Advertisement
UK markets closed
  • FTSE 100

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • FTSE 250

    19,884.73
    +74.07 (+0.37%)
     
  • AIM

    743.26
    +1.15 (+0.15%)
     
  • GBP/EUR

    1.1697
    +0.0003 (+0.03%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2622
    -0.0016 (-0.13%)
     
  • Bitcoin GBP

    56,108.63
    +1,043.36 (+1.89%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,254.35
    +5.86 (+0.11%)
     
  • DOW

    39,807.37
    +47.29 (+0.12%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    83.11
    -0.06 (-0.07%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,168.07
    -594.66 (-1.46%)
     
  • HANG SENG

    16,541.42
    +148.58 (+0.91%)
     
  • DAX

    18,492.49
    +15.40 (+0.08%)
     
  • CAC 40

    8,205.81
    +1.00 (+0.01%)
     

Jewish MPs angry at claims that anti-Semitism is exaggerated

Jewish MPs are outraged by the latest claims of Momentum activists that allegations of anti-Semitism within the Labour Party are exaggerated.

Momentum members at a meeting to discuss anti-Semitism said the stories of abuse have been "whipped up" and "weaponised" to undermine Jeremy Corbyn.

Jackie Walker, vice chair of Momentum, said the issue had "become a weapon of political mass destruction" and there was "little if any" evidence that anti-Semitism was a major problem within the Labour ranks.

Ms Walker, who is Jewish, was suspended from Labour earlier this year for claiming that Jews were the "chief financiers of the slave trade" but was later readmitted after arguing that her words were taken out of context.

ADVERTISEMENT

Speaking at a festival organised by Momentum on the fringes of the Labour conference in Liverpool, she said: "The most fundamental aim of such allegations is to undermine Jeremy, silence his supporters… It is the silencing of any criticism or potential criticism of the Israeli state, attacking and undermining anyone who supports Palestinian rights."

Many activists in the room applauded the comments.

Ms Walker was backed up by another speaker Jonathan Rosenhead from Free Speech on Israel, who said: "There is an elephant in the room. How has this monstrous soufflé of moral panic whipped up? Where did this come from?"

To laughter in the room he added: "We need to ask this soufflé who are the cooks? Where is the kitchen? What are the implements?"

The comments echo those of Marc Wadsworth - a Labour activist who became infamous for berating Jewish MP Ruth Smeeth during the presentation of an investigation into anti-Semitism.

Mr Wadsworth told Sky News he didn't know Ms Smeeth was Jewish at the time, but added that "certain right wing MPs have weaponised the issue of anti-Semitism to attack Jeremy Corbyn and that is very wrong."

National Chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, Jeremy Newmark was invited to the Momentum event and challenged the room to produce examples of a "conspiracy to silence legitimate critique of the state of Israel" within the Jewish community.

He claimed that Ms Walker's "use of an anti-Semitic myth" about the slave trade caused "hurt and pain" and led to verbal abuse of a Jewish Labour member.

He argued that there was a serious problem of abuse in the Labour Party but, after giving examples, was accused by others of relying on "anecdotal" stories.

Jewish MP Luciana Berger responded to comments from the Momentum meeting, saying: "Those of us at the sharp end of abuse and attacks will be the judge of whether anti-Semitism has been exaggerated or not."

Ms Berger also suggested that former London mayor Ken Livingstone, who was caught up in an anti-Semitism row earlier this year, should be expelled from the party.

She said: "That's why there is no place for Ken Livingstone in the Labour Party, not only for his own views which he has continued to espouse unapologetically, but because of the views of some of the people with whom he has associated over the last 30 years."

On Sunday Labour peer Lord Mitchell resigned from the party in protest at anti-Semitism.

Mr Corbyn insists his party is united in tackling the issue.