Tag Archive for: Jeremy Corbyn

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Government promises to end public funding to mosques that host hate-preachers 

The Government has pledged to halt public funding of mosques that host hate-preachers. 

An investigation by the JC revealed that four mosques that have hosted inflammatory speakers in Britain have received substantial public grants in recent years. 

The investigation found that Finsbury Park Mosque in North London received almost £300,000 from Islington Council between 2017 and 2022. 

Earlier this year, the mosque’s General Secretary, Mohammed Kozbar, reportedly wrote on Facebook that he was “honoured” to meet the antisemitic former Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad. 

In 2015, Mr Kozbar allegedly visited the grave of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and described him as “the master of the martyrs of resistance, the mujahid [holy warrior] sheikh, the teacher.” Mr Yassin is known as one of the founders of Hamas, an antisemitic genocidal terrorist group.

Mr Kozbar has also reportedly met senior Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud al-Zahar.

In 2021, the UK banned Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist group following calls by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.

Mr Kozbar also hosted Egyptian cleric Omar Abdelkafi. Despite Mr Abdelkafi’s record of quoting from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and a Facebook post that included a prayer to “liberate the al-Aqsa mosque from the filth of the Jews,” Mr Kozbar reportedly described him as “our beloved preacher”.

In 2011, Mr Kozbar was reportedly caught on video speaking at an anti-Israel rally, where he allegedly said that he looked forward “to the end of Israel, inshallah.”

He has also reportedly given public support to the disgraced Bristol University academic David Miller and to Shaima Dallali, who was removed from her position as President of the National Union of Students amidst allegations of antisemitism.

Days after the investigation was published, Jeremy Corbyn, the former Leader of the Labour Party, wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: “Finsbury Park Mosque offers a place of peace, hope and solidarity to so many people in our community. We will not be divided by those in our media who seek to sow hatred and fear. It is love for our neighbours, whatever their faith, that unites us all.”

According to the investigation, Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre in Birmingham was reported in August to have received a grant of £2.2million from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). 

The funding is understood to come from a Government Youth Investment Fund and is for the mosque to build a centre for young people. The centre would host courses provided by the mosque on topics such as “how to empower marginalised communities” and “critical thinking”.

The decision to award the mosque money was reportedly made by the Social Investment Business (SIB). SIB is a foundation that is contracted by DCMS to help with decisions in social investment. 

A spokesperson for SIB said that the distribution of the grant has been “paused”. A “pre-construction” grant of £600,000 however, has already been paid to the mosque. 

In terms of SIB’s vetting processes, the spokesperson said: “Prior to any decision to award beneficiaries funding, due diligence checks are conducted.” 

The spokesperson added: “This includes information publicly available via the Charity Commission and Companies House, as well as extensive assessments of project bids and documentation.” 

In 2021, Shaykh Zakaullah Saleem, the mosque’s Head Imam and Head of Education, reportedly said in a recorded talk that female adulterers should be killed and that “there must be a hole dug in the earth and she [the adulterer] must be covered up to half her body.” 

In 2019, Shaykh abu Usamah at-Thahabi, who is known to be a regular speaker at Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre, appeared in a video that was posted to the mosque’s YouTube channel in which he said that he was stopped from entering Israel as he was considered a “threat to public safety”. He later reportedly remarked in the same video that he was not a threat and that his visit was to see holy sites in Jerusalem before comparing Israel to a “concentration camp”. 

In another video, Mr Thahabi allegedly said that “the Jews made a lot of trouble for the Arabs in Medina, a lot of trouble.”

He has also reportedly expressed homophobic beliefs publicly which included saying, “you make sure you kill the one who is doing it and the one who it is being done to,” after suggesting that Shariah law permitted killing LGBTQ+ people. 

It is also understood that the mosque hosted a speaker who claimed that Jews are “people of envy” who “killed the prophets and the messengers”. 

Another video appeared to show a leading imam of the mosque saying that women who are adulterous should be stoned to death. 

A spokesperson for Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre claimed that the video “lacked context” and was “taken from a wide-ranging theological discourse that included the recounting of events in Arabia over 1,400 years ago…he did not suggest that these practices have a place in UK society.”

The investigation also found that Lewisham Islamic Centre in South London received nearly £540,000 between 2015 and 2022 in “local authority grants”. 

In 2016, the mosque’s Head Imam, Shakeel Begg, was determined by a High Court judge to have “promoted violence in support of Islam” during his unsuccessful libel claim against the BBC.

It is also understood that Mr Begg told young Muslims to “go to Palestine and fight the Zionists.”

Lewisham Council has reportedly said that it has no record of the grants made between 2015 and 2022.

Michael Adebolajo, who murdered British soldier Lee Rigby, used to be a member of the Lewisham congregation and attended a speech by Mr Begg at the mosque in 2021. During the speech, Mr Begg reportedly showed support for the use of rockets against Israel. Mr Adebolajo described the speech as “inspiring”. 

Mr Begg said that he was “appalled” by the murder of Mr Rigby. 

In the centre’s 2022 Annual Report, there is an endorsement by Ellie Reeves, the Labour MP for Lewisham West, which says that the centre does “absolutely brilliant work for the Lewisham community”. In the same report, Damian Egan, the Labour Mayor of Lewisham, described it as “a source of guidance, community and friendship”. 

Another mosque was revealed to have received over £850,000 between 2017 and 2022. Jamia Islamia Ghousia in Luton is believed to have received the funding locally from its town council. 

In 2021, Jamia Islamia Ghousia allegedly backed a rally where the speaker, Attiq Malik, reportedly claimed that Israel was committing “genocide” and said that this was underreported in the media due to “global censorship by Zionists”.

It is understood that the mosque’s Chief Imam attended the rally. 

At the same rally, another speaker reportedly said that “Israel is a disease that needs to be cut out,” before leading a chant that said: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism. 

According to the Definition, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” is an example of antisemitism.

It is understood that following the investigation, Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, and Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary are pushing for better “due diligence” checks to be conducted by the Government and local governing bodies.

Rachel Hopkins, the Labour MP for Luton South, attended the rally and said to local media afterwards: “I was proud to speak at today’s Luton demo against the abuses in Israel and Palestine. There’s no justification for such violent, traumatic attacks.” 

Campaign Against Antisemitism works to raise awareness of antisemitism among all faith and minority communities.

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Following CAA action, Newcastle music venue cancels screening of antisemitism-denial film

Following correspondence with Campaign Against Antisemitism, a music venue in Newcastle has cancelled a screening of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The screening of the film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie was due to be shown earlier this month at The Lubber Fiend, but the booking is understood to have been made by a third party, and not by the venue itself, which we understand was not made aware of the nature of the film.

The news comes shortly after, following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, Glastonbury Festival, YMCA, Unite union, Basildon Council, North Ayrshire Council, the national pub retailer Greene King, Tolpuddle Village Hall, Yeovil Labour Club, a Nottinghamshire church, Ludlow Assembly Rooms and independent venues around the country, have cancelled screenings of the film.

The film claims that it “investigates the ‘secret war’ waged against Corbyn” and questions whether there was an “orchestrated campaign” against the former Party leader.

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also featured in the film is the disgraced academic and conspiracy theorist, David Miller, who was fired by the University of Bristol in 2021 over comments he had made about Jewish students, a month after Campaign Against Antisemitism commenced a lawsuit on behalf of current students against the institution and amidst a Jewish communal outcry. More recently, he tweeted that “Jews are not discriminated against” before going on to write: “They are over-represented in Europe, North America and Latin America in positions of cultural, economic and political power.”

Another contributor involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration. However, Mr Murray has since sought to distance himself from the film.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends the venue for its swift and decisive action to cancel the screening as soon as we brought it to its attention.

Additionally, we received confirmation from the Widcombe Social Club that a planned screening of the film, at which Mr Loach was also due to speak, was cancelled, as has one at Havant and Emsworth United Reformed Church, the independent book retailer, October Books, and Leicester Students’ Union.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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Following CAA action, Ludlow Assembly Rooms cancel screening of antisemitism-denial film

Following correspondence with Campaign Against Antisemitism, Ludlow Assembly Rooms has cancelled a screening of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The screening of the film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie was due to be shown earlier this month, but the booking is understood to have been made by a third party, and not by the venue itself, which we understand was not made aware of the nature of the film.

The news comes shortly after, following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, Glastonbury Festival, YMCA, Unite union, Basildon Council, North Ayrshire Council, the national pub retailer Greene King, Tolpuddle Village Hall, Yeovil Labour Club, a Nottinghamshire church and independent venues around the country, have cancelled screenings of the film.

The film claims that it “investigates the ‘secret war’ waged against Corbyn” and questions whether there was an “orchestrated campaign” against the former Party leader.

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also featured in the film is the disgraced academic and conspiracy theorist, David Miller, who was fired by the University of Bristol in 2021 over comments he had made about Jewish students, a month after Campaign Against Antisemitism commenced a lawsuit on behalf of current students against the institution and amidst a Jewish communal outcry. More recently, he tweeted that “Jews are not discriminated against” before going on to write: “They are over-represented in Europe, North America and Latin America in positions of cultural, economic and political power.”

Another contributor involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration. However, Mr Murray has since sought to distance himself from the film.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends the venue for its swift and decisive action to cancel the screening as soon as we brought it to its attention.

Additionally, we received confirmation from the Widcombe Social Club that a planned screening of the film, at which Mr Loach was also due to speak, was cancelled, as has one at Havant and Emsworth United Reformed Church, the independent book retailer, October Books, and Leicester Students’ Union.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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Labour MP faces backlash over Corbyn invitation as two councillors come under fire over antisemitism claims

A Labour Party MP is facing a backlash after inviting Jeremy Corbyn to speak at an event.

Kate Osamor, the MP for Edmonton, has been criticised following a post on her Facebook page about her “political summer school”.

The post read: “Really pleased to be joined by Jeremy Corbyn at my Political Summer School. Without exception the students remain inspired and excited by Jeremy and the politics of hope that he represents.” 

