Ken Loach is a brilliant British film director. That is a precious skill, because cinematography is a key medium to ensure that holders of differing opinions communicate with each other. And Loach has an excellent history of bringing difficult subjects to the attention of big screen viewers.

This week, Loach spat in the eyes of his own profession. He actively and successfully campaigned to ensure that the Edinburgh International Film Festival did not receive a small grant to feature an Israeli film.

The film is a romance set in a sex-therapy clinic, and makes no reference to war or politics. It recently won an award for Best Film at Israel’s International Women’s Film Festival. The film is produced by a Tel Aviv University student

So what? Loach was looking to ban Israeli participation.

EIFF had commented that: “Not accepting support from one particular country ‘would set a dangerous precedent by politicising what is a wholly cultural and artistic mission. We are firm believers in free cultural exchange, and do not feel that ghettoising filmmakers or restricting their ability to communicate artistically on the basis that they come from a troubled territory is of any benefit.”

A few days later, the organisers capitulated, pathetically.

The actions of Loach are detestable. He claims that his argument against Israel is based on the country’s excessive force. If that were true, why does he not complain about Palestinians to the same degree? With true irony, as he was campaigning, rockets landed on people’s homes in Sderot, southern Israel.

Loach is a hypocrite. By isolating one group of people in the global society to relieve his hatred, he opens himself to the accusal of racism. He copies tactics employed by those who have hated Jews over the centuries, and wraps in acceptable 21st century spin.

The acclaimed director has learnt how to control the communication of others.

I bet that Ken Loach cultivated his political activism partially on the works on George Orwell, the author of 1984.

One key message of Orwell’s philosophy was the need to speak out when people try to clamp dows on freedom of expression. Loach has crossed that line of human decency.