By Gilad Atzmon

Corbyn’s closest buddies (Jewdas and Jon Lansman’s Momentum) were crushed last Friday. Their desperate call to picket my concerts fell on deaf ears. Jewdas members weren’t convinced, they didn’t make it to the picket ground, while Momentum members were actually very upset. They’ve started to gather that Momentum isn’t at all what it promised to be: it is dedicated to the suppression of Labour’s grassroots rather than advocating for its true needs.

I believe that the time is ripe to share the grossly duplicitous email sent to Hackney’s Mayor, Councillors and Labour Politicians including MP Diane Abbot by one Jewish activist Justin Brett.

A year ago, Brett was caught on camera fabricating quotes of mine in front of the Vortex jazz club.

https://youtu.be/TKMITv5ZPdw

But this humiliating expose wasn’t enough to stop Mr. Brett from repeating the same mistake. I assume that the lack of elementary dignity is a form of liberation.

You may notice that in his email (below) to Hackney Councillors on March 4th, Justin Brett didn’t identify as ‘Jewdas,’ he introduced himself as “a non party aligned Jewish community activist.” Back on March 4th, Brett wasn’t a member of the ‘Alternative Diaspora’ either. He was actually an Israel- firster complaining about yours truly using the stage “to deliver his political musings …a lot of which focuses on the Israel, Zionism and array of conspiracy nonsense.”

Needless to mention that none of Brett’s claims carry any truth. My band and myself are one of Britain’s leading jazz acts. My concerts have never been used as a political platform as I am not a politically affiliated person. I indeed rally for Palestine, human rights and against Neocon wars but I do all of that through my art.

The Hackney Gazette reported that Brett’s email didn’t attract any reaction amongst Labour Councillors and MPs, it only drew “two responses.” Seemingly the Labour Councillors pretty much ignored the mass circuited emails. They couldn’t be bothered less by a ‘non party aligned Jewish community activist.’ I guess that this is when Justin Brett morphed from a ‘Zionist’ into a member of the Labour-affiliated ‘Jewdas.’ The reaction was immediate. Momentum jumped on the bandwagon. Philip Glanville (Mayor of Hackney) was quick to write an email to the Jazz club. The delusional Owen Jones may have thought that calling Atzmon a ‘Nazi apologist’ could boost his popularity within the Zionist circles. When none of that worked, the compromised as well desperate Labour council sent the police to the club. If terror is defined as achieving a political goal by means of fear, it seems as this is Labour’s favourite pastime.

Maybe the Zionists are right, that Labour is indeed ‘anti-Semitic after all.’ It is only willing to take the risk of self-humiliation picketing a jazz club and calling a leading artist a ‘Nazi’ for Corbyn’s Seder Dinner buddies, but it didn’t move a finger when such a call was delivered by “a non party aligned Jewish community activist.”

Justin Brett’s email:

From: <justin_l_brett@XXXXX.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2019 at 17:46
Subject: URGENT - Antisemitic performer at Dalston Vortex Jazz Venue 15th March 2019
To: mayor@hackney.gov.uk <mayor@hackney.gov.uk>, kam.adams@hackney.gov.uk <kam.adams@hackney.gov.uk>, Soraya.Adejare@Hackney.gov.uk <Soraya.Adejare@hackney.gov.uk>, Brian.bell@hackney.gov.uk <Brian.bell@hackney.gov.uk>, polly.billington@hackney.gov.uk <polly.billington@hackney.gov.uk>, Anntoinette.Bramble@Hackney.gov.uk <Anntoinette.Bramble@hackney.gov.uk>, Jon.Burke@Hackney.gov.uk <Jon.Burke@hackney.gov.uk>, Sophie.Cameron@Hackney.gov.uk <Sophie.Cameron@hackney.gov.uk>, Robert.chapman@hackney.gov.uk <Robert.chapman@hackney.gov.uk>, ajay.chauhan@hackney.gov.uk <ajay.chauhan@hackney.gov.uk>, Mete.Coban@Hackney.gov.uk <Mete.Coban@hackney.gov.uk>, feryal.demirci@hackney.gov.uk <feryal.demirci@hackney.gov.uk>, michael.desmond@hackney.gov.uk <michael.desmond@hackney.gov.uk>, Sade.Etti@Hackney.gov.uk <Sade.Etti@hackney.gov.uk>, Susan.FajanaThomas@Hackney.gov.uk<Susan.FajanaThomas@hackney.gov.uk>, Humaira.garasia@hackney.gov.uk <Humaira.garasia@hackney.gov.uk>, Margaret.Gordon@Hackney.gov.uk <Margaret.Gordon@hackney.gov.uk>, michelle.gregory@hackney.gov.uk <michelle.gregory@hackney.gov.uk>, katie.hanson@hackney.gov.uk <katie.hanson@hackney.gov.uk>, ben.hayhurst@hackney.gov.uk <ben.hayhurst@hackney.gov.uk>, Ned.Hercock@Hackney.gov.uk <Ned.Hercock@hackney.gov.uk>, clare.joseph@hackney.gov.uk <clare.joseph@hackney.gov.uk>, christopher.kennedy@hackney.gov.uk <christopher.kennedy@hackney.gov.uk>, aron.klein@hackney.gov.uk <aron.klein@hackney.gov.uk>, michael.levy@hackney.gov.uk <michael.levy@hackney.gov.uk>, richard.lufkin@hackney.gov.uk <richard.lufkin@hackney.gov.uk>, anna.lynch@hackney.gov.uk <anna.lynch@hackney.gov.uk>, yvonne.maxwell@hackney.gov.uk <yvonne.maxwell@hackney.gov.uk>, clayeon.mckenzie@hackney.gov.uk <clayeon.mckenzie@hackney.gov.uk>, anthony.mcmahon@hackney.gov.uk <anthony.mcmahon@hackney.gov.uk>, Sem.moema@hackney.gov.uk <Sem.moema@hackney.gov.uk>, guy.nicholson@hackney.gov.uk <guy.nicholson@hackney.gov.uk>, Harvey.Odze@Hackney.gov.uk <Harvey.Odze@hackney.gov.uk>, deniz.oguzkanli@hackney.gov.uk <deniz.oguzkanli@hackney.gov.uk>, MCan.Ozsen@Hackney.gov.uk <MCan.Ozsen@hackney.gov.uk>, sam.pallis@hackney.gov.uk <sam.pallis@hackney.gov.uk>, benzion.papier@hackney.gov.uk <benzion.papier@hackney.gov.uk>, sharon.patrick@hackney.gov.uk <sharon.patrick@hackney.gov.uk>, James.Peters@Hackney.gov.uk <James.Peters@hackney.gov.uk>, emma.plouviez@hackney.gov.uk <emma.plouviez@hackney.gov.uk>, Clare.potter@hackney.gov.uk <Clare.potter@hackney.gov.uk>, steve.race@hackney.gov.uk <steve.race@hackney.gov.uk>, Tom.Rahilly@Hackney.gov.uk <Tom.Rahilly@hackney.gov.uk>, Ian.Rathbone@hackney.gov.uk <Ian.Rathbone@hackney.gov.uk>, Rebecca.Rennison@Hackney.gov.uk <Rebecca.Rennison@hackney.gov.uk>, Anna-Joy.Rickard@Hackney.gov.uk <Anna-Joy.Rickard@hackney.gov.uk>, Caroline.Selman@Hackney.gov.uk<Caroline.Selman@hackney.gov.uk>, Nick.Sharman@Hackney.gov.uk <Nick.Sharman@hackney.gov.uk>, gilbert.smyth@hackney.gov.uk <gilbert.smyth@hackney.gov.uk>, Peter.Snell@Hackney.gov.uk<Peter.Snell@hackney.gov.uk>, patrick.spence@hackney.gov.uk <patrick.spence@hackney.gov.uk>, simche.steinberger@hackney.gov.uk <simche.steinberger@hackney.gov.uk>, vincent.stops@hackney.gov.uk<vincent.stops@hackney.gov.uk>, jessica.webb@hackney.gov.uk <jessica.webb@hackney.gov.uk>, carole.williams@hackney.gov.uk <carole.williams@hackney.gov.uk>, caroline.woodley@hackney.gov.uk<caroline.woodley@hackney.gov.uk>, penny.wrout@hackney.gov.uk <penny.wrout@hackney.gov.uk>
Cc: diane.abbott.office@parliament.uk <diane.abbott.office@parliament.uk>, meghilliermp@parliament.uk <meghilliermp@parliament.uk>

Dear Councillors (and MP's CC'd)

Please accept my apologies for the mass e-mail, but this is an urgent call out in relation to the notorious Gilad Atzmon being continually supported to hold a platform and perform at Dalston's Vortext Jazz Club. on the 15th March http://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/event/gilad-atzmon-and-the-orient-house-ensemble-second-night/

I am a non party aligned Jewish community activist, I was a resident in Hackney for over 10 years before moving to South London for work in November

I think Gilad and his reputation need no explanation, you might recall a Labour MP recently getting into hot water for tweeting support to Gilad after his removal from a Blockheads gig at Islington Assembly Rooms. Gilad is a uniting figure across party lines and political divides, by that I mean he has no support from either right or left wing activist groups, Palestinian solidarity campaigns disassociated from him many years ago and likewise so did most of the left, he is left now with a broad church of cranks and garners the support of neo-nazi's including David Duke of KKK fame.

Gilad if he was to leave his politics at the stage door, would probably not generate any interest in his musical career from those that oppose him, however he uses the stage half to play his saxophone and half to deliver his political musings / ramblings and promote his books which contain meandering pseudo socio-political guff, a lot of which focuses on the Israel, Zionism and array of conspiracy nonsense.

A year and a half ago, (http://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/event/gilad-atzmonsaul-rubin/) a small group of us protested outside his gig at Vortex, tried to engage with the staff, trustees and funders of the venue to gain comment and ask for disassociation, but met with a cacophony of silence, we were able to convince a number of ticket holders to boycott the gig (they were unaware of who Gilad was outside of his music) (I believe that there is Youtube footage of the demo taken by Gilad's supporters and him speaking / preaching on stage that evening. He was due to play another gig the day before this one at the Crypt in Camberwell but upon receiving the news of his appearance from myself, the Diocese of Southwark, immediately got the gig pulled (they own the venue) this was an excellent piece of cross community work, and we were very thankful to them for it.

We are currently discussing a new protest, it's clear from our previous interactions from Vortex that they will continue to support Gilad, despite the facts, despite the requests from both Jewish and Palestinian activists.

We are hoping that you as Councillors in the borough, might have some sway either through work or personal connections to the Vortex and could make urgent enquiries to get this hate monger removed from the bill.

Hackney as well you know is a beacon for multiculturalism and tolerance, it's a vibrant and caring community where people from many different communities live cheek by jowl with minimum issues, it's home to a huge Jewish community and large community of Muslims, I was always heartened by how well these communities interacted and supported one another. in short Hackney and it's music venues are no place for the kind of ill thought out hate and antisemitism that the likes of Gilad and crank followers espouse.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this, I look forward to hearing from you

I have contacted and am waiting to hear back from the Hackney Gazette and will be reaching out to national press

Regards

Justin Brett