He ain't pretty no more

Christopher Hitchens' literary evisceration of the American left's newest hero, Gorgeous George Galloway, is a joy to read. There's simply too much to excerpt, so go read the whole thing. I'll still be here when you get back.

[waiting...waiting...]

Great article, wasn't it? Back in England, Galloway addressed a large Islamofascist demonstration in Trafalgar Square, and revealed his opposition to Israel's existence, not just the "occupation":

A central London rally organized by the British Palestine Solidarity Campaign on Saturday heard Respect Party MP George Galloway advocate a general boycott of Israel, as well as other speeches calling for Israel's destruction.

Dark gray clouds poured heavy rain on London's Trafalgar Square, as a crowd waving Palestine flags and anti-Israel banners filled the square to hear speakers shout vitriolic anti-Israel speeches. Demonstrators chanted Islamic slogans and flags calling for "victory to the intifada" were waved. Leading figures in Britain's anti-Israel coalition also lined up to attack Israel.

Andrew Birgin, of the Stop the War Coalition, urged the destruction of the State of Israel. "Israel is a racist state! It is an apartheid state! With its Apache helicopters and its F-16 fighter jets! The South African apartheid state never inflicted the sort of repression that Israel is inflicting on the Palestinians," he said to loud applause. "When there is real democracy, there will be no more Israel!" concluded Birgin. "Allahu Akbar!" yelled several men repeatedly in response.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Birgin said he was referring to Israel "in the sense that it exists now," and said he wanted to see a "democratic secular state in which peace can move forward."

The Palestinian representative to the UK, Husam Zomlot, also addressed the rally.

"As we speak today, the Israelis are continuing the ethnic cleansing campaign they started in 1948," he said. "To the Israelis, I say that there will absolutely be no peace without the right of return." "The right of return is non-negotiable! Apartheid no more!" exclaimed Zomlot.

"We urge our government to cease all trade with Israel," said Jeremy Corbyn, a backbench Labor MP, who went on to express support for nuclear spy Mordechai Vanunu.
[...]
Galloway, the newly elected MP for the anti-Iraq war Respect Party, used the rally as an attempt to launch an international boycott of Israel.

"It's about time that the British government made some reparations for the Balfour declaration," said Galloway. "Instead, Tony Blair said that Israel has no better friend than the British government. We say to Mr. Blair: You should be ashamed by that.

"The Palestinian people are like the 300 Spartans holding the pass of Thermopylae, until the others can arrive and come to their side. We will join them, by boycotting Israel. By boycotting Israeli goods. By picketing the stores that are selling Israeli goods," he said to cheers and applause.

Yes, the man is one hell of a public speaker. (Belmont Club says the Senate committee was playing a kind of rope-a-dope with Galloway, to trap him in a lie, but I think they were just caught completely unprepared.) He is also a totalitarian, anti-Semitic, criminal thug, and nothing illustrates the left's moral bankruptcy like their newfound enthusiasm for Gorgeous George.

Update: Lileks responds to Air America reject Lizz Winstead, the latest member of the Galloway fan club, in today's Bleat:

I’m somewhat mystified by the love lavished on Galloway by Lizz and her compatriots. Hitchens seems to have the fellow’s number. It would be insulting to suggest that she hasn’t studied the matter in detail, so we can only assume she knows the issues Hitch brings up, and finds them all either spurious or less grievous than the manifest sins of Norm Coleman. Well, everyone has their priorities. But she strikes me as someone who would get a little thrill upon hearing that Tariq Aziz in the lobby. Really? Here? Great! I hope he notices my new shoes! They’re sexy but not in a do-me way, don’t you think? Smart sexy. Tariq Aziz! Wow!

Our side has Lileks and Hitchens. Their side has Winstead and Galloway. I'm cool with that.

Posted by damian at May 25, 2005 07:51 AM | TrackBack