Owen Jones has been blasted as a “cartoon” after he suggested British politicians are “unbothered by the scenes of death that emerge from Palestine” as they should be.
In his latest podcast appearance, the left-wing polemicist, 39, was quizzed by a former BBC journalist about his views of the political reaction to the ongoing conflict in Palestine.
The former Labour member took sections of the British political establishment to task over their response to the “mass murder” of Palestinians living in Gaza, condemning the lack of public outcry.
He claimed politicians are “not bothered enough” by the scenes of death that have emerged from the Palestinian side of the conflict with Israel in a fiery exchange with Lewis Goodall, the host of The News Agents podcast.
But he was quickly questioned by his host and condemned from all sides by several others posting online, who accused him of “self-promotion”.
Speaking to the News Agents, Mr Jones was asked by Mr Goodall whether he believed people are “just unbothered” by the scenes coming from Palestine.
Mr Goodall said: “This is quite a cartoonish view, really. Do you really think that these people are just unbothered when they see the scenes of death?”
In response, Mr Jones said the lack of response from some people shows they are “not bothered enough”.
He replied: “They’re not bothered enough, are they? Otherwise, they would have spoken out against it.”
The News Agents host countered once more, suggesting that some politicians see the politics and situation “in a different way”.
He added that they may be considering the “deep history” of the dispute between Israel and Palestine and the “difficulty the Israeli state has with its security”.
His appearance on the show also earned him criticism from users on X, formerly known as Twitter, with one saying he appeared to want to “argue with everyone” and “demonstrate what he believes is his moral superiority and left-wing ‘purity’.”
Another called the left-wing former Labour member a “cartoon”, with a third saying he came across as “petulant and aggressive” during his sit-down with the former BBC journalist.
Another user said: “So disappointed in @TheNewsAgents giving Jones a platform to spread his complete utter nonsensical biased gaslighting.
“No basis for any of his particular narcissistic brand of self-promotion.”
