Tory MP to chair Parliament event alongside Eurabia “conspiracy theorist”

Conservative MP Mike Freer is set to chair an event in Parliament alongside a professor who believes “Islam” could “take control of Europe.”

The event will examine “BBC Middle East coverage within the framework of Britain’s counter-extremism strategy.” The named panellists are Baroness Deech, Professor Richard Landes, and Hadar Sela, managing editor of BBC Watch (an offshoot of Israel advocacy group CAMERA).

The “invitation-only” event for “70 politicians and journalists” will be held in Parliament on November 9, and is co-organised by pro-Israel groups Campaign4Truth, CAMERA, and BBC Watch.

Landes has gained notoriety for his claim that Palestinians routinely fake video footage of casualties caused by Israeli attacks. According to a piece in The Jerusalem Post in 2008, this has earned Landes “the reputation in certain circles as a right-wing conspiracy theorist.”

Landes is also on record as expressing extremist views regarding Muslims and Islam, including giving credence to the idea of a plan to ‘Islamise’ Europe. In 2007, he told a conference in Israel:

the European democratic civilization can fall before the Islamic challenge. Do not say that this will never happen in Europe and that Islam will not be able to take control of Europe. If Europe continues its current path, the fall will be sooner.

His blog includes posts like ‘Projecting Schadenfreude and Cultural AIDS: Norway tries to deal with a wave of Muslims raping Norwegian Infidels’. Recently, Landes claimed on Twitter that “German media won’t report immigrant rapes lest it makes the Muslims feel unwelcome.”

The founder of Campaign4Truth, Sharon Klaff, has also expressed troubling opinions regarding Islam and Muslims. In 2013, she tweeted: “What stupidity to draw a parallel between Ireland and Israel/Islamic issues where Religion of peace calls for death of Jews?”

In 2012, Klaff shared an article from The New York Times with the headline “Hostility Between Muslims and German Nationals”, adding her own comment: “The more this happens the more chance leaders will understand the cause.”

Recently, Klaff retweeted a number of tweets describing Syrian refugees arriving in Europe as part of an Islamic wave of conquest. These retweets include a cartoon depicting the relationship between Europe and ‘Islam’ as akin to the fable of The Scorpion and the Frog.

Interestingly, the original article in The Jewish Chronicle about the event described it as being hosted specifically by Campaign4Truth, who it described as a “pro-Israel grassroots group.” The article, quoting Klaff, said that the group “decided to host the events in a bid to hold the…[BBC] to account.”

However, the current version of the article has removed all mention of Klaff and Campaign4Truth (except the contact email address), and instead says the event is organised by BBC Watch. The text, headline, and hyperlink are all altered accordingly. The original article can be viewed here.

When Mike Freer was asked to comment for this article, he stated that he would conduct his own research into the claims made about the event and speakers. He has failed to respond by the time of publication.

In June 2011, Freer urged the UK Home Secretary to ban Sheikh Raed Salah, a prominent Palestinian leader and Israeli citizen, from entering the UK. After Salah successfully arrived, only to be arrested, Freer said he was “pleased” that Salah would “not be speaking in parliament.”

According to Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, Freer “has worked hard to present himself as a staunch supporter of Israel.” He was one of just 12 MPs to vote ‘No’ to an October 2014 parliamentary vote on recognising Palestinian statehood, and spoke at a recent event run by Israel lobby group BICOM.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.