Tom Paulin

Tom Paulin (January 25, 1949 - ) was born in Leeds, but grew up in Belfast. A fiercely independent voice in British poetry, Paulin is frequently acclaimed for the rich quality of his poetic language. He is also well-known for his fierce political views, which stem directly from the political situation in Northern Ireland.

Accusations of antisemitism

Paulin attracted controversy in 2002 after his invitation to deliver the prestigious Morris Gray Lecture at Harvard was cancelled and then subsequently reinstated after complaints about his supposed anti-semitism, after he gave an interview to the Egyptian state controlled newspaper Al-Ahram Weekly. He argued under questioning that suicide bombings were wrong because "...attacks on civilians in fact boost morale... Hitler bombed London into submission but in fact it created a sense of national solidarity" rather than because of the death of innocents that ensues. Most controversially he said of Brooklyn-born Jewish settlers. "They should be shot dead, I think they are Nazis, racists, I feel nothing but hatred for them." http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2002/580/cu2.htm.

Related Topics:
2002 - Harvard - Anti-semitism - Egypt - Al-Ahram - Suicide bombing - Civilian - Hitler - London - Brooklyn - Jewish - Settler - Nazi - Racist

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