How Corbyn ‘attack dog’ who calls poppies ‘racist’ is a grammar school-educated ‘ex-Tory who blamed Skripal poisoning on Israel’
Far-left journalist Aaron Bastani, one of Jeremy Corbyn’s biggest supporters, runs Novara Media where he pumps out articles and videos pushing the leftie leader’s message
THE CORBYN ‘attack dog’ who sparked fury by calling the poppy appeal “racist” is a grammar-school educated ex-Tory who blamed the poisonings of the Skirpals on Israel.
Far-left journalist Aaron Bastani, one of Jeremy Corbyn’s biggest supporters, runs Novara Media where he pumps out articles and videos pushing the leftie leader’s message.
His sickening poppy rant is the latest in a string of high profile, attention-seeking incidents in the career of the far-left fanatic.
But like many others in Mr Corbyn's inner circle, including the leader himself, his background wasn't always so controversial.
Bastani was raised in the genteel surroundings of Bournemouth growing up with his mother, a Tory voter, ,
He even benefited from an education at his local grammar school, where he admits that he had a "great time".
Known then as Aaron Peters, Bastani went on to study for a PhD at Royal Holloway in London, by which time his hard-left views were clear.
After submitting his thesis, titled "Strike! Occupy! Retweet!", he went on to form Novara in 2011 - where it swiftly became a favourite mouthpiece of the hard left.
Over the years, it has published controversial articles - including calling for Labour to reject the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism, and calling for Facebook to be brought into public ownership.
One recent video asked: "Is the army fascist?"
And like many of his contributors, Bastani is no stranger to extreme views himself.
He has often peddled bizarre conspiracy theories online, including that Israel could have been behind the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal earlier this year - at a time when the anti-semitism row in Labour was at its high point.
After Labour MP Chris Williamson said the government were using the poisoning to distract from Brexit, Bastani wrote online that the true attackers could have been a “non state actor/private job, Iran, Israel”.
The 34-year-old, a regular guest on the BBC, is one of a group of left-wing journalists believed to have links with Mr Corbyn's office.
The allies are thought to co-ordinate their interventions to help promote Labour's left.
But he wasn’t always a hardcore leftie supporter - and has voiced support Tory Iain Duncan Smith, the Green Party and New Labour politicians in the past.
Embarrassingly for the darling of the hard left, his name was on a UCL Conservative Publication in 2009 praising ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, along with Blairite Labour MP James Purnell.
But Bastani later said his friend had “edited” his words.
And he was also a member of the Green party at the time of Jeremy Corbyn’s election – joining the party as a supporter to supposedly fight the “Blairites”.
Back in 2015 he backed the Green’s Sian Berry for Mayor of London, tweeting: “Really impressed with Sian Berry and think she would make an outstanding Mayor. Movements need an ally at City Hall!”
He’s previously tweeted his support for David Miliband too.
His hard left activities have also landed Bastani with a criminal record – he was given a suspended sentence and community service for his role in a violent bank attack.
During anti-cuts protests in March 2011, he was filmed ramming a bin into a branch of HSBC, while wearing a bicycle snood.
He was also arrested at another protest against the then-Tory education minister David Willetts at SOAS University.
Photos show him being involved in a brawl that led to his arrest.
And he even once stripped topless at a protest against corporate tax avoidance.
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Bastani’s comments yesterday have created a furious backlash, although there has been silence from Jeremy Corbyn, which maybe explains why he has shown no sign of remorse.
Yesterday Tory MP and veteran Johnny Mercer said of his comments: “This is attention seeking bollocks; proud we have a country where clowns like this can sound off; wouldn’t have it any other way.”
And Labour’s ex-defence minister Kevan Jones added: “Making outrageous and uninformed Trump-style claims about the Poppy Appeal may shock and may raise an individual’s media profile - which may have been their only aim - but adds nothing to serious debate of how we support our Armed Forces community or how we recognise the sacrifices that allow the freedom of speech that we have today.
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