There is a whole pile of adjectives that can be applied to Ken Livingstone and his spat with the Evening Standard journalist, but I don't think anti-semitism is one of them. He didn't say that the journalist behaved in a particalar way because he was Jewish, he didn't say that the journalist held particular views because he was Jewish. Instead he compared the behaviour of that journalist to that of a concentration camp guard. How is it anti-semitism to accuse someone of behaving like a Nazi?
Stupid, rude, over the top, arrogant? - almost certainly yes. Offensive? - yes but offensive behaviour isn't of itself anti-semitism. The closest parallel is surely with the protests by Sikhs against the play at the Birmingham Rep. The protesters found the sentiments in that play offensive and wanted the play changed to protect their sensibilities. Livinstone's behaviour was undoubtedly stupid, rude and offensive and he is probably compounding the problem by refusing to apologise.
If Muslims and Sikhs (and even Christians from time to time) have to put up with other people making comments about their beliefs they find offensive, then Jews cannot be exempt. Nor in the end do I think that is what is being suggested. What I think has really happened is that a few of Ken's political enemies - not exactly an endangered species after all - have used his behaviour to attack him, jumping onto the bandwagon of anti-semitism.
That does none of us any favours.
