’ve been abusing for the past 30 years. The truth is that you are very likely to get sacked. I don’t like people getting sacked. I don’t like managers having the power to sack people. But if you are to have any chance of not getting sacked, you’ll need to show contrition, promise to mend your ways, turn over a new leaf, apologise profusely to all the people you have offended, agree to facilitated conciliation meetings, etc., etc.
Then you go into the disciplinary hearing with your member, Mr Greenstein, and he says that the women workers really are racist whores and Zio bitches, calls the hearing manager Zio scum, and denounces the threat to sack him as part of a Zionist conspiracy run by Israel and the US to drive union militants out of the workplace.
I think you’d call for an adjournment and tell Mr Greenstein to fuck off.
Jim Denham
February 21, 2018 at 1:56 am
Very well put Jim and spot on.
Andrew Coates
February 21, 2018 at 1:26 pm
In fairness, the union/workplace analogy was not an original thought from me, but someone else’s idea that I’ve “borrowed”, as I thought it entirely apposite.
Jim Denham
February 21, 2018 at 6:14 pm
Yes,
Have you see this, fresh from the Vogon archives?
Morning Star.
We Are Delighted To Announce
We Are Delighted to Announce
for Tony Greenstein
The first execution of a man convicted
of using inappropriate language — far too many
exclamation marks and block capitals — to tell
what we realise is ninety-nine per cent the truth,
has been successfully carried out.
And it was surprisingly clean.
Bloodless as an office team-building session held
in a hotel specially built to mop up the overspill
from the booming funeral parlour next door.
The screeching was confined to
a few pseudonymous moderates
post-coitally whispering the hope
that this legally implemented death
not be the last of its kind.
We must be sure and include
our least favourite black woman, the Irish,
and, at a minimum, one more Hebrew
in the commonsense cleansing we envisage.
KEVIN HIGGINSTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/we-are-delighted-announce#.Wo3mELoknuE.facebook
Andrew Coates
February 22, 2018 at 12:56 pm
You Couldn’t Make It Up Department:
The ‘Morning Star’ has published a poem in honour of Tony Greenstein:
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/we-are-delighted-announce
Jim Denham
February 22, 2018 at 12:56 pm
Just talking about it.
Opinion is that “The screeching was confined to
a few pseudonymous moderates
post-coitally whispering the hope
that this legally implemented death
not be the last of its kind.”
could be a good scenario for the next Mad Max movie.
Andrew Coates
February 22, 2018 at 1:00 pm
He’s been expelled for being mouthy. Yes, he’s the type of idiot who throws around words like “racist” and “fascist” and “Nazi” with abandon. But then there’s a lot of idiots like that including among Greenstein’s detractors. What we’re seeing here is the art of the political insult being outlawed. Nobody seriously considers the term “Zio” to be racist in its own right. It’s just a twitter-age political pejorative. The term “Trotskyite” is a pejorative term associated with Stalinism, however obnoxious or “offensive” the term might be nobody thinks it is racist. Nor does the argument that the term “Zio” is used by antisemites as euphemism for “Jew” hold any water. It may be the case but it is very obscure and the same people are only abbreviating their already existing euphemism of “Zionist” which has been deemed kosher. Greenstein’s use and intent are clearly not antisemitic although they maybe consider to be subjectively “offensive”. But then causing offense is the whole point of political pejoratives.
As for abusive comments online we have some abuse in the comments section to this article. Nobody bats an eyelid. And nobody should either. It’s not bullying, it’s not harassment. If you’re involved in politics you need to get a thicker skin.
Eric
February 24, 2018 at 9:08 pm
[…] antisemitism” is to intervene in those discussions, siding with cranks like Gerry Downing and Tony Greenstein and against those who want to neutralise those […]
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