It is understood that a number of Ms Osamor’s constituents have written to the MP to express their concerns. One constituent said: “There are still pockets in the party who are problematic. Kate should be helping fight back against these people, rather than pandering to someone like Corbyn who can’t bring himself to fully accept the recommendations of the EHRC [Equality and Human Rights Commission] report.”

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Meanwhile, two Labour councillors have come under fire following accusations of denying or engaging in antisemitism. 

Cllr Raymond Moon, of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, has been suspended from the Labour group on the Council after he sponsored the screening of Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie at the Tunbridge Wells Forum.

The antisemitism-denial propaganda film claims that it “investigates the ‘secret war’ waged against Corbyn” and questions whether there was an “orchestrated campaign” against the former Party leader.

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration. However, Mr Murray has since sought to distance himself from the film.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

Of his suspension, Cllr Moon said: “I was extremely upset and it’s my own party members that have instigated it. It was a blow, not having been a councillor very long. I try to represent people and this was nothing to do with the party as far as I saw it, it was just giving a personal view.”

Another councillor was suspended from the Labour Party for allegedly sharing antisemitic content online.

Even after his suspension, Cllr David Morton, who sits on the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, liked a tweet questioning the number of Jews who died during the Holocaust, although he claimed that he had misunderstood it and has since blocked the account that had originally tweeted it.

Cllr Morton said of his suspension: “I’m absolutely stunned by this. I do not hold any antisemitic views and I’m certainly not racist. I was shocked because of the allegations of antisemitism and racism. I am probably the last person to be accused of that. My father-in-law was Jewish and I was involved in the report on Kindertransport.”

Labour reportedly opened an investigation, and in the meantime, Cllr Morton resigned from the Party, citing a disagreement within the Council regarding the Clean Air Neighbourhood project as the reason for his departure.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Following CAA action, North Ayrshire Council cancel screening of antisemitism-denial film at Irvine arts centre

Following correspondence with Campaign Against Antisemitism, North Ayrshire Council has cancelled a screening of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The screening of the film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie was due to be shown tonight at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine, but the booking is understood to have been made by a third party, and not by the venue itself, which we understand was not made aware of the nature of the film.

The news comes shortly after, following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, Glastonbury Festival, YMCA, Unite union, Basildon Council, the national pub retailer Greene King, Tolpuddle Village Hall, Yeovil Labour Club, a Nottinghamshire church and independent venues around the country, have cancelled screenings of the film.

The film claims that it “investigates the ‘secret war’ waged against Corbyn” and questions whether there was an “orchestrated campaign” against the former Party leader.

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration. However, Mr Murray has since sought to distance himself from the film.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends the Council for its swift and decisive action to cancel the screening as soon as we brought it to its attention.

Additionally, we received confirmation from the Widcombe Social Club that a planned screening of the film, at which Mr Loach was also due to speak, was cancelled, as has one at Havant and Emsworth United Reformed Church, the independent book retailer, October Books, and Leicester Students’ Union.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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Following CAA action, Unite union cancels Bristol screening of antisemitism-denial film and launch of Asa Winstansley’s book ‘Weaponising Anti-Semitism’

Following correspondence with Campaign Against Antisemitism, the Unite union has cancelled the screening of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn that was due to be shown alongside a book signing and talk from Asa Winstanley.

Mr Winstanley, a controversial activist and the author of the book Weaponising Anti-Semitism, is a former Labour member who quit the Party after being suspended pending an investigation. He has called accusations of antisemitism under the Party a “smear” and has referenced “Labour’s manufactured antisemitism crisis”. He has also tweeted repeatedly in promotion of the conspiracy theory that Israel is to blame for the racist killing of George Floyd. 

The event description stated that there would be a launch of the book which apparently “shows how Labour’s antisemitism crisis was manufactured by those who feared Jeremy Corbyn’s support for the Palestinian cause and a broad progressive agenda.” A book signing and talk from Mr Winstanley was then supposed to take place.

This was due to be followed by a screening of the film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie. However, following contact from Campaign Against Antisemitism in which we pointed out that the scheduling of the event appeared to be contradictory to the reports that the film has been banned in all of Unite’s buildings, it was cancelled.

The news comes shortly after, following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, Glastonbury Festival, YMCA, Basildon Council, the national pub retailer Greene King, Tolpuddle Village Hall, Yeovil Labour Club, a Nottinghamshire church and independent venues around the country, have cancelled screenings of the film.

The film claims that it “investigates the ‘secret war’ waged against Corbyn” and questions whether there was an “orchestrated campaign” against the former Party leader.

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration. However, Mr Murray has since sought to distance himself from the film.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends Unite for its swift and decisive action to cancel the screening as soon as we brought it to its attention.

Additionally, we received confirmation from the Widcombe Social Club that a planned screening of the film, at which Mr Loach was also due to speak, was cancelled, as has one at Havant and Emsworth United Reformed Church, the independent book retailer, October Books, and Leicester Students’ Union.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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Ludlow pub cancels screening of antisemitism-denial film as a result of CAA action

Following correspondence with Campaign Against Antisemitism, a pub in the Shropshire town of Ludlow has cancelled a screening of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The screening of the film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie was due to be shown last week at the Blue Boar pub, but the booking is understood to have been made by a third party, and not by the venue itself, which we understand was not made aware of the nature of the film.

The news comes shortly after, following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, Glastonbury Festival, YMCA, Basildon Council, the national pub retailer Greene King, Tolpuddle Village Hall, Yeovil Labour Club, a Nottinghamshire church and independent venues, have cancelled screenings of the film.

The film claims that it “investigates the ‘secret war’ waged against Corbyn” and questions whether there was an “orchestrated campaign” against the former Party leader.

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration. However, Mr Murray has since sought to distance himself from the film.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends the Blue Boar for its swift and decisive action to cancel the screening as soon as we brought it to its attention.

Additionally, we received confirmation from the Widcombe Social Club that a planned screening of the film, at which Mr Loach was also due to speak, was cancelled, as has one at Havant and Emsworth United Reformed Church, the independent book retailer, October Books, and Leicester Students’ Union.

It has also been reported that, following our correspondence with Glastonbury, the major trade union Unite has also banned screenings of the film on its premises.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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Nottinghamshire church cancels screening of antisemitism-denial film following correspondence with CAA

Following correspondence with Campaign Against Antisemitism, a church in the Nottinghamshire town of Hucknall has agreed to cancel a screening of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The screening of the film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie was scheduled to be shown next week at the Church of St Peter and St Paul, but the booking is understood to have been made by a third party, and not by the venue itself, which we understand was not made aware of the nature of the film.

The news comes shortly after, following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, Glastonbury Festival, YMCA, Basildon Council, the national pub retailer Greene King, Tolpuddle Village Hall, Yeovil Labour Club and independent venues, have cancelled screenings of the film.

The film claims that it “investigates the ‘secret war’ waged against Corbyn” and questions whether there was an “orchestrated campaign” against the former Party leader.

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration. However, Mr Murray has since sought to distance himself from the film.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends the Church for its swift and decisive action to cancel the screening as soon as we brought it to its attention.

Additionally, we received confirmation from the Widcombe Social Club that a planned screening of the film, at which Mr Loach was also due to speak, was cancelled, as has one at Havant and Emsworth United Reformed Church, the independent book retailer, October Books, and Leicester Students’ Union.

It has also been reported that, following our correspondence with Glastonbury, the major trade union Unite has also banned screenings of the film on its premises.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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CAA to write to University of Leicester and UCU over lecturer’s “lies about antisemitism” rant

Campaign Against Antisemitism will be writing to the University of Leicester and the University and College Union (UCU) regarding a lecturer who delivered a rant in which he dismissed reports of antisemitism as “lies”.

Dr Joseph Choonara, a lecturer in political economy at the University and a Chair of UCU’s Leicester branch, gave a speech at last week’s Marxism Festival where he appeared on stage next to the controversial filmmaker Ken Loach.

In the video, orginally posted by the Harry’s Place Twitter account, Dr Choonara can be heard saying: “We know that the establishment turned on, and sought to destroy, Corbynism. We know that the lies about antisemitism are just that, they are lies. The lies directed towards Ken Loach are an absolute smear and a disgrace and we should reject them.”

Mr Loach was expelled from the Labour Party in August 2021 without public explanation. Mr Loach had been a leading ally of other controversial figures in Labour’s antisemitism scandal, especially those who denied that there was such a scandal of antisemitism. He said at the time of his expulsion: “Labour HQ finally decided I’m not fit to be a member of their party, as I will not disown those already expelled,” adding that he was “proud to stand with the good friends and comrades victimised by the purge. There is indeed a witch-hunt…Starmer and his clique will never lead a party of the people. We are many, they are few. Solidarity.”

Mr Loach’s voice was among the loudest of those who attempt to dismiss Labour’s antisemitism crisis as non-existent and a right-wing smear campaign. He claimed that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was subjected to a “torrent of abuse” that was “off the scale” and that regardless of what he did, the “campaign” of antisemitism accusations was “going to run and run”. He described the BBC’s Panorama investigation into Labour antisemitism as “disgusting because it raised the horror of racism against Jews in the most atrocious propagandistic way, with crude journalism…and it bought the propaganda from people who were intent on destroying Corbyn.”

He was also reportedly behind a motion passed by Bath Labour Party branding the Panorama programme a “dishonest hatchet job with potentially undemocratic consequences” and asserting that it “disgraced the name of Panorama and exposed the bias endemic within the BBC.” 

In 2017, Mr Loach caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. The International Definition of Antisemitism states that “denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust)” is a manifestation of antisemitism. Although Mr Loach later sought to clarify his remarks, he has continued to make inflammatory and provocative statements about Labour’s antisemitism scandal.

While speaking at a meeting of the Kingswood Constituency Labour Party, Mr Loach advocated the removal from the Party of those Labour MPs, some of whom are Jewish, who have taken a principled stand against antisemitism. Shortly after that incident, the Labour Party announced that it would no longer use Mr Loach as a producer of their election broadcasts.

Mr Loach is also featured in the antisemitism-denial propaganda film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie. Following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, Glastonbury Festival chose to cancel its screening of the film. This has been followed by a slew of venues across the country.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

The University of Leicester adopted the Definition in May 2020. Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors the adoption of the Definition by universities.

