"I'm not a racist"

Ken Livingstone refuses to apologise for comparing a newspaper reporter to a concentration camp guard (see The Guardian, 16th February 2005)

The comparison would be odious in any circumstances - clearly not everyone who defends themselves by saying they are only doing their job is totally devoid of all morals, as Mr. Livingstone would have us believe. It is particularly odious as the journalist in question happens to be Jewish, and when he pointed this out, Mr Livingstone persisted in his analogy. The fact that the journalist works for a newspaper that Mr. Livingstone detests is also no excuse.

The most serious aspect of Mr. Livingstone's refusal to withdraw his remark is that he is giving succour to the real racists and anti-semitic bigots. Comparing Jews to Nazis is part of the standard repertoire of extreme right-wing propganda. It is racial stereotyping of the worst kind. The exact nature of the stereotype is unimportant (Jews may equally identified as Nazis, Commies, or Capitalists), but the message is clear. The Jews are villainous outsiders, and not to be trusted or even tolerated.

By refusing to recognise the implications of his remarks, Mr Livingstone risks alienating liberal-minded voters and attracting the support of those very racists whose thoughts and actions he claimns to abhor.