Top public health expert’s attacks on ‘Zionists’
A PUBLIC health expert who is a prominent critic of the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has compared “Zionists” to Nazis and written that “Jews” should reflect on the actions of the Israeli military.
Among many inflammatory social media posts, he has also launched attacks on two former Jewish Labour MPs, Dame Louise Ellman and Luciana Berger.
Professor John Ashton, a former regional director of public health for north west England, appeared on BBC Panorama on Monday to discuss an investigation into the failure to stockpile personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS staff.
But Professor Ashton, who was a longtime member of the Labour Party, has also regularly posted about issues involving Israel and Zionism.
In November 2012 in response to IDF actions in Gaza, Prof Ashton, the president of the Faculty of Public Health from 2012-2018, stated: “Sickening to see Zionists behave like Nazis.”
He has also attacked two former Jewish Labour MPs, Dame Louise Ellman and Luciana Berger.
In 2014 in response to a Tweet accusing ex-Liverpool Riverside MP Dame Louise of being a “Vile Zionist”, he wrote: “Is it time for a human being to stand against Louise Ellman in next year’s general election.”
In a message sent to Ms Berger, the former Liverpool Wavertree MP, after she highlighted the growing use of food banks in 2012, he wrote: “What about the Palestinians?”
In June 2013 he wrote of her: “She is from London and a Zionist. Full stop.
Doesn’t fit with Liverpools universalism. End iof [sic].”
In response to the revelations, senior members of Conservative Friends of Israel including Stephen Crabb MP, Lord Pickles and Lord Polak wrote to BBC Director General Lord Hall of Birkenhead on Wednesday urging him to “remove
Professor Ashton from your list of contributors”.
Following comments made in 2013 by Ed Miliband, the then Labour leader, that he considered himself a Zionist, Mr Ashton wrote: “Is this true? If Miliband is a Zionist what are the humanistic internationalists to do? Is this Labour Party
Prof Ashton and (above) a small selection of his Twitter activity policy?” He then added: “Time for an enquiry in Labour Friends of Israel. A party within a party.” When it was pointed out that LFI was only affiliated to Labour, the Professor wrote: “Aah sorry I misunderstood. Allegation seems to be that way to get on in Party is to curry favour with zionist donors.”
In 2014, responding to a report into post-traumatic stress disorder in Gaza, Mr Ashton tweeted: “Can anybody begin to imagine the impact on the mental health of survivors of the Gaza Ghetto? Surely time for Jews to reflect.”
Mr Ashton has repeatedly referred to the Holocaust in his attacks. On Holocaust Memorial Day in 2017 he wrote: “It would be helpful if everybody remembered that the Holocaust was about Gays, Gypsies and the Disabled as well as Jews.”
In May 2018, after a Holocaust exhibition opening in his home city of Liverpool he tweeted: “And the Gay holocaust and the holocaust of those with learning difficulties?”
On Tuesday, after the JC revealed Prof Ashton’s inflammatory tweets, he claimed on Twitter that one of the reasons he had quit Labour in 2019 was because of the treatment dished out to Ms Berger and Dame Louise “by antisemitic elements”.
Asked about his tweets at Ms Berger and Dame Louise and to clarify that claim, he told the JC: “Yes I left the Labour Party in part because of the treatment of Luciana and Louise. This correspondence is now closed.”
In an earlier comment to the JC when asked about his Twitter history, Prof Ashton said: “I think this is mischievous and I don’t recognise most of what you have just read to me. My position about antisemitism is very clear. I have always stood firm against antisemitism.”
He added: “I really don’t know what you are about.” Asked about his comparisons between Zionists and Nazis he said: “I have never compared Jews to Nazis… I am very strongly for interfaith understanding.” He declined to comment on the tweets relating to the Holocaust.