If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].

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Demonstrators at London anti-Israel rally call for another intifada and recite antisemitic “From the river to the sea” chant

Last night, an anti-Israel protest outside the Embassy of Israel in London attended by hundreds featured calls for another intifada and the antisemitic “From the river to the sea” chant.

Volunteers from Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit were present at the protest to gather evidence.

The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” was heard throughout the rally. 

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism. 

According to the Definition, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” is an example of antisemitism.

Calls for another “intifada” were also heard, with the claim that there is “only one solution”. The “intifada” is widely understood as the campaign of Arab terrorist violence against Jewish Israeli targets in the early 2000s that claimed hundreds of civilian lives and brought an end to the peace process.

Incendiary signs were also present, including ones denouncing Zionism as “terrorism” and claims that Israel is a “terrorist state”. 

The event featured a variety of speakers, including antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) Director Ben Jamal, and National Education Union President Louise Atkinson.

PSC Chair Kamel Hawwash also spoke, where, in breach of the Definition, he claimed that Israel was “a racist state”.

A month-long investigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism in 2017 exposed extensive antisemitic bigotry amongst PSC supporters on social media. Earlier this year, a PSC branch published an Instagram post calling Zionists “brainwashed racists” who should be fired from their places of work.

In May, an anti-Israel rally held outside Downing Street featured several signs comparing Israel to Nazi Germany.

Similar signs and chants were on display at April’s “Al Quds Day” rally in central London.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over five hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews more than five times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.

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Following CAA action, Yeovil Labour Club cancels screening of antisemitism-denial film 

Following correspondence with Campaign Against Antisemitism, Yeovil Labour Club has agreed to cancel a screening of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The screening of the film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie was scheduled to be shown this Saturday, but the booking is understood to have been made by a third party, and not by the venue itself, which we understand was not made aware of the nature of the film.

The news comes shortly after, following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, Glastonbury Festival, YMCA, Basildon Council, the national pub retailer Greene King, Tolpuddle Village Hall and independent venues, have cancelled screenings of the film.

The film claims that it “investigates the ‘secret war’ waged against Corbyn” and questions whether there was an “orchestrated campaign” against the former Party leader.

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration. However, Mr Murray has since sought to distance himself from the film.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends the Yeovil Labour Club for its swift and decisive action to cancel the screening as soon as we brought it to its attention.

Additionally, we received confirmation from the Widcombe Social Club that a planned screening of the film, at which Mr Loach was also due to speak, was cancelled, as has one at Havant and Emsworth United Reformed Church, the independent book retailer, October Books, and Leicester Students’ Union.

It has also been reported that, following our correspondence with Glastonbury, the major trade union Unite has also banned screenings of the film on its premises.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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Tolpuddle Village Hall latest venue to cancel screening of antisemitism-denial film

Tolpuddle Village Hall has agreed to cancel a screening of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The screening of the film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie was scheduled to be shown next month, but the booking is understood to have been made by a third party, and not by the venue itself, which we understand was not made aware of the nature of the film.

According to the Tolpuddle Radical Film Festival, which were the organisers of the screening, they initially hoped to show the film at the annual Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival, but withdrew due to “censorship by the secretary.” It then sought to screen the film independently at the Village Hall, which has now decided to cancel the booking.

The news comes shortly after, following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, Glastonbury Festival, YMCA, Basildon Council, the national pub retailer Greene King, and independent venues, have cancelled screenings of the film.

The film claims that it “investigates the ‘secret war’ waged against Corbyn” and questions whether there was an “orchestrated campaign” against the former Party leader.

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends the Village Hall for its swift and decisive action to cancel the screening as soon as we brought it to its attention.

Additionally, we received confirmation from the Widcombe Social Club that a planned screening of the film, at which Mr Loach was also due to speak, was cancelled, as has one at Havant and Emsworth United Reformed Church and the independent book retailer, October Books.

It has also been reported that, following our correspondence with Glastonbury, the major trade union Unite has also banned screenings of the film on its premises.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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Following CAA action, Basildon Council cancel screening of antisemitism-denial film at over 50s activity centre

Following correspondence with Campaign Against Antisemitism, Basildon Council has agreed to cancel a screening of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The screening of the film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie was scheduled to be shown on Friday at the George Hurd Activity Centre, but the booking is understood to have been made by a third party, and not by the venue itself, which we understand was not made aware of the nature of the film.

The news comes shortly after, following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, Glastonbury Festival, YMCA, the national pub retailer Greene King, and independent venues, have cancelled screenings of the film.

The film claims that it “investigates the ‘secret war’ waged against Corbyn” and questions whether there was an “orchestrated campaign” against the former Party leader.

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends the Council for its swift and decisive action to cancel the screening as soon as we brought it to its attention.

Additionally, we received confirmation from the Widcombe Social Club that a planned screening of the film, at which Mr Loach was also due to speak, was cancelled, as has one at Havant and Emsworth United Reformed Church.

It has also been reported that, following our correspondence with Glastonbury, the major trade union Unite has also banned screenings of the film on its premises.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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Lewes pub latest in a string of venues to cancel screening of antisemitism-denial film on its premises following CAA action

Following correspondence with Campaign Against Antisemitism, a pub in Lewes has agreed to cancel a screening of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The screening of the film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie was scheduled to be shown next week at the ‘Elephant & Castle’ pub, but the booking is understood to have been made by a third party, and not by the venue itself, who we understand was not made aware of the nature of the film.

The news comes shortly after, following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, Glastonbury Festival, Greene King and YMCA also cancelled screenings of the film.

The event’s ticket-booking page stated that the film “investigates the ‘secret war’ waged against Corbyn” and questions whether there was an “orchestrated campaign” against the former Party leader.

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL), an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends the ‘Elephant & Castle’ for its swift and decisive action to cancel the screening as soon as we brought it to the venue’s attention.

Additionally, we received confirmation from the Widcombe Social Club that a planned screening of the film, at which Mr Loach was also due to speak, has now been cancelled.

It has also been reported that, following our correspondence with Glastonbury, the major trade union Unite has also banned screenings of the film on its premises.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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Following CAA action, Greene King pub retailer follows Glastonbury and YMCA in cancelling screenings of antisemitism-denial film on its premises

Following correspondence with Campaign Against Antisemitism, a leading pub retailer has agreed to cancel two screenings of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The screenings of the film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie were scheduled to be shown tonight and tomorrow in Bournemouth, but the booking is understood to have been made by a third party, and not by Greene King itself.

The news comes shortly after, following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, Glastonbury Festival and YMCA also cancelled screenings of the film.

The event’s ticket-booking page stated: “We will show the acclaimed Ken Loach documentary revealing the campaign of disinformation against Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour.”

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL), an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends Greene King for its swift and decisive action to cancel the screening, as soon as we brought it to the retailer’s attention.

Additionally, we received confirmation from the Widcombe Social Club that a planned screening of the film, at which Mr Loach was also due to speak, has now been cancelled.

It has also been reported that, following our correspondence with Glastonbury, the major trade union Unite has also banned screenings of the film on its premises.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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After action by CAA, YMCA follows Glastonbury in cancelling screening of antisemitism-denial film on its premises

Following correspondence with Campaign Against Antisemitism, the YMCA has agreed to cancel the screening of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The screening of the film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie is understood to have been made through the charity’s online room-booking system by a third party, and not by the YMCA itself.

The news comes shortly after Glastonbury Festival agreed to cancel its screening of the film following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism, which led the public outcry.

The event’s ticket-booking page describes the screening as: “The film Labour Party doesn’t want you to see. This film looks at why and how in 2017 Jeremy Corbyn was stopped from being a PM.”

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL), an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

The event was due to have been chaired by Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, a co-founder of JVL.

Ms Wimborne-Idrissi was expelled from the Labour Party, apparently in relation to her involvement with the far-left “Resist Movement”, “Labour in Exile Network” and antisemitism-denial group “Labour Against the Witchhunt”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends the YMCA for its swift and decisive action to cancel the screening, as soon as we brought it to the charity’s attention.

It has also been reported that, following our correspondence with Glastonbury, the major trade union Unite has also banned screenings of the film on its premises.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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Laura Alvarez found in Facebook group full of antisemitic conspiracy theories and complaints about CAA

Laura Alvarez has been discovered to be a member of a Facebook group that is reportedly full of antisemitic conspiracy theories.

According to the JC, Ms Alvarez, the wife of the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, is a member of the Organise Corbyn Inspired Socialist Alliance group, which was created in February after Sir Keir Starmer announced that he was barring Mr Corbyn from standing as a candidate for the Labour Party.

Mr Corbyn had the Labour whip removed, which means that he has been indefinitely suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party. He remains a member of the Labour Party, however.

One member of the group posted an edited image of Sir Keir in front of an Israeli flag alongside a fake quotation that read: “We stand up for Israel, we stand up for Israeli people, we stand up for Israeli interests and we will always put them first.” An administrator of the group wrote: “This just goes to prove that [Sir Keir] has been well bought and paid for, by a foreign government!”

The administrator also shared an interview in the group in which Sir Keir insisted that Israel “is not an apartheid state.” In response, a member of the group wrote: “Israelis have recreated the genocide inflicted upon them by the Nazis [while] the whole world turns a blind eye.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.

Another user complained about Campaign Against Antisemitism, describing us as “unhinged Zionists” and claiming that the group was “almost certainly a venture funded from Tel Aviv.” We and other groups were also accused of being “proxy Israeli agencies” who “exaggerated” antisemitism within the Labour Party to “assassinate” Corbyn.

Yet another wrote: “[Sir Keir] has been bought and paid for by the Zionists in the party.”

A further post claimed that Jews do not suffer racism, only “prejudice”, an received hundreds of likes. The group member wrote: “Why are Jewish people regarded as a race?…To stifle criticism of the actions of Israel.” Another member said in reply: “[Jewish people] are not Semites, they are Israeli Zionists who are from Eastern Europe.”

The Organise Corbyn Inspired Socialist Alliance group is attempting to select a candidate to run in Sir Keir’s Holborn and St Pancras constituency against the Labour leader and to raise half a million pounds to back the challenger’s campaign.

