The press watchdog, Ipso, has ruled that publications are entitled to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide despite there being no such legal ruling and the risk of the term fuelling antisemitism. The Telegraph has the story.
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) rejected a complaint from a member of the public about the term being used as a statement of fact in a newspaper article.
Ipso said it was “not in a position to adjudicate on the actions of Israel”, even though the UK Government had been clear that genocide was not being committed.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism described the Ipso ruling as “laughable”.
Jewish groups have repeatedly complained about the use of the word “genocide” in connection with the war in Gaza, saying it is not only inaccurate and offensive but also fuels antisemitism and insults the memory of those who died in the Holocaust.
A complaint was made against the Scottish newspaper the National, which ran a story in October last year headlined: ’27 UK MPs visited Israel during Gaza genocide – see the full list.’
The complainant said it was inaccurate to report that a genocide had been perpetrated by Israel, which was stated as a fact in the headline. The only legal body mandated to make such a finding was the International Court of Justice, which had made no such ruling.
However, Ipso decided the article was inaccurate only because 28 MPs, not 27, had visited Israel during the period in question.
On the use of the term genocide, Ipso’s complaints committee ruled: “The committee noted that, at the time it considered the complaint, the International Court of Justice was in the process of considering allegations of genocide brought against Israel…
“The committee was not in a position to adjudicate on the actions of Israel – this included determining whether or not Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. Absent a legal ruling to this effect, the committee was not in a position to determine whether the article was inaccurate, misleading or distorted on this point.”
A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This decision is laughable. Ipso has taken enormous care over a single mistaken digit, but expresses no opinion on whether an accusation as substantial as genocide needs to be grounded in fact.
“Do people still not understand that repeatedly asserting that the Jewish state has committed genocide – when no independent and competent judicial body has made such a determination – contributes to the environment of hostility towards Jewish people?
“Ipso joins other regulators up and down the country who have failed to grasp what is going on in Britain today and are failing to live up to the Prime Minister’s exhortation that everyone urgently recognise their responsibility to do their part to confront the causes of antisemitism.”
The ICJ was first asked to rule on whether Israel was guilty of genocide in December 2023. Various countries have made written interventions in the years since, and a final ruling is yet to be made.
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What a shame we have idiots in almost every Quango.
Here are two historic pictures – one of war and the other genocide.
i think this is semantics, genocide yes or no. but are we saying that if it’s not ‘classified’ as genocide (because it can trigger antisemitism) then what the israelis are doing in gaza (and in south lebanon and in the west bank) is ok? Just the fact that there is a debate or a doubt whether it is genocide or not tells us of the utter indiscriminate and unjustifiable violence in the territory of Gaza.
we are talking about the sensitivities of people supporting Israel territory expansion instead of focussing on the real action and substance of what is going in the terrain. This argument is simply ridiculous. I’m afraid the time for this type of rhetoric IS OVER.
A genocide is a deliberate attempt to eliminate a race/tribe.
Israel is at war with, but is not attempting to eliminate, the Palestinians.
So Ipso are happy to cause more jewish attacks/deaths by perpetuating lies, they should be prosecuted, they are like this Gov, muslim appeasers.
They’re faring well, though, considering. I think this marathon must be sponsored by Nutella;
”Palestinians take part in a MARATHON despite claims of a ‘genocide’ and ‘famine.’ Thousands of Palestinians took part in races in both Bethlehem and Gaza.”
https://x.com/OliLondonTV/status/2053005044430389738
Coming to an HMO near you very soon….I think these people should have no problems assimilating into our culture, personally;
”Muslim families bring their CHILDREN to watch a gay man thrown off a rooftop to his death under Sharia Law. (The man is thrown from the roof at second 27 of the video, but the impact is not shown as it is too graphic.)”
https://x.com/GAZAWOOD1/status/2049865306294591823
I’m guessing the video is from Afghanistan, in which case the Taliban might be slightly more humane than the first time they were in power. Back then the punishment for homosexuality was to be buried alive under a wall that had been pushed onto the victim by a tank.
Always amazes me how a culture so opposed to homosexuality manages to give the green light to having sex with boys, though. Pakistan is a prime example. I reckon there’s an awful lot of repressed homosexuals in such countries, which manifests as extreme homophobia resulting in horrific human rights abuses.
If you’ve not seen it, this documentary about the young boys living on the streets in Pakistan, how they’re targeted and sexually exploited is grim viewing. Eye-opening in a shocking kind of way. Men who’ve completely normalized sexually abusing boys but all of them seem to not be gay;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l7i0SSo6BU&t=2s
I worked with a guy from Pakistan who was normal like us. He had served his time in military service and having sex with boys was quite common because of the restriction of access to women.
