Jay Rayner Accuses The Guardian of Failing to Address Anti-Semitism

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Veteran restaurant critic Jay Rayner has leveled scathing accusations against *The Guardian*, claiming the Left-leaning newspaper employs anti-Semites and criticizing its editor, Katharine Viner, for her alleged reluctance to confront them. Rayner’s remarks come shortly after he announced his resignation from *The Observer*, *The Guardian*'s sister Sunday paper, where he worked for nearly three decades.  

 

Rayner shared his criticisms in a message to friends on Facebook, describing his experience as a Jewish employee at the publication as "uncomfortable, at times excruciating." He directly called out Viner, accusing her of failing to tackle anti-Semitism within the organization. “Viner likes to deny it, but there are anti-Semites on the daily’s staff, and she has not had the courage to face them down,” he wrote.  

 

Rayner disclosed that over the years, he sent emails to Viner each time he believed *The Guardian* had crossed a line with its coverage of Jewish issues. “For years now I have made a point of sending her a back channel email each time the *Guardian* has published another outrage. It will be a joy to know that I’m not a part of that any more,” he said.  

 

His departure is reportedly tied, at least in part, to frustrations over the newspaper’s handling of anti-Semitism. Rayner lambasted *The Guardian*'s opinion section, calling it “a juvenile hellscape of salami-sliced identity grievance politics.”  

 

The publication has faced multiple controversies in recent years under Viner’s leadership. Among them was an allegedly anti-Semitic cartoon of Richard Sharp, then the BBC director-general, and an opinion piece titled “Israel must stop weaponising the Holocaust.” The paper also dismissed cartoonist Steve Bell last year over an unpublished cartoon of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which some interpreted as referencing Shylock, the Jewish character from Shakespeare’s *The Merchant of Venice*. Bell defended his work, claiming it was “impossible to draw this subject for *The Guardian* now without being falsely accused of using ‘anti-Semitic tropes.’”  

 

Rayner’s criticisms extend beyond issues of anti-Semitism. He expressed dismay at Viner’s strategic decisions, particularly her push to sell *The Observer* to Tortoise Media, a financially struggling outlet founded by former BBC News director James Harding. The proposed sale has ignited outrage among journalists at *The Guardian* and *The Observer*, leading to planned industrial action. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has branded the sale a “betrayal” and accused management of attempting to intimidate potential strikers by asking staff whether they plan to participate in the walkout.  

 

In response to the growing unrest, Viner recently invited employees to meetings in her office to “hear your views and share some of my thoughts” on the proposed sale. However, the staff’s anger and Rayner’s pointed critique suggest deepening fractures within the organization.  

Rayner’s public condemnation adds another layer to *The Guardian*'s ongoing challenges, highlighting tensions between its progressive values and its ability to navigate sensitive issues within its ranks.  

 

Based on a report by Daily Telegraph 2024-11-26