It is alleged that Ms Alvarez commented on a photograph of Sir Keir that was posted in the group, writing “disgusting creature”.

According to Sky News, Ms Alvarez has been a member of the group “since day one” and has sent the group’s administrators her “good wishes”.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The posts in this group are utterly repugnant. These comments constitute a repository of antisemitic tropes and antisemitism-denial, the likes of which were at the core of Labour’s scandal of racism against Jews. No prominent individual should have anything to do with a group like this, let alone be a member.

“It goes without saying that the claims made against us in the group are ludicrous, and are borne of the same conspiracist mentality that infected Labour in the Corbyn years. Far-left antisemites have been forced to return to the sewer whence they came. Peeping down there is never pretty.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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CAA writes to Glastonbury Festival and its partners over planned screening of pro-Corbyn propaganda film

Campaign Against Antisemitism is writing to Glastonbury Festival and its partners over the Festival’s planned screening of a propaganda film about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The Festival’s Official Connectivity Partner is Vodafone, with whom it announced a “multi-year partnership” earlier this year, and its Official Media Partners are listed as the BBC and The Guardian. 

The Festival’s website links to a description of the film, titled Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie, which says that it “explores a dark and murky story of political deceit and outrageous antisemitic smears.”

Also linked is a trailer of the film, in which one interviewee questions whether Mr Corbyn was brought down by an “orchestrated campaign”.

The film’s contributors include a who’s who of controversial figures such as Jackie Walker, who has previously stated that Jews were “chief financiers” of the African slave trade; the filmmaker Ken Loach, who caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. Both were expelled from the Labour Party; Graham Bash, the Political Officer of the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation Jewish Voice for Labour; and Moshe Machover, a professor and Holocaust revisionist. All have been expelled from the Labour Party, although Mr Machover was readmitted.

Also involved is Andrew Murray, a close adviser to Mr Corbyn who, in 2005, authored an article in which he claimed that the roots of the 9/11 terror attacks lay in “Zionist colonialism” of the Balfour Declaration.

The film is narrated by comedian Alexei Sayle who claimed in 2014 that BBC presenter Emma Barnett, who is Jewish, supported the murder of children following an article and radio interview in which she had decried antisemitism amongst anti-Israel activists.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Festival-goers should be allowed to enjoy the live performances without fear of indoctrination from antisemitism-deniers. Screening a film which not only denies that antisemitism in the Labour Party was a serious problem but actively paints a picture of a nefarious campaign being orchestrated against someone who allowed antisemitism to run rampant, has no place at an arts festival, and only serves to alienate Jewish ticket-holders. Glastonbury Festival and its sponsors must ensure that such propaganda is not shown.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

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‘Unluckiest anti-racist’ Jeremy Corbyn condemns alleged neo-Nazi after selfie together

The antisemitic former leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, found himself photographed with a man reported to be a neo-Nazi over the weekend.

Hans Jørgen Lysglimt Johansen, a man said to have made several antisemitic remarks, captioned their photograph together: “Jeremy Corbyn, a good man speaking the truth.”

Mr Corbyn has since spoken out about the photo, tweeting: “I am approached for selfies on a daily basis from strangers. I had no idea who know who this individual was. Naturally, I condemn his abhorrent politics in the strongest possible terms.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The world’s unluckiest anti-racist has once again found himself in the company of people who have low opinions of Jews. While Jeremy Corbyn is right to have distanced himself from Hans Jørgen Lysglimt Johansen, he might pause to consider why an alleged neo-Nazi would be so delighted to meet the former Labour leader.

“Within the past few days, Roger Waters, who likens himself to Mr Corbyn, received the backing of former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke, so it is only apt that Mr Corbyn has now received his own far-right endorsement as well.

“Even the far-right can see these people for what they are. Apparently the only people who can’t are themselves.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

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Labour votes not to endorse Jeremy Corbyn’s candidacy because he loses votes rather than because of antisemitism, and still he remains a member of the Party

The Labour Party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) has today voted not to endorse Jeremy Corbyn as a candidate in the next general election.

The motion, which passed by a vote of 22 to twelve, was brought by Party leader Sir Keir Starmer. It argued that, “in order to effect the NEC’s primary purpose to maximise the Labour Party’s prospects of winning the next general election, and to avoid any detrimental impact on the Labour Party’s standing with the electorate in the country as a whole; the Labour Party’s interests, and its political interests at the next general election, are not well served by Mr Corbyn running as a Labour Party candidate; And it is not in the best interests of the Labour Party for it to endorse Mr Corbyn as a Labour Party candidate at the next general election. Accordingly…Mr Corbyn will not be endorsed by the NEC as a candidate on behalf of the Labour Party at the next general election.”

Mr Corbyn currently sits as an independent MP, having been indefinitely suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party, but he remains a member of the Labour Party itself, which briefly suspended him in 2020 before readmitting him.

Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We obviously welcome Labour’s decision not to endorse Jeremy Corbyn’s candidacy, given the central role that he has played in the Party’s antisemitism scandal. But the fact remains that, despite everything, he is still a member of the Labour Party. He has never been subjected to formal disciplinary proceedings or expelled. Even this decision to try to sever ties with him has been framed as being about him costing the Party votes. This is therefore not a stand against racism but a pragmatic approach to try to win elections.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism previously lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) shameful findings of institutional racism in the Party. Given the serious detriment that this conduct caused, we have consistently been seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension from the Party and, if the complaint is upheld, his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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Archbishop of Canterbury says he would never have forgiven himself if he hadn’t backed Chief Rabbi’s warning against Jeremy Corbyn in 2019

The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that he would never have forgiven himself if he had not backed the Chief Rabbi’s warning about Jeremy Corbyn in 2019.

Justin Welby made the remark at an event at a Jewish community centre last week in a public conversation with the Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Shortly before the 2019 General Election, Rabbi Mirvis asked in The Times how far Mr Corbyn would have to go to be considered “unfit for office”, rhetorically asking readers: “What will the result of this election say about the moral compass of our country? When December 12 arrives, I ask every person to vote with their conscience. Be in no doubt, the very soul of our nation is at stake.”

Archbishop Welby subsequently issued a statement warning that there is a “deep sense of insecurity and fear felt by many British Jews.”

In the conversation last week, Archbishop Welby recalled the the Chief Rabbi had forewarned him that he was going to speak out, and the Archbishop recounted: “I said immediately I will support you,” the Archbishop said. He further observed that his staff supported his decision “without hesitation”.

The Chief Rabbi said during the conversation: “The Archbishop of Canterbury volunteered to issue his voice… There was an enormous amount of courage and we appreciated it enormously”. The Archbishop responded: “I think it would have been cowardice not to say something. It was so obviously right I knew I would never forgive myself if we didn’t speak clearly…I know my history…You have to cut off these things off straight away because if you don’t, they become overwhelming.”

The event was held by the Yoni Jesner Foundation to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of the murder of Yoni Jesner in a terror attack on a bus while he was studying at a yeshiva in Israel.

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EHRC lifts Labour out of special measures, as antisemitism problems remain in Party despite progress

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has announced that it is lifting the Labour Party out of special measures, following the conclusion of the Action Plan agreed between the EHRC and the Party.

The Action Plan was imposed after the EHRC released its damning report in 2020, following an investigation in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the originating complainant.

The EHRC has described itself as “content with the actions taken” by Labour, in justifying its decision to end its monitoring of the Party.

In 2020, at the time of the publication of the report, Campaign Against Antisemitism filed disciplinary complaints against over a dozen sitting Labour MPs against whom no action had yet been taken.

Over two years later, still no action has been taken.

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Despite our status as originating complainant in the EHRC’s investigation into Labour, the Party has not carried out disciplinary investigations in relation to more than a dozen complaints that we submitted over two years ago against sitting MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, who remains a member of the Party, and Angela Rayner. It is therefore hard for us to feel that a corner has been turned.

“While welcome progress has been made in the fight against antisemitism under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, justice is yet to be done in too many cases for anyone to conclude that the problem has been rectified. We will continue to press Labour on these complaints and its other failings, just as we do with all political parties. The Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn plunged the Jewish community into a state of fear that could all too easily return unless antisemitism is firmly rooted out.”

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Labour Party faces “eye-watering” legal costs relating to allegations of antisemitism 

It has been reported that the Labour Party faces potential costs of up to £5 million in legal claims and counterclaims.

The legal claim against the Party was launched by nine former Labour staffers-turned-whistleblowers who were criticised in a controversial internal report into the handling of antisemitism cases by the Party. The report, which was a last ditch attempt to discredit allegations of antisemitism in the Party, was intended to be sent to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) as part of its landmark investigation into Labour antisemitism, in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant. 

The Party has since launched a counterclaim against five of its former staffers, who it claims are responsible for the leak of the internal report. In the counterclaim, the Party named Karie Murphy, a trade unionist and Jeremy Corbyn’s chief of staff, whose nomination for a peerage was blocked; Laura Murray, a disgraced Corbyn aide who was appointed to lead the Labour Party’s disciplinary process; Harry Hayball, a staffer in Labour’s Governance and Legal Unit and former Head of Digital Communications at Momentum who was reportedly labelled as the author in the report’s metadata; Seamus Milne, the far-left journalist who served as Mr Corbyn’s Executive Director of Strategy and Communications; and George Robertson, who worked in Labour’s communications team.

After the data breach, Labour self-reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office. The ICO’s investigation is ongoing.

As the Party faces a potential legal bill in the millions, it has also revealed that it has a £4.8 million deficit in its finances.

A spokesperson for the Labour Party said: “It would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing legal case.”

Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “These are eye-watering legal costs, but they are just a reflection of the real price of Labour’s history of antisemitism denial, which is to demean victims and gaslight whistleblowers who have revealed the depth of anti-Jewish racism in the Party. It is extraordinary how the ‘life-long anti-racist’ former leaders of Labour thought it appropriate to expend such vast sums challenging racism claims instead of the racism itself, and that the current Labour leadership are still so willing to expend treasure in refusing to settle with those who worked to bring Labour’s proven antisemitism to light. Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, Labour became morally bankrupt, and these figures show that financial bankruptcy is still a risk that Labour is willing to take to conceal that rot.” 

