Wow. Anti-Semitism in a British newspaper.

(sarcasm) Hard to believe. (/sarcasm)

Over at The Volokh Conspiracy, Professor Volokh notes some disturbingly casual anti-semitism on the part of Richard Ingrams in the Observer.

Ingrams writes:

I have developed a habit when confronted by letters to the editor in support of the Israeli government to look at the signature to see if the writer has a Jewish name. If so, I tend not to read it.

As Prof. Volokh notes,

Let me see: Has the writer "developed a habit" of "not . . . read[ing]" letters by men that relate to relations between the sexes? Or letters by women? Or does he ignore letters by blacks, whites, and Asians on race relations? Does he ignore letters on the subject of homosexuality by people whom he knows to be anti-gay, or whom he suspects of belonging to mostly anti-gay religious groups? After all, each must have their own axe to grind, so their positions are worthless, no?

Volokh goes on to thank "reader George Vardalos for the pointer, which I would never have followed if I thought the article was about Cyprus."