The Deputy Leader of the Green Party, Amelia Womack, has apologised after yesterday tweeting an anti-Semitic cartoon.
The image depicted a grim reaper type figure clad in an American flag wielding a scythe with an Israel flag on it. The reaper was knocking on doors and leaving blood in its path with the names of different countries above the doors, such as “Iraq”, “Libya” and “Venezuela”. The image is supposed to suggest a conspiracy that America and Israel are behind the uprisings in those countries. This is a regular trope of anti-Semites.
The political figure posted the image, saying, “When a picture paints a thousand words”, followed by a sad face emoji.
On Friday morning, however, Womack addressed the incident in detail, tweeting: “Yesterday I tweeted a picture which, in my ignorance, I thought was satirising US Imperialism. It wasn’t, it was in fact antisemitic and I apologise wholeheartedly for tweeting it.”
“I abhor antisemitism in all forms. There is no excuse for what I did and I’m truly sorry,” she said.
Yesterday I tweeted a picture which, in my ignorance, I thought was satirising US imperialism. It wasn't, it was in fact anti-Semitic and i apologise wholeheartedly for tweeting it. I abhor antisemitism in all forms. There is no excuse for what I did and I'm truly sorry.
— Amelia Womack 🏴 (@Amelia_Womack) January 25, 2019
Even with this explanation, it is questionable why a political figure would be posting such images anyway. Even if it was only America she wanted to target, it is still a conspiracy theory she is spreading without any evidence.
Womack has in the past tweeted support for the Palestinians and called for an end to trade with Israel.
Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies, said: “This is a nasty conspiratorial image from someone senior enough in politics to know better. Amelia Womack was correct to apologise. We expect her to be more careful in future.”
