Diane Abbott doubles down on apparent claim that Jews don’t suffer from racism
Diane Abbott has doubled down on comments about Jews in a letter to The Observer that previously got her suspended from the Labour Party.
The letter, published in 2023, was in response to an article in The Observer by Tomiwa Owolade, which commented on a new report on ethnic inequality that revealed that “Irish, Jewish and Traveller people are among the most abused.”
When asked in an interview with James Naughtie on BBC Radio 4 if she looked back on the letter with regret, Ms Abbott responded: “No, not at all.”
She also said: “Clearly, there must be a difference between racism, which is about colour and other types of racism because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don’t know. You don’t know unless you stop to speak to them or you’re in a meeting with them. But if you see a black person walking down the street, you see straight away that they’re black. They are different types of racism.”
Reporting the news, the BBC misleadingly wrote: “The veteran Labour MP was asked about a letter she sent to the Observer in April 2023 in which she suggested people of colour experienced racism in a different way to Jewish people, Irish people and Travellers.”
The article has since been edited, but it appears that the BBC has not acknowledged or apologised for the error.
Campaign Against Antisemitism is submitting a complaint to the BBC.
A spokesperson for the Labour Party said: “There is no place for antisemitism in the Labour Party. We take these comments incredibly seriously, and will assess them in line with Labour Party’s rules and procedures.”
In her letter in 2023, Ms Abbott wrote: “Tomiwa Owolade claims that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people all suffer from ‘racism’. They undoubtedly experience prejudice. This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable. It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus. In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships.”
Following an outcry, Ms Abbott issued a retraction, writing: “I wish to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and dissociate myself from them. The errors arose in an initial draft being sent. But there is no excuse, and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused. Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travellers and many others. Once again, I would like to apologise publicly for the remarks and any distress caused as a result of them.”
The Labour Party suspended Ms Abbott at the time, before eventually reinstating her.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “When is the Labour Party finally going to show Diane Abbott the door? It was ludicrous enough that she was readmitted to the Party after being suspended the first time for her shameful letter, but now that she has doubled down, Labour is out of excuses. If the Party fails to act, people like Ms Abbott will see this as a green light to spout their ignorant and insulting views about Jews and antisemitism.
“To make matters worse, the BBC has whitewashed her remarks, which is misleading reporting. We call, yet again, for Ms Abbott to be expelled from the Labour Party, and, yet again, for an independent investigation into the BBC and its coverage of matters of Jewish interest. It is interesting how both Labour and the BBC have struggled to get to grips with this same issue.”
