Anti-Semite? Not me says radio host
Melbourne radio host John Michael Howson, who was suspended for one month for shouting “Sieg Heil” at the mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, says he’s no anti-Semite.
John Michael Howson
Howson, a talk-back host of 3AW, taunted Christine Assange with the Nazi salute three times after she declined to be interviewed on Sunday morning because of the way Howson had treated a previous caller.
Howson rejected accusations he was antisemitic, telling the Herald Sun newspaper his great-grandmother was Jewish and that he had participated at fundraisers for Temple Beth Israel.
“Somebody said that saying ‘Sieg Heil’ meant I was antisemitic,” Australian Associated Press reported him as saying. “I have a Jewish great-grandmother, I have a mezuzah hanging on the wall at my front door, I have a yarmulke in the wardrobe … and if you go into my pantry you will see matzo.”
3AW aired an apology by Howson yesterday as the station announced his suspension.
Doesn’t sound anti semetic. Sounds like he wea accusing “mom” of being an anti-semite. However it was uncalled for.
tessting
I would guess most of your readers would not of heard of or listened to JOhn Michael Howson [ JMH] who
hosts [ not for the next 4 weeks] a program left Vs right on 3Aw on Sundays. The other host is Nic McCallum who I often have on -air clashes with when the topic of Israel / Middle east comes up which is quite often . Mc Callum makes dumb statements such as , Israel is the cause of all the Middle east problems ,when that conflict is solved all the Arabs/ Muslims will be happy little vegemites. Well after the so called Arab spring when we have seen what is going on in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria for example or the infighting of Palestinians all hardly Israels fault we can see what an idiot Mc Callum is. Any way I go down the coast most weekends and listen to JMH’s on Radio and nearly a week doesn’t go by when the topic of Israel, Middle east and Or Jews doesn’t come up. JMH is like a attack dog in defence when ever Israel or Jews are denigrated , vilified or put down which is quite often. Possibly because JMH has spent so many years in Hollywood as a reporter he mixed with many Jewish Americans and got to like them. I would be the first to condemn and expose any anti -Semite without hesitation and JMH is definitely not one of them , he ain’t no Mel Gibson , he is the opposite. If only many of our high profile Jewish Australians would stand up for Israel and Jewish human rights but thats another argument for another day.
Having said all that I wrote a letter a few days ago published in the Herald Sun which ran the front page story on his rant stating in my view I wrote JMH was no anti- Semite , acts like a Israel advocate and on radio a defender of Jewish human rights however what he said to Assanges mother { which was meant to be a insult to her , but backfired] was unacceptable and would have offended most Jews and that he should apologize and has done so.