CAA files fresh disciplinary complaint against Jeremy Corbyn over allegations that he actively participated in a secret Facebook group where antisemitism was on brazen display

A document issued today contains screenshots allegedly showing that Jeremy Corbyn was a participating member in a secret Facebook group called “Palestine Live” in which vehement antisemitism was posted, right up until his first weeks as Leader of the Labour Party.

The screenshots, gathered by blogger David Collier, catalogue exchanges which apparently took place within the Facebook group, including discussion of conspiracy myths about the Rothschild family and supposed Israeli involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as well as links to material produced by neo-Nazi groups.

The Facebook group’s membership reportedly includes numerous antisemites and Jew-baiters, including Paul Eisen, Baroness Jenny Tonge and Gilad Atzmon. Some users are said to have shared articles by conspiracy theorist David Icke and David Duke, former grand wizard of the KKK. Other members of the group allegedly include Thomas Suarez and the journalist, Paul Mason.

Among many chilling posts, the screenshots show members of the group discussing whether they prefer the term “ZioNazi” to “JewNazi’. One member is shown commenting: “am reading Mein Kampf [by Adolf Hitler]…everybody should be forced to read it, especially Jews who have their own agenda as to why they were not liked”. The Labour Party’s logo is also proudly displayed in the group, alongside exhortations to join the Party, even as links to articles from far-right websites such as the Daily Stormer and Veterans Today are circulated by group users.

The Facebook group appears to link those responsible for disseminating extreme antisemitism with a host of current supporters and members of Mr Corbyn’s team, as well as sitting members of the House of Lords and the Labour Party’s leadership team. Clive Lewis MP appears to be a member, as does Mr Corbyn’s son, Seb, as well as a key member of his inner team, Jack Bond. Former Labour councillor Terry Couchman and members of so-called Jewish Voice for Labour also appear to have been present.

Mr Corbyn allegedly stooped to personally comment in threads that include the term “Zio”, which even Baroness Chakrabarti’s whitewash report into antisemitism in the Labour Party condemned as an unacceptable term of abuse. He also collaborated with group members to organise an anti-Israel event that took place in his own office. Following the meeting on 3rd October 2017, in a thread contributed to by activists who overtly disseminate antisemitism, Mr Corbyn acknowledges those who organised the event, and apologises for his absence. In one comment he aligns himself with a group member who declares that “Israel is illegitimate” and in another he praises the controversial Dr Mads Gilbert, who has said of the 9/11 attacks: “the oppressed also have a moral right to attack the USA with any weapon they can come up with.”

Joseph D. Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “There is no conceivable justification for Jeremy Corbyn’s participation in this group. One of Mr Corbyn’s slogans is ‘standing up, not standing by’, but in this case he has not stood up but instead he actively joined in. As a result of these allegations, we will be filing a disciplinary complaint to the Labour Party against Jeremy Corbyn, Clive Lewis, Sebastian Corbyn and Jack Bond, submitting that participation in such a Facebook group is “grossly detrimental” to the Party under Chapter 2, Clause I (8) of the Party’s rule book, as well as breaching the Labour Party Social Media Policy agreed by the National Executive Committee in 2016, which requires that Party members report “hateful language” by other Labour Party members.

“We will also be reviving our disciplinary complaint against Mr Corbyn from September 2016 which the Labour Party has ignored until now. We further call on all MPs of all parties to condemn the alleged participation of Mr Corbyn and others within the group.”