Momentum’s Laura Parker defends Jeremy Corbyn and Labour on antisemitism

Laura Parker, Momentum’s National Coordinator, was challenged on LBC on Labour’s antisemitism crisis and the role of Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

Ms Parker recognised that the antisemitism crisis “has troubled people” but insisted that Momentum “has been clear there is no place for antisemitism in the Labour Party or in wider society,” claiming that “Labour is a Party of anti-racist activity – we’ve got people up and down the country who are working with community groups.”

Although Ms Parker conceded that there are “some people with views which are you know somewhere between unpalatable and absolutely unacceptable,” she stressed that this was a minuscule proportion of the Party’s membership. She also submitted that “the Labour Party has taken measures to address this. It’s – you know – got a new general secretary, it’s looked through all of its compliance procedures, I mean we at Momentum we’ve down a huge amount of work – we’ve put some films out which have been seen by millions of people, explaining to people about antisemitism, where it comes from and its historic roots…really trying to educate people, and well beyond our own membership, and I mean we’ve got lots of members but we’ve got films that have been seen by hundreds of thousands of people, and not in an aggressive way and not in a lecturing way, but there are obviously some people, online maybe, who’ve been caught up in things, there’s obviously some – out there in Britain – there are some people with some very very objectionable views.”

She added that “I’m completely opposed to antisemitism as all forms of racism.”

Turning to Mr Corbyn, she urged that listeners “look at his track record …look at people from synagogues and temples who for years and years and years have engaged with Jeremy Corbyn.”

As to Labour MPs, she observed that while some had resigned from the Party, “obviously the overwhelming majority haven’t and they don’t believe these things” about Labour’s antisemitism.

Ms Parker has previously claimed that she could count the genuine instances of antisemitism among Momentum members “on the fingers of one hand,” has said that “we do the victims of sexism, of antisemitism, of racism, of transphobia, a great disservice if we weaponise and politicise these things,” and has vied to become Labour’s candidate in Enfield North, which was held by Joan Ryan MP who resigned from Labour in protest at antisemitism.

On 28th May, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a full statutory investigation following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

In recent months, thirteen MPs and three peers have resigned from the Labour Party over antisemitism, along with a large number of MEPs, councillors and members.

Over 57,000 people have now signed our petition denouncing Jeremy Corbyn as an antisemite and declaring him “unfit to hold any public office.”