Ken Livingstone defends himself against anti-Semitism charges

Ken Livingstone, the mayor of the British capital London, has denied charges of anti-Semitism leveled against him. “Those who try to stifle all debate on the policies of Ariel Sharon by saying that criticizing Israel’s current policies makes one anti-Semitic do a grave disservice to the noble cause of fighting anti-Semitism”, Livingstone wrote in a letter published by the "Jerusalem Post". He was rebutting an article in the newspaper suggesting that his actions –including branding the Israeli prime minister a “war criminal” and likening a Jewish journalist to a “concentration camp guard” – has inflamed anti-Semitism in Britain. “My policy is to fight all forms of racism they are all equally abhorrent. When Al Muhajiroun, a group that uses anti-Semitic slogans, wanted to use Trafalgar Square (in central London), I banned them and successfully prosecuted them when they defied the ban”, Livingstone claimed.