(Image: Supplied)
A travel writer blocked from appearing at an Edinburgh bookshop over “problematic speech” has defended his views.
Cyclist and author Julian Sayarer had organised a talk with Lighthouse Books on West Nicolson Street to promote his new travelogue, which follows Ernesto Guevara's journey in The Motorcycle Diaries.
However, Mr Sayarer’s talk was cancelled after the bookshop became aware of social media posts which violated the venue’s 'safe spaces' policy.
In one post referenced by the bookshop, the author blamed “endemic Jewish overrepresentation in leftist circles and media” for convincing people “that Jews aren't Zionists” instead of “convincing their fellow Jews not to be Zionists”.
In response, Mr Sayarer told The Herald: “We are left to defend our reputations, diverting critical resources from supporting Palestine.
The event was set to be held at Lighthouse Books in Edinburgh. (Image: Lighthouse Books)
“When I asked Lighthouse for specific posts of mine they thought ‘problematic’, they shared one, removed from context of allegations of Russian interference in Brexit, that referenced Jewish political organising during the key Brexit years when Jeremy Corbyn was Labour Party leader.
“I had also referenced a political intervention ahead of the 2019 general election by the chief rabbi [Ephraim Mirvis].”
Writing in The Times, Rabbi Mirvis accused Labour under Mr Corbyn’s leadership of not doing enough to root out antisemitism, which he said was “sanctioned from the top”.
“It is not my place to tell any person how they should vote,” he wrote in the newspaper.
“When December 12 arrives, I ask every person to vote with their conscience. Be in no doubt, the very soul of our nation is at stake.”
Addressing Mr Sayarer’s comments, Lighthouse Bookshop said: “Sentiments such as these clearly conflict with our safe spaces policy and we will always reject any attempt to equate the Jewish people as a whole with the state of Israel and the Zionist lobby.
“In an age when spurious accusations of antisemitism are frequently used to silence anti-Zionists, we feel it is even more important to call out instances of problematic speech like this, and not to platform those who espouse it.”
Mr Sayarer said in response: “Many Jewish people who were raised in Zionism neither need nor want (and increasingly actively detest) the “safe space” cotton wool that places Jewish Zionism beyond the limits of speech.
“They rightly recognise that the only way to dismantle Zionism in the Jewish community is if we begin to speak of it.
Thousands of people take part in a pro-Palestine march through central Edinburgh. (Image: PA)
“Whatever the focus on free speech, and even with the physical horror of war crimes, none of this is only abstract, and nor does it affect only Britain’s Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims,” Mr Sayarer went on to say.
“The US-Israeli aggression against Palestinians, but also Lebanon and Iran, is the context to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with European energy prices up fourfold since the start of the year.
“The new and supposedly changed government of Andy Burnham continues to back Zionism and host US bombers.”
Mr Sayarer said he came to Edinburgh anyway, despite the event being cancelled, where friends in the Scottish energy sector told him about the effect the Strait of Hormuz closure was having on prices.
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“Using cancellations like mine to provide Jewish people with a ‘safe space’ where they are not exposed to an urgent discussion of their community’s Zionism not only creates a two-tier system in which racism thrives, it also censors a wider debate that affects everybody,” the author added.
Writing on Facebook, the bookshop claimed that Mr Sayarer had "spread unfounded accusations and misrepresented our correspondence".
“We did not want to let these accusations go unanswered, but this will be our only public statement on the matter, though we welcome members of our community to reach out to us if they have concerns around this issue,” the statement said.
“Those who know us know what we stand for, and how committed we are to the liberation of the Palestinian people."