My letter to The Labour Party

Responding to an outrageous attempt to smear Rosie Duffield and myself as antisemites

I have sent the following letter to the Executive Director of Legal Affairs at the Labour Party.

Dear Alex Barros-Curtis

Introduction

I correspond regarding a report of an allegation presently being investigated by the Labour Party against Rosie Duffield MP. This was reported in the Daily Mail on 26 November 2023 in a piece entitled “Labour MP Rosie Duffield faces 'grotesque' party anti-Semitism probe and could be blocked from standing at the next election over support for trans-sceptic's Eddie Izzard tweet.” This article claims that the Ms. Duffield MP is under investigation for ‘liking’ a tweet of mine criticising Eddie Izzard. As will become clear from the context I provide in this letter, this investigation is fundamentally misconceived and the complaint appears vexatious. Insofar as the complaints process investigation implies a prima facie case to answer, I also regard it as damaging to my reputation and reserve all my rights at law and in equity.

The meaning of the tweet in question

On 21:19 PM on March 22nd 2023 I tweeted the following words:

“Ah, yes, the Nazis, famously bigoted against straight white men with blonde hair”

This text was in response to a Sky News piece depicting Eddie Izzard (in male attire) with the headline ““'I'm a trans superhero - but if I'd lived in Nazi Germany I'd have been murdered for it'.”

The meaning of my tweet was to satirise what I regard as a ludicrous, grandiose and offensive claim by Mr Izzard that he, as a blond-haired, blue-eyed cross-dressing heterosexual male, he might possibly be comparable to the targets of Nazi genocide or aggression. The evidence shows otherwise with cross-dressing among heterosexual male Nazi officers being a matter of record. It is thus clear the target of the satire in this case is Mr. Izzard and his fantastical claim.

This tweet is in no way anti-Semitic, quite the opposite. It seeks to impliedly properly record the true targets of Nazi aggression (in the main Jews, homosexuals, the Roma and many others), by pointing out that cross-dressing heterosexual straight white males were not targets.

I understand it has been suggested that liking this tweet is in some way “Holocaust denial”. I regard that construction as unsustainable, tenuous and offensive to the true victims of Nazi aggression and genocide.

Disciplinary action based on this tweet

Given the above, any disciplinary action based on this tweet can only be properly described as vexatious and an abuse of process. There is nothing anti-semitic about correctly pointing out that cross-dressing, heterosexual males who would have been considered “Aryan” by the Nazi regime were in a position of relative safety as compared to the true victims of that evil ideology and regime.

I also consider relevant the context that Rosie Duffield MP frequently faces antagonistic factions online who seek to remove her from public life frequently calling for her to lose the Labour whip or face deselection because of her gender-critical beliefs, which I share along with the majority of people in the United Kingdom. Placing this vexatious complaint in that context permits of only one conclusion: that a wholly false and malicious antisemitism allegation is being weaponised against her on the flimsiest of pretexts. This is bullying behaviour by the relevant complainants and it is an insult to a decent and dedicated MP with a long track record of standing up to anti-Semitism generally and within the Labour Party. I note several Jewish organisations and public figures have spoken in Ms Duffield MP’s support in these terms and I would hope their views are taken seriously by the relevant process.

Conclusion

Yesterday, I marched with thousands of British Jews and allies to show solidarity after the horrific events of October 7, 2023, in Israel. Like Ms. Duffield MP, I have shown through my actions and words real support and solidarity with Jews and so I repeat that insofar as your process implies a prima facie case for Ms. Duffield MP to answer, I regard that as vexatious, absurd and defamatory.

You may wish to carefully reflect on the degree to which your process is apparently vulnerable to malicious complaints and you may think it better, fairer and wiser to halt this misconceived campaign by abuse of process against Ms. Duffield MP. As matters stand, you are pursuing an absurd and obviously vexatious matter and you risk the process becoming the punishment. I urge you to think again and consider how credible such a process now is given the matters I raise.

Sincerely,

Graham Linehan