Update on Galloway Smear. posted by lenin

Just under two weeks ago, I pointed out that some quotations attributed to Galloway by El-Khabar, the Algerian newspaper, were false. This appears to have been due to poor translation rather than any malice on the part of the interviewer. To their credit, few British media outlets actually repeated these quotations. One did, following the replication of the claims across some right-wing blogs, on the basis of a BBC Monitoring translation. The 'People' column in The Times reproduced them the very day I pointed out that they were garbage.

And would you believe it, a number of people had the temerity to doubt me. The Muslim-baiting ex-pat yank over at the Daily Ablution was having none of it. He complained that my piece was an "ad hominem attack devoid of any evidence". Ooooh, look at her! Meanwhile the blimpish Tory blogger Squander Two, who at least shows signs of having once been in possession of a sense of humour and of remembering what it was like, exerted himself in all sorts of hilarious ways to 'prove' how the quotes were credible.

What these cabbages weren't to know was that while they were howling at my smiling moon, the Times' lawyer was listening to the tapes of the interview, and comparing them with the material published by The Times. And I think she might also have heard it asked "For what other public figure would you publish potentially damaging comments without checking with the individual concerned to make sure they are accurate?" Further: "You are familiar with Mr Galloway's record with libel suits?" Stuff like that. Here is the delicious follow-up:

The People column recently (February 28) repeated comments attributed to George Galloway by the Algerian El-Khabar newspaper that the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad was “worse than the September 11 attacks in the US and the 7/7 incidents in London”. Mr Galloway actually said to El-Khabar that Muslims are now more marginalised than ever before, “worse than the aftermath of 9/11, worse than the aftermath of 7/7”. We are happy to correct the record and apologise to Mr Galloway.

The Times has only corrected the most egregious misrepresentation, which is the only one it reproduced, but I think it ought to be obvious enough that the translation was a very poor one and mixed up a lot of what Galloway said. Anyone with a single ganglion of brain tissue uncolonised by layers of media defamation would have raised an eyebrow at the above, or the thought of Galloway telling anyone that the Iraqi resistance 'relied' on him, or that Denmark was the only country in the world with racism in it. Anyway, when I tell you Galloway-stalkers something, don't take chances with your reputation: accept reality, live with it and move on. I expect retractions from you all.