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Jeremy Corbyn’s former spokesperson joins Green Party, as Labour reveals 65 percent of disciplinary cases relate to antisemitism

Jeremy Corbyn’s former spokesperson has joined the Green Party.

The move comes as speculation mounts that Mr Corbyn will be barred from running as a candidate for the Labour Party in the next general election.

Matt Zarb-Cousin said that a “factional war” against the left of the Party had been “executed from the top down.”

Mr Zarb-Cousin, who served as a spokesperson for Mr Corbyn when the latter was leader of the Labour Party, complained that left-wingers were “no longer welcome in the Labour Party” and, blaming Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer for the change in climate, urged others to defect.

Mr Zarb-Cousin, who also helped to run Rebecca Long-Bailey’s abortive Labour leadership bid, also said that Labour’s apparent decision not to restore the whip to Mr Corbyn “sealed and confirmed” his decision to quit the Party.

Explaining his decision to move to the Greens, Mr Zarb-Cousin said: “Obviously I was attracted to the Greens’ policies on the climate crisis and proportional representation, which are the two most important things going forward for the country. Democratic socialists are no longer welcome in the Labour Party and there is a strong case for them to join the Greens and push for proportional representation,which will give our views and politics more influence.”

Mr Zarb-Cousin said of others moving to the Greens: “I’m hearing that left-wing members have left and other people are thinking about it. I think there will be more.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has repeatedly warned that the Green Party risks becoming a haven for far-left exiles from the Labour Party.

Meanwhile, the pro-Corbyn pressure group Momentum is reportedly warning its supporters that its future is in financial peril due to the flight of far-left members from the Labour Party.

These developments come as the Labour Party revealed that 65 percent of disciplinary cases heard by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) since May have related to antisemitism.

Labour has allegedly claimed that the backlog of cases from the period of Mr Corbyn’s leadership has been cleared. However, the Party has yet to address the complaints submitted by Campaign Against Antisemitism against over a dozen sitting MPs.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Success for CAA as our complaint to BBC over presenter insisting there is “absolutely no evidence” that Jeremy Corbyn is antisemitic is upheld

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s complaint to the BBC over a presenter who claimed on BBC 5 Live Breakfast earlier this year that there is “absolutely no evidence” that Jeremy Corbyn is antisemitic has been upheld by the Corporation’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU).

The Unit has also stated that there was a “breach of the BBC’s standards of accuracy”. 

Rachel Burden said towards the end of the programme, referring to her interview earlier with the businessman John Caudwell, who described the former Labour Party leader as “a Marxist and antisemite”, that she redirected him back to the topic under discussion but “I should have challenged him on the particular allegation of antisemite [sic] because there is absolutely no evidence that the leader of the Labour Party at that time, Jeremy Corbyn, was or is antisemitic. He had to deal with allegations of that within his party but there is nothing to suggest that he himself as an individual was. So I apologise for not challenging more directly, I should have done, and I want to emphasise there is no evidence for that at all.”

It would have been understandable for Ms Burden to say that Mr Corbyn would dispute the characterisation, but it was unacceptable for her to editorialise and dismiss publicly-available evidence that has been reported in the national media for years.

Over two years ago, for example, Campaign Against Antisemitism published data, using a peer-reviewed research method, showing that Mr Corbyn was personally responsible for 24 incidents relating to antisemitism, which was equal to fifteen percent of all recorded incidents involving parliamentary candidates and party leaders in the lead-up to the 2019 General Election. That meant that, if Jeremy Corbyn were a political party, the ‘Jeremy Corbyn party’ would be responsible for almost four times more incidents than all the other major parties combined.

Moreover, it was remarkable that Ms Burden would refer to the antisemitism in the Labour Party as mere “allegation” even though the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reported that the allegations of racism against Jews in the Party were not only made out but were so bad as to have broken the law. Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant in the EHRC’s investigation.

Our Antisemitism Barometer last year revealed that two thirds of British Jews are deeply concerned by the BBC’s coverage of matters of Jewish concern, and 55% by its handling of antisemitism complaints.

Earlier this week, Ofcom warned the BBC for its “serious editorial misjudgement” over its abominable Oxford Street coverage, attacking the BBC’s failures over the course of “eight weeks” which were “causing significant distress and anxiety to the victims of the attack, and to the wider Jewish community”.

The result vindicates formal complaints by CAA and others, which also led to CAA holding a demonstration outside BBC Broadcasting House and calls for a Parliamentary inquiry into the way that the BBC handles complaints relating to antisemitism by the JC and others.

Fraser Steel, Head of the ECU, said: “Although I am reluctant to find fault with an attempted correction which was clearly well-intentioned, unscripted and made under some pressure of time, I cannot discount the fact that there remains controversy around the question of Mr Corbyn and antisemitism, and the statement that there is ‘absolutely no evidence that…Jeremy Corbyn was or is antisemitic’ did not take account of instances which many people consider to be evidence to that effect. I think I must therefore acknowledge that there was an inadvertent breach of the BBC’s standards of accuracy here, and I am upholding your complaint to that extent.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “For Rachel Burden to have baselessly belittled the evidence of Jeremy Corbyn’s antisemitism was misleading and fell below the BBC’s standards. We are pleased that the Executive Complaints Unit has now acknowledged that the broadcaster was in breach of its standards, a concession that comes within days of Ofcom’s brutal findings of the BBC’s coverage of the antisemitic Oxford Street attack. The BBC must now pay greater attention and show more sensitivity when discussing racism towards Jews.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors traditional media and regularly holds outlets to account. If members of the public are concerned about reportage in the media, they should contact us at [email protected].

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“That’s why we had to rip antisemitism out by its roots”: Sir Keir Starmer gets standing ovation at very different Labour Conference, but concerns remain

Sir Keir Starmer received a standing ovation for saying “That’s why we had to rip antisemitism out by its roots” in his speech at this week’s Labour Party Conference, which proved a marked contrast to the Party’s conferences under Sir Keir’s predecessor.

Sir Keir was ambiguous as to whether he believed that the task of tackling Labour antisemitism, which he described in the past tense, had been completed or whether it was still in progress – an ambiguity that he has cultivated for some time. Indeed, at the Labour Friends of Israel reception at Conference, he said: “I knew when I became leader of this party we had a big task before us. We had to root out antisemitism, and we have made progress, but I’m not complacent. We will never, ever end this work. We have made progress, but there is more to do.”

Wes Streeting MP, who, like Sir Keir, remained in the Party as it became institutionally antisemitic, has asserted that Labour is now safe for Jewish people to support again: “My message to all of those Jewish Labour voters whose doors I knocked and who felt heartbroken by what happened to the Party would now be, ‘You’ve got your Party back.’”

Also at Conference, a proposed rule change that may have helped the antisemitic former leader of the Party, Jeremy Corbyn, stand as a Labour candidate at the next general election, failed to pass. Elsewhere, Mr Corbyn settled a defamation case that had been brought against him.

Meanwhile, Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, the recently-elected member of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee who was suspended last week, apparently had her Conference pass removed, while fellow Jewish Voice for Labour figure Jenny Manson was reported to have suggested that the controversial antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation may disaffiliate from Labour.

Concerns remain about the Labour Party, however. As the conference took place, it was reported that yet another Labour councillor is under investigation amid antisemitism allegations. Cllr Tariq Khan of Coventry City Council reportedly said that he does not remember sending the offending images, which the BBC claimed would be considered antisemitic and anti-trans, three years ago. Cllr Khan has not, however, been suspended. It comes as a fellow Labour councillor on the same council, Christine Thomas, was embroiled in controversy over alleged antisemitism just last month.

There was also a marked contrast at this year’s Labour Conference between how Rupa Huq MP immediately had the whip removed after she made comments about the Chancellor of the Exchequer widely viewed as racist – including by Sir Keir – while complaints by Campaign Against Antisemitism against numerous Labour MPs have been languishing for years without investigation. The appropriately rapid response to Ms Huq’s remarks demonstrated that Sir Keir and the Party do have the power to move quickly when they choose to do so – often, it must be said, and as in Ms Huq’s case, when there is media scrutiny.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This Labour Party conference was certainly a positive contrast to those held during Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as leader, and reflects the progress that has been made in the fight against Labour antisemitism.

“However, Sir Keir Starmer’s persistent ambiguity about whether he feels that that fight is over or ongoing is troubling, particularly as it was announced during Conference that yet another Labour councillor is under investigation. The rapid response to Rupa Huq’s comments is also in marked contrast to Labour’s failure to take any action so far against the MPs against whom we have lodged complaints.

“Sir Keir has pledged repeatedly to tear out antisemitism by its roots, but there remains much more to be done.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Jeremy Corbyn praises “energy and good messages” of inflammatory rapper and activist Lowkey

Jeremy Corbyn, the antisemitic former leader of the Labour Party, has come under fire for praising the “energy and good messages” of the inflammatory rapper and activist, Lowkey.

Mr Corbyn tweeted his support for Lowkey, whose real name is Kareem Dennis, following a performance by Lowkey in Amsterdam. Lowkey wrote on Twitter: “A beautiful conclusion to 4 city tour of the Netherlands in Amsterdam last night. Thank you to all who came out!”

Mr Corbyn responded: “Well done Lowkey, what energy and good messages you carry!”

Lowkey’s songs include lyrics such as “nothing is more antisemitic than Zionism”. He is a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). A month-long investigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism in 2017 exposed extensive antisemitic bigotry amongst PSC supporters on social media. Lowkey has previously described Israel as a “racist endeavour” in direct and deliberate contravention of the International Definition of Antisemitism, described Zionism as “antisemitic”, and spoken of the “Zionist lobby” in the context of global capitalism.

More recently, Lowkey has reportedly claimed that the “mainstream media” has “weaponised the Jewish heritage” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “stave off” inquiries about far-right groups in Ukraine. He has also appeared on the disgraced former MP Chris Williamson’s show on Press TV, an Iranian state-owned news network whose British broadcasting licence was revoked by Ofcom in 2012. Lowkey has appeared alongside the disgraced academic David Miller, and was recently embroiled in a controversy at the National Union of Students.

