This is in part because Jeremy Corbyn’s base is Trump-like in its intensity and support. Any revelation about Corbyn, even if there is video footage of him making disgusting, racist comments, is waved away.
But it is also because the language being employed by Jeremy Corbyn’s base is becoming ever more sinister, channelling one of the oldest and foulest antisemitic tropes.
In the last 24 hours, I have seen a number of examples of this, but I would like to highlight three in particular – the first from a rank and file Corbyn supporter, the second from a far-left Corbynite blog, and the third from one of the few Jewish people Corbynites like to support, because he echoes their views.
The rank and file Corbyn supporter is unnamed, but is on Twitter as @nipperbaker and describes themselves as a “senior charge nurse in A&E”. Four days ago they tweeted the following to a Jewish twitter user:
“Before I block you I will say that if Jews like yourself get Jeremy unseated, with Jeremy so popular and you get us subjected to more Tory rule, the so-called antisemitism you think you see now will be nothing to what you will see.”
The far-left Corbynite blog is called VoxPoliticalOnline. Yesterday it published a falsehood-riddled piece titled “Jewish MPs who whipped up fake ‘antisemitism’ claims against Labour want bodyguards for party conference.”
It showed a picture of Luciana Berger, the Jewish Labour MP who has received torrential amounts of antisemitic abuse from both the far-right and the far-left.
The picture was captioned as follows: “Luciana Berger: Is the reason she needs a bodyguard the fact that she lied about her leader?”
The blog goes on to say (bold type in the original): “You reap what you sow, I suppose.
“And for the fanatics who started the false claims of antisemitism against Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters in the Labour Party, this is either an unintended consequence or a by-product that supports them.
“I’m saying that, by raising false and easily-disproved allegations of antisemitism, they have actually increased the danger of antisemitic attacks on Jewish MPs.
“Or they have created the fear of such attacks.
“Or, at least, they have made it possible for Jewish Labour MPs to claim they fear such attacks.”
It is hard to find something more poisonous than this, but let us try. Because now we come to Norman Finkelstein.
Mr Finkelstein is Jewish, but for Corbynites, he is one of the few “good Jews”, being, as he is, a fanatical anti-Zionist who tells them exactly what they want to hear.
Last night, Mr Finkelstein had this to say:
“The attacks on Jeremy Corbyn are increasingly desperate and shrill. As erstwhile supporters of his join in the crucifixion, I am reminded of this song.”
Mr Finkelstein then linked to a song about Jesus. And just in case it was unclear, he also spelled out one particular lyric from the song - “A Dirty Little Coward Named Judas Iscariot Laid Jesus Christ in His Grave”.
Why do I feel so tired? So helpless? Because I can see, clear as day, the narrative which is being set out.
Corbyn has been positioned as a Christ-like figure. Free of all sin, ready to heal the world. Except that, as with Jesus, the Jews are once again here to prevent the coming of the “Messiah”.
So, either way, the Jewish community loses. If Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister, the Jewish community in this country will suffer.
But if Jeremy Corbyn does not become Prime Minister, the far-left are already positioning the UK Jewish community as the scapegoat. The numerous cases of very real antisemitism in Labour are being dismissed as “fake”, while simultaneously being set up as the reason for why hatred will be targeted at us in the future.
It’s the mirror image of the far-right refrain that “the Holocaust didn’t happen, but you Jews deserve it now because you have used the guilt people have over it to control the world.”
We have no other option but to keep fighting, however. To keep calling out the examples of antisemitism we see from Mr Corbyn and a number of his followers.
However tired I am. However tired we all are. We will keep fighting.
