‘I may be many things, but antisemite is not one of them’

New Legislative Council member Gary Clueit has denied claims of antisemitism saying accusations are defamatory and politically motivated.

Critics claim his comments align with Holocaust revisionism and antisemitic rhetoric.

In an article this week, the Jewish Chronicle published a article with the headline “Politician who questioned how many Jews were killed in Holocaust gets seat on Isle of Man Parliament”.

The article followed criticism by Michael Josem, a member of the island’s Jewish community, who said Mr Clueit had made “many hateful and offensive statements”.

For his part, Mr Clueit insists this is false. “I have never denied or minimised the Holocaust,” he said. He argues that all Nazi victims deserve recognition.

Vendetta

The MLC has accused Mr Josem of running a “vendetta” against him since October 2023.

Mr Clueit says his posts have been taken out of context to portray him unfairly, he also claims pressure from critics forced him to resign from The Children’s Centre charity.

He also maintains that his criticism targets political Zionism, not Jewish people. “I have never had anything against Jews or Judaism,” he said. He argues that calling all criticism of Israel antisemitic weakens the fight against real discrimination.

Mr Clueity added: “I may be many things, but antisemite is not one of them.”

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You can see Mr Clueit’s full statement below: