The GSG. What Does It Mean??

Im not sure why people are so easily dismissing the obvious literal translations, of which there is at least one good one....

"The Juwes (Jews) are not the men that will be blamed for nothing."

There is good reason for blaming the male Jews.

Which males Jews? Well there were approximately 28 to 30 male Jews onsite at a Jewish Mens Club that same night when a murder is committed in their yard.

Since Warren was pretty sure that no casual passer by would read that with the nights events in mind, rather as a broad accusation against ALL Jews, .. he ordered it removed.

Best regards all.

[The Good Michael]

Wickster,

Just that I think JTR may have read and understood the message, but maybe not in a way some others understand it. I think it rang true to him, and in a 'You want to blame us? Here's mud in yer eye" kind of way.

Mike

[DVV]

The theory, if one,has been spoken of several times.
The idea is that antisemitism grew up because of the murders (Leather Apron), and that the graffito would mean "Don't blame the Jews, they've done no wrong".

Amitiés,
David

[Wickerman]

Wickerman,

The Ripper didn't write the grafitti, but that doesn't mean it has nothing to do with the murders.

Mike

I agree with the first part, but the second part has me puzzled, do I sense a hint of a theory here?

[The Good Michael]

Wickerman,

The Ripper didn't write the grafitti, but that doesn't mean it has nothing to do with the murders.

Mike

[Howard Brown]

No wonder Long didn't see it 'till he was standing over the apron..

I say,... size matters..- a heathen, non-believer from Britain covered in hay..

If thats the case,J.S...then me n' the G are doing fine.

Cheers !

[Wickerman]

Excuse me, Man O' Straw...

The "G" had 3/4 inch capital letters and its height has been mentioned before.

No wonder Long didn't see it 'till he was standing over the apron..

I say,... size matters..

[Howard Brown]

Excuse me, Man O' Straw...

The "G" had 3/4 inch capital letters and its height has been mentioned before.

[Wickerman]

Ladies & Gents.
I can see I will have to find the reference for this, but, Has anyone even mentioned that this graffiti was only 1" (approx) tall?

If a killer is going to advertize his presence he is going to broadcast his scribble in large bold letters, not itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny 1 inch high characters "in a round schoolboy hand".

C'mon people, the graffiti has nothing to do with the killings..

[caz]

Hi All,

Nope, I still can't see why the message can't be interpreted as almost a private joke, in conjunction with the discarded apron, along the lines of: "Hmmm, let's see the Joos wriggle out of this". In other words, Leather Apron wriggled out of it last time; now let's see 'em all wriggle out of Cotton Apron.

If the apron was laid strategically, along with the blame, at the Jews' door (yes, I realise it's a big if, but aren't they all?), then it does give meaning to such a message, regardless of whether or not Jack wrote it, and no matter what the writer intended it to mean.

I think Jack would have been pleased with the result in any case - but only if he wasn't Jewish himself. Not much difference to him whether it was all about a Jew selling faulty shoes or littering his own doorstep with crime scene evidence. It was all in the perception - still is.

Love,

Caz
X

[DVV]

Double negative or not, Long or not, in 1888 most people interpreted the GSG as a blame against the Jews.
Other interpretations are possible, but they will never be the most obvious.

Amitiés,
David

[fido]

Well! I thought I would be saying that I agreed with Suzi and JohnR and Rob and Glenn, only to find that I'd apparently been over this in the podcast and was being quoted.
I would only gloss it by saying I put forward the suggestion 20 years ago, noting the double negative as an intensifier and suggesting that it meant "Jews are people who won't accept responsibility [be blamed] for anything". That it was written by an angry gentile at apartments largely occupied by Jews, probably because he was dissatisfied with some purchase or deal and couldn't get his money back; and this was made the more probable as the doorway was the nearest niche to Wentworth Street, the market for secondhand shoes - something easy to find unsatisfactory after walkkng a little.
Of course it's all speculation and it all depends on assuming that the writing had been there and unnoticed by Long and was not the work of the murderer. It got the accolade of approval from Richard Whittington-Egan at the time: the only thing to commend it, perhaps, in this HUGE discussion of all possibilities is that IF it's accepted as a source the message is clear and although it doesn't specify the precise grievance, complete enough in itself - "I'm pissed off with some Jew who won't admit he's done me wrong!"
All the best,
Martin F

[Monty]

True Dan,

However any mention of murder, murders, Mitre sq or the apron would remove the need for interpretation.

Monty

[Dan Norder]

As the writing contains no reference to the murder or murders

Well, that of course depends upon your interpretation of what the graffito was intended to mean.

[Sam Flynn]

Youre more an owl Gareth.

Woo-hoo!