Investigation shamefully clears cricket club chairman who resigned after being revealed to have ‘liked’ “Zionist lobby” tweets
An independent investigation has shamefully cleared a cricket club chairman of any wrongdoing, despite his decision to resign after being revealed to have ‘liked’ “Zionist lobby” tweets.
The revelation came last year as the JC exposed Azeem Akhtar’s questionable social media history, revealing that he had ‘liked’ tweets referring to the “Zionist lobby” as well as posts comparing Israel to the Nazis.
Mr Akhtar was announced as Chairman of Essex County Cricket Club (ECCC) in November. However, shortly after, several concerning tweets seemingly endorsed by the Chairman surfaced, including one which read: “It is not offensive to say that the Pro–Israel and Zionist lobby have deep pockets and oversized influence/control over the media.”
Another read: “Comparing Israel with Nazis is not antisemitic. In fact, many Jewish people have done so themselves.”
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.
A further tweet ‘liked’ by Mr Akhtar said: “The fact that ‘from the river to the sea’ unsettles Zionists is all the more reason to keep saying it.”
The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the Definition.
He was also found to have ‘liked’ tweets by the inflammatory rapper and activist, Lowkey, who has reportedly claimed that the “mainstream media” has “weaponised the Jewish heritage” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “stave off” inquiries about far-right groups in Ukraine. He has also appeared on the disgraced former MP Chris Williamson’s show on Press TV, an Iranian state-owned news network whose British broadcasting licence was revoked by Ofcom in 2012. Lowkey has appeared alongside the disgraced academic David Miller, and was recently embroiled in a controversy at the National Union of Students.
Shortly after the publication of the JC’s report, Mr Akhtar admitted that he had ‘liked’ the tweets in question allegedly due to being upset with the violence that had taken place last year between Israel and the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group, Hamas. An independent probe into Mr Akhtar’s online behaviour was then announced.
However, he “vehemently” denied being antisemitic and said that he wants “the Jewish community to feel they had the most Jewish friendly chairman of Essex County Cricket Club they’ve ever had.”
Despite Mr Akhtar’s decision to resign, the investigation has now cleared him, stating that his online behaviour had been “supportive of the Islamic faith and beliefs as opposed to being antisemitic or indicating any other forms of racism”.
Mr Akhtar said in a statement: “I am passionately committed to fighting all kinds of discrimination whether that be antisemitism, Islamophobia or any other kind of prejudice. As concluded, my social media activity is reflective of my religious and political affiliations and the strong humanitarian stance I take on conflicts around the world. ECCC must lead the way with utmost sincerity in being a genuinely diverse and inclusive club. I wish ECCC the very best for the coming season and will continue to support the team as I have done every season since I was a boy.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Several of the tweets ‘liked’ by Azeem Akhtar breach the International Definition of Antisemitism. Comparisons between Israel and Nazis and comments about the ‘Zionist lobby’ are indefensible regardless, but in light of recent high-profile controversies relating to antisemitism in cricket, these tweets feel that much more odious.
“This investigation could have been an opportunity to tell people that Jews matter in the world of cricket. Disappointingly, this wasn’t the case. The findings of this investigation is not only a spectacular failure of the Essex County Cricket Club, but to portray Mr Akhtar’s endorsement of these tweets as merely being ‘supportive of the Islamic faith’ is insulting to both Jews and Muslims.
“Additionally, the fact that Mr Akhtar took it upon himself to resign speaks volumes, and one might say that the Club is out hit wicket.”
This is not the first time that antisemitism-related controversies have arisen in cricket.
Last year, both Azeem Rafiq and Andrew Gale were reprimanded by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) for historic antisemitic social media posts and acting in a way that is “prejudicial to the interests of cricket”.
Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.
