Times Investigations Editor Apologises for a Holocaust-Paedophilia Tweet

Jewishnews.co.uk reported yesterday that Dominic Kennedy, the Investigations Editor at The Times newspaper has apologised for causing offence after he tweeted that most VIP paedophiles were “Jewish or gay”.

Jewish community leaders blasted comments from Kennedy, who removed the tweet in which he said: “So many of the VIPs accused of being paedophiles are Jewish or gay. Maybe we could have a system to identify these people: triangles, stars…”

Simon Johnson, chief executive at the Jewish Leadership Council, attempting to spin on behalf of his people, said: “I utterly condemn the words and the tone of Mr Kennedy’s tweet. What on earth does religion or sexuality have to do with the investigations? The suggestion to brand or identify suspects in the way that he suggests harks back to the worst of Nazi ideology.”

Mr Johnson surely realised that Kennedy’s tweet was sarcastic and satirical. Mr Johnson must also have understood that Kennedy wasn’t referring to ‘Judaism’ but to Jews. After all the reference to Jewish VIPs was probably directed at people such as Lord Janner, Jeffrey Epstein, Alan Dershowitz (who is implicated in a sex with minors scandal), Roman Polanski and other VIPs rather than anyone within the Britain rabbinical community.  

Senior Vice-President at the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BOD), Richard Verber, recognized that this presented a golden opportunity to squeeze some Holocaust juice out of the ‘twitterati’.  “While Mr Kennedy’s forced apology is welcome,” Mr Verger said, “further action is required. Millions of Jews and gay people died at the hands of the Nazis. For anyone, let alone a senior journalist, to trivialise the Holocaust in such a way is unacceptable. The Times needs to open its own investigation into Mr Kennedy’s actions. Mr Kennedy should also visit the Nazi death camps to help him understand why his remarks are so offensive. The Board of Deputies would be happy to arrange that for him. Mr Kennedy’s ignorant remarks are a timely reminder of the importance of Holocaust education.”

Considering the firm allegations that Lord Greville Janner had raped young British kids in his marital bed at  the time was the Chairman of the Board of Deputies of British Jews  and the representative of British Jewry, I would expect the BOD to lower its tone. Maybe The Times ought to arrange a BOD visit to the homes of the victims of Lord Janner. Maybe now is the time for the BOD to acknowledge the shoah their veteran chairman inflicted on some British children not that long ago.

In the meantime, Kennedy commented on Twitter: “I apologise to anyone who has been upset by the message. I am a gay man and hate to see any witch-hunt or persecution of vulnerable minorities or individuals, alive or dead, who cannot answer back.”