‘Jeremy Corbyn is now the figurehead for an anti-Semitic political culture, based on obsessive hatred of Israel and fake news that is doing dreadful harm to British Jews and to the British Labour Party.
Jeremy Corbyn’s troubles with anti-Semitism in the Labour Party keep developing. Somehow anti-Semitism has thrived during Corbyn’s time as Leader of the opposition and recent related behaviour in the Labour community has seen Corbyn’s popularity ratings plummet. Last weekend under the banner of “Enough Is Enough”, hundreds of protestors demonstrated outside Labour’s HQ in Westminster to show the strength of zero tolerance for anti-Semitism. On the stage comedienne and actress Maureen Lipman called Corbyn “malign”; Lipman vociferously denounced her former party to the crowd and claimed Corbyn had turned her into a Tory.
The socialist award winning film director Ken Loach has since demanded that all the Labour MP’s who had remonstrated during the rally against anti-Semitism be deselected or in his words “kicked out”. These include senior Labour moderates such as John Mann, Luciana Berger, Chuka Umuna, Liz Kendall, John Woodcock and Stella Creasy.
In March, The Board of Deputies of British Jews and The Jewish Leadership Council wrote to Labour in an open letter “We conclude that he (Corbyn) cannot seriously contemplate anti-Semitism, because he is so ideologically fixed within a far left worldview that is instinctively hostile to mainstream Jewish communities….Jeremy Corbyn is now the figurehead for an anti-Semitic political culture, based on obsessive hatred of Israel, conspiracy theories and fake news that is doing dreadful harm to British Jews and to the British Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn is the only person with the power to demand that it stops. Enough is enough.”
Jeremy Corbyn has acknowledged “pockets” of anti-Semitism within his party, and he responded “I am committed to making our Party a welcoming and secure place for Jewish people. Zero tolerance for anti-Semites means what it says, and the Party will proceed in that spirit…The battle against anti-Semitism should never become a party political issue. It must unite all of us if we are both to honour the memory of the victims of the bestial crimes of the 20th century and build a future of equality and justice for all. In that spirit, I must make it clear that I will never be anything other than a militant opponent of anti-Semitism. In this fight, I am your ally and always will be.”
But since then Corbyn has attended a Passover celebration with a left-wing radical group named Jewdas, known to be hostile to mainstream Jewish communities. Corbyn has also been exposed as being a member of overtly anti-Semitic Facebook groups, he has now deleted his personal FB page. Lord Polak backed by 10 cross party Peers, including Lord Sugar, has written to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner demanding a Scotland Yard investigation into online anti-Semitic abuse and unambiguous hate speech by Corbyn’s supporters.
Dorian Bartley Labour Party member, activist and officer with responsibility for Black Asian and Minority Ethnic representation in Lambeth-London, did not help matters when it was discovered he had posted on social media photographs with captions comparing Benjamin Netanyahu with Adolph Hitler amongst other topical images with controversial captions.
The Labor Party of Israel has broadcast the suspension of all formal relations with the British Labour Party until the anti-Semitism in the party is adequately addressed; Avi Gabby accused Corbyn of very public hatred of Israel security policies.
Charles Moore points out the possible immorality behind Labour’s anti-Semitism in The Spectator magazine: “The worst thought is that greater publicity for Labour anti-Semitism could actually win Labour some votes in the London elections in May.
There is no recorded instance of candidates suffering electorally among Muslims for anti-Semitism. The same might apply to London black voters and to much of the London middle-class student vote as well. The Jewish vote is not nearly so numerous, except in a handful of constituencies.”
SajitJavid, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has initiated the first ever general debate on anti-Semitism in Parliament on 17 April. Javid tweeted: “I strongly urge you to attend and speak, and take this opportunity to clarify your position on the world’s oldest hatred”. Will Corbyn continue with his party’s conspiracy theory that all this is a plot by the Conservative Party to discredit him? In the 21st century UK there can be no excuses in Britain’s secondary political party for such virulent anti-Semitism, Labour have forfeited the trust of the Jewish community