Harry's Place
Encyclopedia
Harry's Place is a British political blog. It has been nominated for a number of awards, including a Guardian
award for political blog
s, the 2005 Weblog awards for UK blogs, as well as the UK section of the Islamic Human Rights Commission
's 'Annual Islamophobia Awards' 2006; posts on the site have ridiculed these last awards and openly invited nomination.
,the concept of liberal interventionism, and liberal dissident movements in the Islamic world. It is a supporter of a two-state solution
to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
. It is highly critical of Islamism
and of what it characterises as totalitarian, pro-Islamist and antisemitic tendencies on the left. Nick Cohen
has argued that the blog was one of few places where it was being stated that "a section of the left has allied with religious fundamentalism".
The site is particularly critical of Ken Livingstone
, George Galloway
, RESPECT
, and the Socialist Workers Party
. It defines itself as a staunch opponent of religious and political censorship of all kinds and was supportive of the 2006 London March for Free Expression. The site was also one of the main backers of the Euston Manifesto
.
"Harry Hatchet" has had several guest columns in The Guardian's technology and online commentary sections. On the other hand, Harry's Place contributors disagree with The Guardian's editorial writers more often than not, and their vehement disagreements with various Guardian columns are a frequent subject of topic on their site.
served as a "wake up call" according to Harry, prompting him to try to better understand what political forces led up to it. In 2002, he began blogging as a way to clarify his own thoughts on political issues such as the impending war in Iraq, moving away from his Communism to embrace a more moderate social-democratic worldview. He made a public break with his former views in a Workers' Liberty message board discussion in October 2002, where he said Stalinism
was a viewpoint "I now reject totally".
The rapid growth in the site's audience led him to include other like-minded writers so that the blog could be updated more regularly. Harry ceased to contribute regularly at the end of September 2005.
Other contributors include Marcus, Gene Zitver (aka "Gene"), David Toube, and more recently, Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, Adam LeBor, Brett Lock, Brian Meredith, Edmund Standing, Michael Ezra, 'Lucy Lips' and others. Marcus is an old friend and political comrade of Harry's. Marcus attended the 15 February, 2003 anti-war
protest in London, and came away with the opinion that "I don't know if I can consider myself left-wing anymore if this is the left". Marcus wrote about his views on the politics behind the 15 February demonstration, and soon became a regular contributor. Gene is a resident of the United States from a trade union background, who has spent several years living in Israel. Harry came across Gene's posts on a George Orwell
discussion list, and invited him to start posting on his blog. Gene is a strong opponent of President Hugo Chavez
of Venezuela, whom he accuses of being authoritarian Some Harry's Place writers post under pseudonyms: the pseudonyms used include Lucy Lips, habibi, Libby T, Israelinurse, and Alan A.
David Toube is a lawyer and former lecturer. He also came to blogging after the 11 September attacks. One of his close childhood friends was among those killed in the World Trade Center
, while another close childhood friend became a militant Islamist, and appeared in the media applauding the attacks. Toube claims that he took up reading and writing blogs as a way of trying to making sense of these events. Journalist Johann Hari
also contributed articles to the weblog until Autumn 2004, when he left to start his own blog.
Harry's Place is often accused of Islamophobia
. The site's contributors reply that they are criticizing what they see as a reactionary
interpretation of Islam, not Muslims in general, and that they are expressing solidarity with Muslims who are oppressed by Islamists.
The blog is frequently critical of prominent anti-Zionist activists such as Gilad Atzmon
, Keith Burstein
and Alexei Sayle
and in particular academics who criticise Israel such as Norman Finkelstein
, Noam Chomsky
, and Schlomo Sand.
In July 2008 Harry's Place posted on an Al Jazeera
report, translated by one of its contributors, in which the director of the British Muslim Initiative, Mohamed Sawalha, appeared to speak of the "evil Jew". Al Jazeera subsequently changed the phrase to "Jewish Lobby". The British Muslim Initiative claimed that the translation of the original phrase was "malevolent" and implied that their President, Mohammed Sawalha was "anti-semitic and hateful". Mohamed Sawalha had been identified by the BBC
in 2006 as a senior Hamas activist.
On 26 August 2008, Harry's Place was briefly offline following a complaint to its DNS
provider. The site had reported that a member of the University and College Union's discussion list had posted links to American white nationalist David Duke
's website to support the call for a boycott on Israel.
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
award for political blog
Political blog
A political blog is a common type of blog that comments on politics. In liberal democracies the right to criticize the government without interference is considered an important element of free speech...
s, the 2005 Weblog awards for UK blogs, as well as the UK section of the Islamic Human Rights Commission
Islamic Human Rights Commission
The Islamic Human Rights Commission is a non-profit organization. Its stated mission is to, "... work with different organizations from Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds, to campaign for justice for all peoples regardless of their racial, confessional or political background.". The group is...
's 'Annual Islamophobia Awards' 2006; posts on the site have ridiculed these last awards and openly invited nomination.
Politics
Harry's Place was supportive of the 2003 invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
,the concept of liberal interventionism, and liberal dissident movements in the Islamic world. It is a supporter of a two-state solution
Two-state solution
The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the consensus solution that is currently under discussion by the key parties to the conflict, most recently at the Annapolis Conference in November 2007...
to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
. It is highly critical of Islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
and of what it characterises as totalitarian, pro-Islamist and antisemitic tendencies on the left. Nick Cohen
Nick Cohen
Nick Cohen is a British journalist, author and political commentator. He is currently a columnist for The Observer, a blogger for The Spectator and TV critic for Standpoint magazine. He formerly wrote for the London Evening Standard and the New Statesman...
has argued that the blog was one of few places where it was being stated that "a section of the left has allied with religious fundamentalism".
