Antisemitism in Political Parties

Kirsten De Keyser

2020 (2021): Green Party candidate for Barnet and Camden, London Assembly

2019: Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Holborn and St Pancras

2019: Green Party European parliamentary candidate for London

2018: Green Party candidate, Highgate ward, Camden Borough Council

Incidents

  1. On 28th April 2016, Kirsten De Keyser tweeted a link to an article entitled, “Corbyn’s Labour must be more decisive on antisemitism”, which criticised the handling of alleged antisemitism within the Labour Party, and discussed issues relating to defining antisemitism. Ms De Keyser added the hashtags “#PalestineIsStillTheIssue” and “#JewsAreNotZionists”.
  2. On 29th September 2019, a statement was published in the London Green Left blog, to which Ms De Keyser was a signatory. The statement included the following accusation against Campaign Against Antisemitism: “CAA is a campaign which systematically makes accusations of antisemitism against pro-Palestine activists (esp. Jewish ones). To take up this complaint would be to collude in an anti-Palestinian agenda that would also discredit the Green Party. It is astonishing that the Party could fall for such a tactic, unwittingly or through lack of political courage.” It further asserted: “The IHRA definition poses a serious threat to academic freedom and freedom of expression by conflating opposition to Israeli policies with antisemitism…A complaint which now exploits the definition, without the backing of conference, in order to frame allegations against a member is itself evidence of this threat. For the Green Party to sponsor a politically motivated external campaign against one of its own spokespersons is an affront…”

Analysis

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis is that Ms De Keyser’s actions and statements amount to breaches of the International Definition of Antisemitism and qualify as antisemitic discourse according to our methodology.

Zionism is an expression of national self-determination for Jews, and since the establishment of the State of Israel, of support for the continued existence of that state. However, the allegation that Zionism is an inherently far-right and racist ideology was promulgated by the Soviet Union in the post-war era until 1989, as part of a deliberate and explicitly antisemitic campaign to persecute Jewish citizens who wished to practise their religion and/or leave the Soviet Union — especially to emigrate to Israel — as well as to demonise and undermine Israel on the foreign stage for global strategic gain. A singular purpose of this propaganda was to drive a false distinction between “Jews” and “Zionists”, in which the latter is the enemy of the former, and the embodiment of many older antisemitic tropes. By stating that “Jews are not Zionists” [1], Ms De Keyser was demonising Zionist Jews, and as such was “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination”

By signing a statement which accused a Jewish charity fighting antisemitism of being a “politically motivated external campaign” enacting an “anti-Palestinian agenda” by “systematically [making] accusations of antisemitism against pro-Palestine activists” [2],she was endorsing the deployment of the so-called ‘Livingstone Formulation, by accusing Jews who cite evidence of antisemitism of lying, conspiring or having deceitful motives in doing so, when there is clear evidence that there have been breaches of the International Definition of Antisemitism. This further constitutes “making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising, or stereotypical allegations about Jews…”

Outcome

In September 2020, Campaign Against Antisemitism put this matter to both Ms De Keyser and the Green Party; Ms De Keyser did not respond, and the Green Party told us it was unable to comment on individual cases lest it prove prejudicial to any future disciplinary proceedings.

At the time of writing, on 16th September 2020, it is not known whether any action has been taken by the Green Party against Ms De Keyser.

Rating

Campaign Against Antisemitism has rated the Party’s handling of this matter as “bad”. Our rating system is explained in our methodology. This case was last updated on 16th September 2020.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has rated the Party’s handling of this matter as “unsatisfactory”. Our rating system is explained in our methodology. This case was last updated on 1st Monthember 2019.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has rated the Party’s handling of this matter as “good”. Our rating system is explained in our methodology. This case was last updated on 1st Monthember 2019.

Justice, justice, you shall pursue - צדק צדק תרדף
© Copyright - Campaign Against Antisemitism, all rights reserved. Our logo is a registered trademark.
Campaign Against Antisemitism is a charitable incorporated organisation registered with the Charity Commission (number 1163790).
Use of our website is subject to our terms. Trees are planted every year to keep our work carbon neutral.