UPDATE
Shortly after being contacted by HonestReporting, The Guardian has corrected the description of Im Tirtzu, which it now refers to as an “extra-parliamentary political group.”
* * *
An article on the so-called Israeli “culture wars” in The Guardian refers to:
the rightwing extra-paramilitary political group Im Tirtzu
The dictionary definition of paramilitary is “relating to, being, or characteristic of a force formed on a military pattern especially as a potential auxiliary military force.”
The right-wing pressure group Im Tirtzu may have gained a reputation for controversy and even offense in some of its campaigns. Its members, however, are certainly not armed and do not engage in any paramilitary activities.
Given that Im Tirtzu does describe itself as an “extra-parliamentary political group,” it’s likely that The Guardian’s description of Im Tirtzu was the result of a copy-writing error.
Still, it does make us wonder if there was any subconscious bias involved that led to a writer and his editors misrepresenting an Israeli right-wing group as a bunch of Blackshirts.
In The Guardian? Surely not…
A request has been sent to The Guardian for a correction. Watch this space.