Mr Corbyn currently sits as an independent MP as he is indefinitely suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party, but he remains a member of the Labour MP, from which he was briefly suspended before outrageously being readmitted.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The controversial rapper and activist Lowkey has previously described Israel as a ‘racist endeavour’ and Zionism as ‘antisemitic’, and has spoken of the ‘Zionist lobby’ in the context of global capitalism. He has also repeatedly associated with the disgraced former Labour MP Chris Williamson and the conspiracist and disgraced academic David Miller, and was recently embroiled in a controversy at the National Union of Students.

“Whether despite or because of this inflammatory record, Lowkey has drawn praise from none other than Jeremy Corbyn for the ‘good messages you carry’. Yet still, the Labour Party is happy to have Mr Corbyn as a member. Why is the Party so stubbornly unable to see what all of the rest of us can?”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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“Chingford Corbynite” Faiza Shaheen reselected as Labour candidate for Chingford and Woodford

Faiza Shaheen has been reselected as the Labour Party’s candidate in the Chingford and Woodford Green constituency.

Ms Shaheen received more than 200 votes from local members. Her main challenger, Bilal Mahmood, who was backed by MPs including Stella Creasy and David Lammy, received just over 160.

Ms Shaheen stood in Chingford and Woodford Green in the 2019 General Election, but was defeated by the Conservative MP, Iain Duncan Smith, who won with a majority of 1,263 votes.

Prior to the 2019 election, Ms Shaheen became known for her close relationship with Mr Corbyn, and was dubbed the “Chingford Corbynite”.

Ms Shaheen has also campaigned with the controversial left-wing filmmaker, Ken Loach, and made statements supporting Naomi Wimbourne-Idrissi, the controversial Media Officer of the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation Jewish Voice for Labour.

In 2018, footage emerged in which Ms Shaheen appeared to say that it was “not a fact” that the 1972 Munich Olympic terrorist attack, in which eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team were murdered by the Palestinian terrorist group, Black September, was motivated by antisemitism. Ms Shaheen denies these claims.

In a BBC Newsnight interview immediately following the 2019 election, in which she appeared alongside the veteran Labour politician, Jack Straw, Ms Shaheen claimed that the media had told “lies” about Mr Corbyn’s character in order to misrepresent him to the public and appeared to dismiss Mr Straw’s assessment of antisemitism allegations in the Labour Party and the role they played in the election defeat.

however, in a recent interview with Jewish News, Ms Shaheen said that “every member, including myself, must make all efforts to repair the trust between the Labour Party and the Jewish community.”

She also said that she had “criticised the Corbyn leadership for not taking antisemitism seriously enough, and I think [current Labour leader, Keir] Starmer must do more too.”

Ms Shaheen’s selection has been celebrated on Twitter by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, Emily Thornberry, and Labour MP for Ilford North, Wes Streeting. Mr Streeting has also claimed that the current Labour Leader, Sir Keir Starmer, consulted him about possibly leaving the Shadow Cabinet while the antisemite Jeremy Corbyn was Leader. Whether or not such a consultation took place, Sir Keir went on to remain in Mr Corbyn’s Shadow Cabinet and back him “100%”.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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In desperate quest for even-handedness highly-anticipated Forde Report fails to pin blame for Labour antisemitism scandal on its culprits

The highly-anticipated Forde Report into issues relating to antisemitism in the Labour Party has been published.

Specifically, the Report (which is the culmination of the inquiry led by Martin Forde QC into a mammoth leaked 2020 report into Labour’s handling of antisemitism complaints), was due to consider the allegations in that report, how it leaked, and the structure, culture and practices of the Labour Party in relation to antisemitism. The investigation into the leak itself was, however, shelved in order not to prejudice an investigation into the same leak by the Information Commissioner’s Office, which is believed to be ongoing.

The Report condemns the toxic factionalism of the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, which allowed a culture of antisemitism to develop and undermined the procedures in place to address the ensuing complaints. But it also appears to try to divide the blame among the different ‘sides’ in the antisemitism scandal, failing to recognise that, whatever the sins of the various factions, that which contained the antisemites and their enablers was ultimately at fault for the Party’s unlawful victimisation of Jewish people.

One such example is that, incredibly, the Report expresses regret that Jewish Voice for Labour, the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, was excluded from delivering antisemitism education to the Party. It similarly outrageously rejects a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ in favour of a softer approach recommended by an organisation whose Director opposes the International Definition of Antisemitism. Despite the findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the Report also still appears to relegate antisemitism to just one of numerous racisms that need to be tackled by the Party equally, as if “all forms of racism” have been equally prevalent in the Party in recent years.

The Report does rightly observe that the problem of antisemitism in the Party in the Corbyn era was not overstated, contrary to repeated claims by Mr Corbyn. There is now no excuse for him not to be expelled from the Labour Party,  a move for which we have been calling for years now.

The Report applauds recent reforms to Labour’s disciplinary process, but still warns that they are vulnerable to factional abuse, which is no comfort to the general public, which has yet to witness the new semi-independent disciplinary process in action. However, the report offers no solutions either.

Our complaints against fourteen sitting MPs, for example, have yet to be acknowledged by the Party, much less investigated, and the Report gives no indication of what is to be expected to remedy that.

We have previously lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the leader during the period of the EHRC’s scathing findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension from the Party and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party.

Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Taking even-handedness to an absurd extreme, the Forde Report tries to criticise and defend both ‘sides’ in Labour’s antisemitism scandal equally. One ‘side’ was filled with antisemites and their enablers. The Report failed to grasp this elemental truth, rendering it useless.

“Just one such example is the Report’s ludicrous suggestion that the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, Jewish Voice for Labour, should not have been excluded from delivering antisemitism education to the Party.

“It raises more questions than it answers. It welcomes recent reforms to the disciplinary process, but warns that it remains vulnerable to factional abuse. It states that 55 cases were still unallocated as at March 2022, but does not say which ones. We can only assume that they include our complaints against sitting MPs, drafted by counsel, which the Party has yet to acknowledge, much less investigate.

“The Report offers neither explanations nor remedies. Until we see our complaints addressed, we are unable to have confidence in the Party’s leaders and processes, let alone its culture.”

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Following last year’s appeal loss at first stage of defamation case in relation to “Zionist irony” comments, Jeremy Corbyn to give evidence at High Court

Following last year’s appeal loss at the first stage of a defamation case brought by a Jewish activist and blogger, the former leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn is set to give evidence at a High Court trial.

On an unknown date in 2013, Mr Corbyn addressed a meeting convened by the Palestinian Return Centre. Referring to a previous speech given by Manuel Hassassian, the Palestinian Authority’s representative in Britain, Mr Corbyn suggested that “the progressive Jewish element” in Britain at the time of the Balfour Declaration had been against it, and that these same Jewish progressives had been the leaders of the London trade unions and the Labour Party at the time. He continued: “It was Zionism that rose up and Zionism that drove them [Jewish progressive Trades Union and Labour Party leaders] into this sort of ludicrous position they have at the present time.”

He gave as an example of this supposedly “ludicrous position” the meeting in Parliament, at which, he said, the Palestinian envoy’s words had been “dutifully recorded by the thankfully silent Zionists who were in the audience on that occasion and then came up and berated him afterwards for what he’d said. So clearly two problems. One is that they don’t want to study history and secondly, having lived in this country for a very long time, probably all their lives, they don’t understand English irony either. Manuel does understand English irony and uses it very, very effectively so I think they need two lessons which we can help them with.”

A video of Mr Corbyn’s comments was shown on The Andrew Marr Show in 2018, and on 13th June 2019 it was reported that one of the activists who had been identified as being the subject of his comments to Andrew Marr, Mr Richard Millett, was seeking libel damages from Mr Corbyn on the basis of his accusation that “Zionists” had “berated” Manuel Hassassian.

Mr Corbyn’s lawyers were said to have argued on the basis that the statement was a ‘statement of opinion’. However, in the ruling, the Judge declared: “In my judgment, it is clear that Mr Corbyn was making factual allegations in the statement as to Mr Millett’s behaviour on more than one occasion.”

At a High Court hearing yesterday, Mr Justice Nicklin considered pre-trial issues. William McCormick QC, who is heading up Mr Corbyn’s legal team, said that Mr Corbyn was mounting a “truth defence” against Mr Millett’s claims.

Justice Nicklin warned lawyers that he would not allow the trial to become “some sort of showpiece”, adding that: “There is the capacity for this to spin into all manner of satellite issues…Sometimes there is a tendency for the settling of scores about issues that are not relevant to the litigation. That will not be taking place in this trial.”

The trial is set to commence on 10th October and is predicted to last fifteen days.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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“The head of the KKK outed me as a Jew”: Comedian Simon Brodkin talks Twitter pile-ons, Jeremy Corbyn and family members escaping Nazi Germany in new interview

Ahead of his upcoming show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the award-winning comedian Simon Brodkin, who in 2018 performed at Campaign Against Antisemitism’s comedy fundraiser, appeared as the first guest of Podcast Against Antisemitism’s second season where he explained his newfound liberation in speaking about antisemitism and his Jewish identity on stage, among other topics.

The comedian previously performed on stage as a variety of characters, the most notable of which being the “happy-go-lucky, south London self-proclaimed legend” Lee Nelson. Through his character of Lee Nelson, Mr Brodkin found great success which included his own television show and numerous live tours.

However, he said that at some point after, he thought: “Hang on, I would like to start doing stuff out of character and as myself.”

“And that was the big change of realising, ‘I can talk about things that have only a connection with myself,’ and that was amazing and liberating and interesting for me,” he said. “And suddenly the whole name of the game with straight stand-up is to connect and talk about things that can only be true to yourself so it’s the complete antithesis of the character comedy. 

“I was sort of hiding behind those characters because I was never quite comfortable in my own skin and that’s been a really cool journey for me talking about things that are close to my heart…my Jewish identity is something that I’ve been open about and talking about and of course, with every bit of Jewish identity, you only have to go one, two, three generations back until you get some antisemitism, and sadly that’s ingrained very much in our culture. 

