READING your report on city councillor Ben Lloyd-Shogbesan’s “abhorrent” Facebook posts under the headline ‘He Must Quit’ (Oxford Mail, May 15), I am reminded of a quotation from George Orwell which to me, seems particularly appropriate to this matter.

Orwell says: “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act!” 

Councillor Shogbesan’s alleged transgressions also raise the perennial question: “Is criticism of Israeli policies anti-Semitic, or can the two be separated?

My own situation goes some way in answering this question and there must be hundreds, if not thousands, who could say the same thing.  
Two of my best friends just happen to be Jews but that does not deter me from being a strong critic of current Israeli policies of repression of the Palestinians, the cruel siege of Gaza, the creeping annexation of the West Bank, the continued extension of illegal settlements, often after the destruction of Bedouin or Palestinian homes and crops.

I can’t help wondering what the clamour would be from the international community if the current casual killing of unarmed protesters was reversed and it was Palestinians killing Israelis. The double-standards are nauseating.

GORDON CLACK
Witney Road, Ducklington