Conservative MPs and peers warned against use of controversial “cultural Marxism” phrase
The All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism (APPG) has warned a group of Conservative MPs and peers against the use of the controversial phrase “cultural Marxism”, noting that the term could “inadvertently” act as a “dog-whistle for the far-right”, where the phrase is increasingly popular.
28 MPs and peers used in the phrase in a letter to The Telegraph regarding what they perceived to be the adverse politicisation of numerous cultural institutions, criticising a political slant that they described as “coloured by cultural Marxist dogma, colloquially known as the ‘woke agenda’.”
Andrew Percy, a Tory MP and co-Chair of the APPG, said that some of his colleagues were surprised at the popularity of the phrase on the far-right and undertook not to use it again.
The signatories included Sally-Ann Hart MP and Lee Anderson MP, both of whom were put under investigation by the Conservative Party over alleged antisemitism late last year. Campaign Against Antisemitism has previously criticised the Party for taking so long over the investigations, which we can only assume are still ongoing until the results are disclosed.
When the story of the letter broke, a spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Terms such as ‘cultural Marxism’ and ‘elitist bourgeois liberals’ can function as antisemitic dogwhistles, even if they are not always intended as such, while the dangers of promoting conspiracies about powerful minorities controlling society are obvious. The authors of this letter should endeavour to find less toxic language to promote their politics.
“We also note that two of the signatories – Sally-Ann Hart and Lee Anderson – are, to our knowledge, under apparently interminable investigations by the Conservative Party in relation to alleged antisemitism. Until the results of those investigations are made known, we can only assume that they are still in progress, which is unacceptable after so long. The Party must immediately explain what conclusions have been reached.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