“My grandma escaped from Nazi Germany and I will not be alone with that. And I started bringing that to the table, bringing that to the stage, and it’s been joyous for me.”

However, Mr Brodkin’s career has not always been smooth sailing. After performing jokes about the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn a few years ago, Mr Brodkin unwittingly found himself on the receiving end of a Twitter pile-on.

“The comic needs to be able to look at themselves in the mirror and go ‘That can stand up to scrutiny. I can justify saying that because the punchline to the joke is funny enough but also the target of the joke is a justifiable target.’

“The Jeremy Corbyn thing was really interesting for me because actually, I was slow to the party there. At first, when some of my wiser friends were telling me, ‘This Jeremy Corbyn guy…he’s an antisemite,’ I was like ‘Ah, what? Really? C’mon.’ I was in that camp, and then it clicked for me. I got it, I realised it, I read enough and saw enough and learned enough I was like ‘Oh my God.’ 

“I wanted, then, to make sure that I was doing what I could. If I’m gonna talk about antisemitism on stage, there [was] nothing more relevant at the moment then in the UK than Jeremy Corbyn and so I couldn’t talk about antisemitism, and being a Jew today, without mentioning him and what I thought of him.”

However, the comedian went on to reveal that following a gig at which he performed jokes about Mr Corbyn, he was bombarded with angry tweets. 

“[The audience member] heckled me, after that she had a word with me but then after that, when she got home, she went on Twitter…it was a pile-on.”

My Brodkin said that he wasn’t surprised, however. “I’m used to some other antisemitic pile-ons…the head of the KKK, Mr David Duke, he outed me as a Jew on social media and the pile-on I got after that was insane. It was absolutely mad. 

“It was before I was out of character so I felt much more detached from it. I hadn’t made that move into talking about myself so it was sort of one step removed. Since I’ve done stuff on stage as myself, everything feels more personal which is great because you feel like you’re really pouring your heart out in that emotional connection you get, but then if you get some abuse afterward it feels more about you.” 

Throughout the interview, Mr Brodkin touched upon a wide variety of topics which included the antisemitic rapper Wiley, when to draw the line in comedy and his upcoming tour.

The podcast with Mr Brodkin can be listened to here, or watched in its entirety here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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Antisemitic Jeremy Corbyn describes claims he is antisemitic as “foul, dishonest and utterly disgusting and appalling”

The antisemitic former Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has described allegations that he is antisemitic as “foul, dishonest and utterly disgusting and appalling.”

In an in-depth and candid interview with Declassified UK, he was asked if he thought that the antisemitism scandal that engulfed him “was the result of his pro-Palestinian political position,” and replied: “Very largely that is the case.”

He insisted: “I have spent my life fighting racism in any form, in any place whatsoever. My parents spent their formative years fighting the rise of Nazism in Britain, and that is what I’ve been brought up doing. And when in the 1970s the National Front were on the march in Britain, I was one of the organisers of the big Wood Green demonstration to try to stop the National Front marching through.

“And somehow or other I was accused of being antisemitic. The allegations against me were foul, dishonest and utterly disgusting and appalling from people who should know better and do know better. People that have known me for 40 years, never once complained about anything I’d ever said or done in terms of anti-racism, until I became leader of the Labour Party. Interesting coincidence of timing. Disgusting allegations which obviously we sought to rebut at all times. And I’ll be forever grateful for the support given by Jewish socialists, the many Jewish members of the Labour Party all over the country, and of course the local Jewish community in my constituency.”

He said of the allegations against him: “It was personal, it was vile, it was disgusting, and it remains so.”

Declassified UK characterised the antisemitism allegations against Mr Corbyn variously as “an extreme example of a tried-and-tested tactic used by pro-Israel groups across the world”, as a “slur” and as a tactic “instrumentalised to destroy critics of the Israeli state”, which is an example of the antisemitic Livingstone Formulation. 

Mr Corbyn replied: “The tactic is you say that somebody is intrinsically antisemitic and it sticks and then the media parrot it and repeat it the whole time. Then the abuse appears on social media, the abusive letters appear, the abusive phone calls appear, and all of that. And it’s very horrible and very nasty and is designed to be very isolating and designed to also take up all of your energies in rebutting these vile allegations, which obviously we did. But it tends to distract away from the fundamental message about peace, about justice, about social justice, about economy and all of that.”

Other portions of the interview also strayed close to tropes about outsized Israeli influence and control over British politics and the Labour Party.

With regard to Labour Friends of Israel, for instance, Declassified UK suggested that it is a front for the Israeli Embassy and Mr Corbyn questioned the funding of the faction: “I’m not opposed to there being friends of particular countries or places all around the world within the party, I think that’s a fair part of the mosaic of democratic politics. What I am concerned about is the funding that goes with it — and the apparently very generous funding that Labour Friends of Israel gets from, I presume, the Israeli Government.” Despite his ostensible tolerance for the faction even as he has suspicions about its funding, he also questioned why Labour never took action against the group and tellingly listed some of the senior Labour MPs who have been involved with it.

He also claimed that then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “also weighed in on this and said that I must not become Prime Minister. Sorry, who is Benjamin Netanyahu to decide who the British Prime Minister should be? It’s not for me to decide who the Israeli prime minister should be…so who is he to make that kind of comment?”

There is no evidence that Mr Netanyahu ever made such a comment. Declassified UK itself could only assume that Mr Corbyn was referring to a 2019 report in a British newspaper in which Mr Netanyahu had reportedly said that “Israel may halt its intelligence co-operation with the UK if Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister,” which is merely a change in Israeli policy that doubtless would have mirrored changes in British policy had Mr Corbyn been elected. What Mr Netanyahu actually said is therefore entirely different from the impression of attempted Israeli domination of British democracy that Mr Corbyn tried to give.

Mr Corbyn, who has repeatedly played down Labour antisemitism, is indefinitely suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party but remains a member of the Labour Party after his brief suspension was overturned.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the leader during the period of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Labour publishes latest antisemitism statistics just as spate of new incidents among local councillors emerges

The Labour Party has published its latest statistics in connection with antisemitism disciplinary cases in the Party, just as a spate of new incidents among local councillors has emerged.

The statistics have been published in accordance with Labour’s Action Plan, agreed with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) following its damning report into Labour antisemitism which came following the EHRC’s investigation in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant.

According to the latest figures, of the 148 cases dealt with by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) since the last report in January, 81 percent involved antisemitism. Just under ten percent involved online conduct, two per cent related to bullying and under one percent involved anti-Muslim hatred.

While some Labour activists hailed the figures, others were more sceptical, with Labour Against Antisemitism pointing out that the number of expulsions for antisemitism cases remains comparably low.

A spokesperson for the Labour Party said: “Antisemitism, like many other hate incidents, has unfortunately been spread by the widespread use of social media and there are many antisemitic conspiracy theories circulating, which are often used to insult, belittle, blame and demonise Jewish people for many different things within our society and government structures. None of this is acceptable, and such behaviour from Labour Party members will not be tolerated as it does not align with our aims and values. The Labour Party has made a commitment to require all members who are respondents in upheld complaints of antisemitism, to undertake appropriate education or training modules.”

At the same time, however, numerous Labour councillors are facing mounting pressure over their social media activity.

Cllr Belgica Guaña, who won re-election in Newham this month, is alleged to have posted on Facebook a horrific article titled “The Holocaust Hoax and the Jewish Promotion of Perversity” arguing that “The Germans were completely justified in persecuting and expelling the Jews…just as we would be today.” The allegation that Cllr Guaña posted the article was made in the JC, based on research by Labour Against Antisemitism. Cllr Guaña was suspended by the Labour Party on the eve of the local elections, reportedly a week after Labour Against Antisemitism submitted its complaint to the Party but, notably, immediately after the allegations were published in the JC. Campaign Against Antisemitism has reported her to the police and to Newham Council.

In Milton Keynes, Ansar Hussain, who was elected in 2021 and has previously served as Wolverton’s mayor, has been alleged to have shared conspiracy theories about the Jewish state on social media, including some that appear to compare Israeli policies to those of the Nazis. According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism. Contacted by the JC, Cllr Hussain reportedly said that he “disagreed with antisemitism” and, regarding the posts, that “I don’t remember these posts.” A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints seriously. They are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate action is taken.”

Since Ibrahim Ali won election in Haringey this month, it emerged that he was previously employed by the controversial CAGE activist group, and in 2015 he reportedly defended the description of the terrorist known as Jihadi John as a “beautiful young man” while speaking to a Parliamentary committee. Cllr Ali has reportedly been suspended by Labour pending an investigation.

Also in Haringey, Joy Wallace, who also won election this month, allegedly accused a rabbi of being “paid handsomely” for criticising Jeremy Corbyn on Radio 4, among other inflammatory remarks. According to the JC, Labour is investigating, but action is yet to be taken.

In Hillingdon, Cllr Labina Basit is also facing scrutiny over her past views on antisemitism in the Labour Party, including alleged opposition to the International Definition of Antisemitism.

In Leeds, Cllr John Garvani has had his nomination for the chairmanship of one of the most high-profile committees on Leeds City Council withdrawn following revelations about his inflammatory social media activity, according to the Jewish Telegraph.

In Derby North, Cllr. Nadine Peatfield, who is looking to become Labour’s candidate for Parliament in the constituency, allegedly defended the disgraced former Labour MP Chris Williamson in the past.

Separately it has been reported that the Brighton Pavilion, Brighton Kemptown and Hove and Portslade Constituency Labour Parties will no longer control their local candidate selection due to concerns over antisemitism and a lack of ethnic minority representation. The decision was approved by Labour’s NEC, which, together with the Regional Executive Committee, will now appoint a five-member panel to vet future candidates.

The move comes after antisemitism allegations among the local council’s Labour group – and the subsequent suspensions and resignations – saw power pass from Labour to the Greens, with one of the councillors at the heart of the scandal being readmitted and then re-suspended from the Party on the eve of the local elections earlier this month.

