Antisemitism in Political Parties

Gerald Kaufman

1983-2017: Labour Member of Parliament, Manchester Gorton

2015-2017: Father of the House of Commons

1970-1983: Labour Member of Parliament, Manchester Ardwick

Incidents

On 15th January 2009, speaking in a debate at the House of Commons, Sir Gerald Kaufman said: [a] “My parents came to Britain as refugees from Poland. Most of their families were subsequently murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust. My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town of Staszow. A German soldier shot her dead in her bed. My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza. [b] The current Israeli Government ruthlessly and cynically exploit the continuing guilt among gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians. The implication is that Jewish lives are precious, but the lives of Palestinians do not count. On Sky News a few days ago, the spokeswoman for the Israeli army, Major Leibovich, was asked about the Israeli killing of, at that time, 800 Palestinians—the total is now 1,000. She replied instantly that “500 of them were militants.” [c] That was the reply of a Nazi.”
On 23rd March 2010, speaking at a meeting of the Friends of Al Aqsa group in Parliament, Sir Gerald reportedly said: “Just as Lord Ashcroft owns one part of the Conservative Party, right-wing Jewish millionaires own the other part.”
On 30th March 2011, during a debate in the House of Commons, Sir Gerald commented when Jewish MP Louise Ellman rose to speak: “Here we are, the Jews again”, prompting another MP to raise a point of order in which the former’s language was described as “unparliamentary”.
On 27th October 2015, speaking at an event organised by the Palestine Return Centre at which he was the host, Sir Gerald made a speech in which he reportedly said: “We are the only people who can try to get this government to change its policy. Martin wonders why this government’s policy has gone farther and farther and more and more pro-Israeli, but I’ll tell you because I can tell you in a way which perhaps nobody else in this room can tell you. It’s Jewish money, Jewish donations, to the Conservative Party as in the general election in May, support from the Jewish Chronicle, all of those things, bias the Conservatives.”

Analysis

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

By making a speech in which Israel’s behaviour in Gaza was compared to that of the Nazis [1a][1c], he was “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”

The assertion that Jews exploit the Holocaust politically and financially is an antisemitic trope based on the perception of negative Jewish character traits; namely the classic antisemitic stereotypical portrayal of Jews as dishonest and greedy. This trope is now so widespread that, in a 2018 CNN survey, a third of Europeans expressed the opinion that Jews exploit the Holocaust. By making a speech alleging that the Holocaust is being exploited for political ends [1b], therefore, he was “making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.”

By alleging that “right-wing Jewish millionaires own the other part [of the Conservative Party]” [2]; and by alleging that “Jewish money, Jewish donations, to the Conservative Party” and “support from the Jewish Chronicle” was influencing the British government, causing it to be biased in favour of Israel [4], he was further “making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.”

His comment in [3], in which he disparagingly drew attention to the ethnicity of a Jewish MP when she rose to speak, presenting her as belonging to a group from which he distanced himself by referring to her as a member of “the Jews”, thereby “othering” her, constitutes a “rhetorical…[manifestation] of antisemitism.”

Outcome

On 31st March 2010, it was reported that Sir Gerald had refused to comment on his reported remarks in [2].

On 8th April 2010, it was reported that, although his fellow MP Martin Linton had apologised for comments he had made during the same meeting in [2], Sir Gerald had still not done so.

On 31st March 2011, it was reported that Sir Gerald had made a statement relating to his comments in [3], saying: “I regret if any remarks I made in the chamber caused offence. If they did, I apologise.”

On 29th October 2015, Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote to both the Opposition Chief Whip and the Labour Party Press Office to report Sir Gerald’s comments in [2]. Additionally, CAA’s Chairman made a formal complaint (which must be made in a personal capacity under Parliamentary rules) to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

On 2nd November 2015, it was reported that the Opposition Chief Whip had agreed to meet with Sir Gerald, but had refused to say whether this was part of a formal disciplinary process. The only response to have been received at that time from the Labour Party was the observation that: “The views as reported, do not reflect the views of The Labour Party.”

On 3rd November 2015, it was reported that Jeremy Corbyn had condemned Sir Gerald’s remarks, calling them “unacceptable and deeply regrettable”. It was further reported that eight Labour MPs had signed a letter demanding that formal disciplinary proceedings be instigated against Sir Gerald, and describing his remarks as “unacceptable, untrue and discriminatory.”

On 10th November 2015, it was reported that the Opposition Chief Whip and Jeremy Corbyn had written to Jewish community groups expressing the hope that Sir Gerald would apologise for his comments. There is no record of an apology ever having been made.

Sir Gerald died on 26th February 2017. There remains no evidence of his having been disciplined by the Labour Party.

It should be noted that, notwithstanding his apparent belief that being Jewish permitted him to make such comments — as shown in his statement in [4]: “I’ll tell you because I can tell you in a way which perhaps nobody else in this room can tell you” — neither being born Jewish nor being a practising Jew changes the nature or effects of statements that manifestly and objectively disseminate antisemitic discourse, as is demonstrably the case with Sir Gerald.

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 15th September 2020.

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