The site is particularly critical of Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
, George Galloway
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
, RESPECT
RESPECT The Unity Coalition
Respect is a socialist political party in England and Wales founded in 2004. Its name is a contrived acronym standing for Respect, Equality, Socialism, Peace, Environmentalism, Community and Trade Unionism.-Policies:...
, and the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
. It defines itself as a staunch opponent of religious and political censorship of all kinds and was supportive of the 2006 London March for Free Expression. The site was also one of the main backers of the Euston Manifesto
Euston Manifesto
The Euston Manifesto is a 2006 declaration of principles by a group of academics, journalists, and activists based in the United Kingdom. The statement is a reaction to what are asserted to be widespread violations of leftist principles by others who are commonly associated with the political Left...
.
"Harry Hatchet" has had several guest columns in The Guardian's technology and online commentary sections. On the other hand, Harry's Place contributors disagree with The Guardian's editorial writers more often than not, and their vehement disagreements with various Guardian columns are a frequent subject of topic on their site.
Contributors
Harry's Place was originally started by a blogger, using the nom de plumes Harry Steele and Harry Hatchet or just Harry, who was originally the sole writer. The 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade CenterWorld Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
served as a "wake up call" according to Harry, prompting him to try to better understand what political forces led up to it. In 2002, he began blogging as a way to clarify his own thoughts on political issues such as the impending war in Iraq, moving away from his Communism to embrace a more moderate social-democratic worldview. He made a public break with his former views in a Workers' Liberty message board discussion in October 2002, where he said Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
was a viewpoint "I now reject totally".
The rapid growth in the site's audience led him to include other like-minded writers so that the blog could be updated more regularly. Harry ceased to contribute regularly at the end of September 2005.
Other contributors include Marcus, Gene Zitver (aka "Gene"), David Toube, and more recently, Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, Adam LeBor, Brett Lock, Brian Meredith, Edmund Standing, Michael Ezra, 'Lucy Lips' and others. Marcus is an old friend and political comrade of Harry's. Marcus attended the 15 February, 2003 anti-war
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
protest in London, and came away with the opinion that "I don't know if I can consider myself left-wing anymore if this is the left". Marcus wrote about his views on the politics behind the 15 February demonstration, and soon became a regular contributor. Gene is a resident of the United States from a trade union background, who has spent several years living in Israel. Harry came across Gene's posts on a George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
discussion list, and invited him to start posting on his blog. Gene is a strong opponent of President Hugo Chavez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
of Venezuela, whom he accuses of being authoritarian Some Harry's Place writers post under pseudonyms: the pseudonyms used include Lucy Lips, habibi, Libby T, Israelinurse, and Alan A.
David Toube is a lawyer and former lecturer. He also came to blogging after the 11 September attacks. One of his close childhood friends was among those killed in the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
, while another close childhood friend became a militant Islamist, and appeared in the media applauding the attacks. Toube claims that he took up reading and writing blogs as a way of trying to making sense of these events. Journalist Johann Hari
Johann Hari
Johann Hari is an award winning British journalist who has been a columnist at The Independent, the The Huffington Post, and contributed to several other publications. In 2011, Hari was accused of plagiarism; he subsequently was suspended from The Independent and surrendered his 2008 Orwell Prize...
also contributed articles to the weblog until Autumn 2004, when he left to start his own blog.
Controversy
The comments pages on Harry's Place are an open forum where debates can frequently become heated.Harry's Place is often accused of Islamophobia
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
. The site's contributors reply that they are criticizing what they see as a reactionary
Reactionary
The term reactionary refers to viewpoints that seek to return to a previous state in a society. The term is meant to describe one end of a political spectrum whose opposite pole is "radical". While it has not been generally considered a term of praise it has been adopted as a self-description by...
interpretation of Islam, not Muslims in general, and that they are expressing solidarity with Muslims who are oppressed by Islamists.
The blog is frequently critical of prominent anti-Zionist activists such as Gilad Atzmon
Gilad Atzmon
Gilad Atzmon is an Israeli-born British jazz saxophonist, novelist, political activist and writer.Atzmon's album Exile was BBC jazz album of the year in 2003. Playing over 100 dates a year, he has been called "surely the hardest-gigging man in British jazz." His albums, of which he has recorded...
, Keith Burstein
Keith Burstein
Keith Burstein is an English composer, conductor and music theorist. He is noted for his championing of tonal music as a valid contemporary composing style and for the humanitarian dimension of his compositions....
and Alexei Sayle
Alexei Sayle
Alexei David Sayle is a British stand-up comedian, actor and author. He was a central part of the alternative comedy circuit in the early 1980s. He was voted the 18th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-ups in 2007...
and in particular academics who criticise Israel such as Norman Finkelstein
Norman Finkelstein
Norman Gary Finkelstein is an American political scientist, activist and author. His primary fields of research are the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the politics of the Holocaust. He is a graduate of Binghamton University and received his Ph.D in Political Science from Princeton University...
, Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
, and Schlomo Sand.
In July 2008 Harry's Place posted on an Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
report, translated by one of its contributors, in which the director of the British Muslim Initiative, Mohamed Sawalha, appeared to speak of the "evil Jew". Al Jazeera subsequently changed the phrase to "Jewish Lobby". The British Muslim Initiative claimed that the translation of the original phrase was "malevolent" and implied that their President, Mohammed Sawalha was "anti-semitic and hateful". Mohamed Sawalha had been identified by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 2006 as a senior Hamas activist.
On 26 August 2008, Harry's Place was briefly offline following a complaint to its DNS
Domain name system
The Domain Name System is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities...
provider. The site had reported that a member of the University and College Union's discussion list had posted links to American white nationalist David Duke
David Duke
David Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
's website to support the call for a boycott on Israel.