When men get sent down for long stretches in prison, what do they do when there’s no access to women there? And most will be straight going in there, but do they remain so? This is the question. So there’s never any excuse for raping boys. Why aren’t those grown men having sex with each other, then? Then at least they could give consent. They’re just predatory, degenerate pigs who are legitimizing paedophilia by preying on vulnerable kids, because ‘no access to women’ doesn’t cut it, as if sexually abusing boys for kicks is somehow inevitable and these men are mere animals who can’t control themselves. Bullshit.
It’s normalised in the places where these people live, because it’s difficult to suppress the male sexual urge completely and there are no young white girls there to abuse.
Maybe they should research how the Buddhist monks and Catholic priests manage it. They aren’t animals, they can control themselves, they just choose not to because they’re degenerate perverts. Hence why they also go after the poor goats.
I don’t know about the monks, but Catholic priests were and are notorious for not controlling themselves.
The problem in these primitive cultures has continued for many generations and the result is it has become normalised.
I agree with you that it is effectively a perversion, there is an answer but you’re going to be fighting against custom and practice for many decades until the proportion of people with the wrong idea falls to very low levels.
Sadly quite a few catholic priests didn’t manage it.
“They are just predatory, degenerate pigs..”
Hit the old nail squarely there, Mogwai
Bacha bazi is the name given to this in Afghanistan and Pakistan and maybe other nearby places.
Driven by the control over young women by their families that is designed to keep the family’s money from being spread out to non-family hence the first cousin marriage tendency.
It’s a funny old world
It’s amazing that these people think homosexuality between consenting adults is such a heinous crime it should be punished by death but they don’t seem to have a problem with the founder of their religion raping a nine year old girl.
Yes, I recall the photos of the famous Auschwitz and Treblinka Marathons, and how the Jews would parade around with heavy weapons.
So to be clear, and in case anyone is in doubt, we don’t have a free press. We have a state regulated press, in which a bu ch of technocrats decide what can and can’t be said.
We are nation of serfs.
Indeed
I note some here are disappointed that the “watchdog” didn’t use whatever powers it has to stop this newspaper saying whatever they felt they should, so it seems some here don’t want a free press either -just one that is free to say things they agree with
It is very disheartening that on a site dedicated to scepticism, the most fundamental principle of scepticism, which is to be able to express any view freely, isn’t properly embraced.
Perhaps someone could come up with a justification for what appears to be a double standard being applied. I think someone (apologies I have forgotten who, maybe Free Lemming?) expressed the view that freedom of speech should be absolute except that those advocating positions that restricted others speech and freedom should not be given a platform. I probably haven’t explained that very well, but it has a certain logic to it – though I am not convinced.
You have 13 upvotes so far – perhaps people have not picked up on your implication that IPSO should have no business making judgements of this kind one way or the other, which is presumably your position.
Free speech with caveats? Surely that’s just speech
I think it’s based on the principle of reciprocity- I will only respect your right to free speech if you respect mine. It has a certain logic to it.
It isn’t properly embraced because there’s so many hypocrites of the “we can dish it out but we can’t take it” variety. People expect to be able to express their views freely, because ‘free speech’, but woe betide anyone coming along and offering a counter opinion, challenging them or sharing evidence which contradicts their assertion. For some reason the ‘challenger’ isn’t afforded that same right. But isn’t the respectful mutual exchange of dialogue what reciprocity is all about and we can’t have genuine free speech without it, otherwise it amounts to censorship and imbalance within the discourse. It’s like having a debate but one person has limitations placed on them.
God knows I’ve had enough examples of people being triggered and bent out of shape by my posts on here to be able to speak from experience.😁 A lot of free speech frauds around, as far as my observations go over the years.
I feel that most of the time on here people post comments and are just looking for validation and affirmation of their views from others. They don’t welcome genuine debate or diversity of opinions at all. Quite the opposite, as the behaviour of certain individuals on the… Read more »
Except for the Telegraph, GB News, DS and Spectator? And we are able to access and use X and WhatsUpWithThat.
Truly shocking.
Ipso is yet another organisation subsumed by islam and woke.
not that IPSO had much credibility before, but it lost it all supporting the govt.line on Covid. so not surprised now it echoes what it thinks the trendy fashionable view on this
Ipso and OFCOM are blob infiltrated attack dogs and, along with the ECHR should be the first cancerous organisations to be cut out of the body of this nation if ReformUK get in.
Genocide of Jews.
Little wonder that a number of my Jewish friends are relocating to Israel. They regard it safer.