Pink Floyd’s Waters says Jew-hate is ‘made up’ by Israel

V MUSICIANS BRIAN Eno and Roger Waters have launched an extraordinary defence of director Ken Loach, controversial academic David Miller and other hard-left figures, claiming they were the victims of “made up” charges of antisemitism that were created by Israel.

The Pink Floyd star branded antisemitism allegations a “smear sword that was wielded at the behest of the Israeli government”.

And record producer Mr Eno insisted that charges of antisemitism aimed at the left were “worthless” and designed to silence those who “question what is happening in Palestine”.

The tirades came during the monthly online talk show, Let’s Talk It Over, during a discussion called “Israeli Apartheid”.

Speaking during the programme, Mr Eno leapt to defend three of the most high-profile names accused of antisemitic views in recent years.

He said: “When you see people like

Ken Loach, David Miller, Jackie Walker, when you see those people being accused of antisemitism, you cannot help but say this is all made up.”

Bristol University professor David Miller prompted a barrage of complaints after calling for the “end of Zionism”, while Mr Loach has provoked outrage by downplaying and denying claims of antisemitism within Labour. Mr Loach was at the centre of a storm last month when students at Oxford University, where he was invited to speak, complained about his “history of blatant antisemitism”. Mr Eno insisted the “random spraying around” of the charge of antisemitism “removes any power that it has and removes any sanctioning power that it has. It suddenly makes that charge worthless,” he said. “It’s crying wolf, so you have to think why are these attacks being particularly directed at people on the left?”

Both Mr Eno and Mr Waters support of the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions movement, signing an ‘Artists for Palestine’ letter in 2018 that urged musicians not to perform in Israel.

V A BELOVED New York City deli launched during the Great Depression has closed after more than 90 years in business. The Jewish eaterie served classic dishes such as corned beef on rye over a retro 30ft dining counter. But food blog Grub Street reported that the restaurant in the Flatiron district had not “paid rent since before the pandemic”.

V MEMBERS of St Albans’ Jewish community have traced their roots and arrival to the Hertfordshire area in a new online exhibition launched last week. “This amazing collection of stories shows how Jewish people arrived in St Albans and have made their home in the city,” said organiser Helen Singer. The website, entitled Arriving and Belonging: Stories

Historic welcome: St Albans’ George Street

from the St Albans Jewish community, can be accessed on www. arrivingbelonging.com.