Finally, Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, who is the Media Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL), an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, is running for a position on the NEC, and has the endorsement of Mr Corbyn; the actress Maxine Peake who has previously promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theory; the controversial actress Miriam Margolyes; Andrew Feinstein, who was involved in a group raising legal funds for Mr Corbyn and who is allegedly a member of JVL; and Louise Regan, the Chair of the Nottingham East Constituency Labour Party who was reportedly suspended and reinstated by the Party in the past.

Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “British Jews reading reports alleging that Labour councillors have shared material justifying the persecution of Jewish people, promoting conspiracies about the Jewish state, opposing the International Definition of Antisemitism and other antisemitic material, will be feeling a sense of déjà vu. It has been two years since Jeremy Corbyn stepped down as leader of the Labour Party, and yet here we are again, with another spate of incidents among Labour officeholders, in some cases newly elected.

“Public statements from Labour and Sir Keir Starmer over the past few months extolling the progress that the Party has made in tackling antisemitism are increasingly divorced from reality. Some progress notwithstanding, clearly Labour is still infested with people who have antipathetic views of Jews and the Party’s vetting process is an offensive joke. Whether the failures of that process are due to enduring procedural deficiencies or the same cultural problems that have bedevilled the Party for years now, or both, Labour is required to address them, and, as these stories show, it has yet to succeed in doing so.”

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this article reported that Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi had also been endorsed by Syed Siddiqi who, according to Dame Margaret Hodge MP, has in the past associated with the expelled Labour member and antisemite Jackie Walker and the disgraced former Labour MP Chris Williamson, whom Mr Siddiqi has reportedly defended in the past. After the article was published, Jewish Voice For Labour wrote to us saying: “The endorsement by Syed Siddiqi was included in error in a post to our members that was corrected soon after. Syed Siddiqi has endorsed no candidates for the NEC election.”

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Antisemitism on display at thousands-strong anti-Israel march through London, but support drops to low ebb

A slew of controversial and antisemitic signs and chants were present on the streets of London yesterday during an anti-Israel rally that was organised by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC), but numbers seem to have declined considerably since the last large-scale mobilisation of protesters.

An evidence gathering team from Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit was present at the rally, which started outside the BBC’s headquarters, and ended at 10 Downing Street. Our team gathered evidence of numerous antisemitic placards, with a significant proportion equating Israel with Nazi Germany.

One placard read: “Well done Isr*el [sic] Hitler would be proud”, “Say no to fascism say no to Zionism”, and “If genocide wasn’t tolerated in 1945 why do we allow it in 2022?”.

Other signs read: “In Palestine 86% of Jews have no legitimate rights to be there. Palestine From the river to the sea” and “Zionism is racism.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” and “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” are both examples of antisemitism.

The rally also featured disturbing chants, including “Victory to the intifada” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

An intifada is a rebellion or uprising, but the Palestinian intifadas were characterised by acts of terrorism targeting Jews. The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” appears to refer to the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, and therefore only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a state of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the Definition.

This is not the first time that a PSC rally has been riddled with antisemitism. An investigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism in 2017 exposed extensive antisemitic bigotry amongst supporters of the PSC.

The rally featured several speakers that included Labour Party MPs Zarah Sultana and John McDonnell, Sinn Féin MP ​​Francie Molloy, and Andrew Murray, the Chief of Staff to the Unite union.

Jeremy Corbyn, the antisemitic former leader of the Labour Party, did not attend in person but wrote a speech to be read out on his behalf. However, his older brother, the anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist Piers Corbyn, did make an appearance.

The rally’s organisers claimed that 10,000 to 15,000 people attended, but our estimate was a fraction of that number.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.

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Bishop of Oxford says he was “disturbed” by the climate of antisemitism allowed to develop in Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party

The Bishop of Oxford has said that he was “disturbed” by the antisemitism that was allowed to grow in the Labour Party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

The Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft made his admission days before a commemorative event held at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, during which the Church of England offered an apology to the British Jewish community eight centuries after Jews were expelled from England.

Sunday 8th May was the 800th anniversary of the 1222 Synod of Oxford, known as the “Magna Carta” of English canon law – the system of laws enforced by the church hierarchy to regulate its organisation – which put antisemitic doctrines in place, forbidding social interactions between Jews and Christians, taxing the Jews, and making them wear a badge to identify them.

The Bishop took the opportunity of the church’s apology to voice his concerns about the climate of antisemitism during Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as Labour leader, the other causes of which are the “general kind of fragmentation” of British society and Brexit.

The Right Rev Dr Croft said: “Three or four years ago, I was really disturbed by how deeply Jewish friends and the Jewish community in Oxford were affected by the antisemitism that was growing in society as part of the climate that was around.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Further concerns raised after revelation that newly-elected NUS President reportedly praised cleric who called for Jews to be killed

Further concerns have been raised after more troubling tweets from the newly-elected President of the National Union of Students (NUS), Shaima Dallali, have surfaced. 

This most recent batch of tweets has come to light mere days after we reported that Ms Dallali was forced to apologise when, in 2012, during an escalation of tensions between Israel and the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group Hamas, the then-hopeful NUS candidate tweeted the words “Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud.” 

Translated into English, this chant means “Jews, remember the battle of Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning.” It is a classic Arabic battle cry referencing the massacre and expulsion of the Jews of the town of Khaybar in northwestern Arabia, now Saudi Arabia, in the year 628 CE.

Ms Dallali issued a statement on 23rd March, saying: “Earlier today I was made aware of a tweet I posted ten years ago. During Israel’s assault on Gaza I referenced the battle of Khaybar in which Jewish and Muslim armies fought. I was wrong to see the Palestine conflict as one between Muslims and Jews. The reference made as a teenager was unacceptable and I sincerely and unreservedly apologise.”

Shortly after her apology, it came to light that Ms Dallali’s output on Twitter reportedly included other inflammatory messages as well, including one from 2018 in which she said: “So your special forces invade the Gaza Strip, attempt to kidnap a Hamas commander, kill him and others. Then cry about Hamas being the terrorists. Makes perfect sense. #GazaUnderAttack.” Hamas is an antisemitic genocidal terrorist organisation that is proscribed in the UK.

Other alleged tweets expressed support for Jeremy Corbyn, the antisemitic former leader of the Labour Party. On 17th November 2020, Ms Dalalli wrote a response to Mr Corbyn’s readmission to the Labour Party, saying that “He should never have been suspended in the first place.” A few months later, on 5th January 2021, Ms Hallami tweeted that “Jeremy Corbyn was too good for this godforsaken country.” At present, these tweets have not yet been deleted, though it has been reported that several others have.

However, a new set of historic tweets from Ms Dallali has now come to light, one of which includes the antisemitic “From the river to the sea” chant. The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Additionally, Ms Dallali reportedly referred to a preacher who condemned actions taken by Hamas as a “dirty Zionist” and has also raised money for the controversial activist group CAGE which, while it does not advocate violence, has previously been criticised for promoting problematic or extreme views, which they deny.

Ms Dallali also allegedly said that the cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has been described as an “Islamist theologian”, was the “moral compass for the Muslim community at large”. In January 2009, Mr al-Qaradawi said on Al-Jazeera TV that he would “shoot Allah’s enemies, the Jews.” In a sermon that took place in that same month, he again spoke of Jewish people and called upon God to “kill them, down to the very last one.”

In a 2010 interview on BBC Arabic, Mr Yusuf al-Qaradawi reportedly said: “Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them – even though they exaggerated this issue – he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers.”

Replying to UJS’s tweet about the “bridges broken” over the past few weeks in regard to NUS’ booking of the controversial rapper Lowkey, Ms Dallali said that her hands “are outstretched to all students and staff that work in our movement, including Jewish students, and would love to arrange a meeting once I’m in office,” though in the past, she has lashed out at UJS over Twitter, accusing them of having “a history of bullying pro-Palestine sabbs [sabbatical officers] and activists.” In that same tweet, she added: “You speak one word of solidarity and they’re after you. UJS and their likes need to be called out.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors the adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism by universities.

If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].

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NUS elects President who tweeted antisemitic chant and said that Jeremy Corbyn should never have been suspended from Labour Party

A student politician who was forced to apologise for tweeting an Islamist chant threatening Jews has been elected President of the National Union of Students (NUS).

Last week, it was revealed that the then-hopeful NUS candidate Shaima Dallali was forced to apologise for tweeting the words of an antisemitic chant. In 2012, during an escalation of tensions between Israel and the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group Hamas, Ms Dallali tweeted the words “Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud.”

Translated into English, this chant means “Jews, remember the battle of Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning.” It is a classic Arabic battle cry referencing the massacre and expulsion of the Jews of the town of Khaybar in northwestern Arabia, now Saudi Arabia, in the year 628 CE.

Ms Dallali issued a statement on 23rd March, saying: “Earlier today I was made aware of a tweet I posted ten years ago. During Israel’s assault on Gaza I referenced the battle of Khaybar in which Jewish and Muslim armies fought. I was wrong to see the Palestine conflict as one between Muslims and Jews. The reference made as a teenager was unacceptable and I sincerely and unreservedly apologise.”

Ms Dallali is currently the President of the City, University of London students’ union. Last year, prior to Ms Dallali’s tenure as President, the union organised a controversial campus-wide referendum on the International Definition of Antisemitism after reportedly failing to consult Jewish students.

It has now come to light that Ms Dallali’s output on Twitter also included other inflammatory messages, including one last May allegedly saying that “organisations like UJS [the Union of Jewish Students] have a history of bullying pro-Palestine sabbs [sabbatical officers] and activists. You speak one word of solidarity and they’re after you. UJS and their likes need to be called out.”

Another alleged tweet from 2018 read: “So your special forces invade the Gaza Strip, attempt to kidnap a Hamas commander, kill him and others. Then cry about Hamas being the terrorists. Makes perfect sense. #GazaUnderAttack.” Hamas is an antisemitic genocidal terrorist organisation that is proscribed in the UK.

Other alleged tweets expressed support for Jeremy Corbyn, the antisemitic former leader of the Labour Party. On 17th November 2020, Ms Dalalli wrote a response to Mr Corbyn’s readmission to the Labour Party, saying that “He should never have been suspended in the first place.” A few months later, on 5th January 2021, Ms Hallami tweeted that “Jeremy Corbyn was too good for this godforsaken country.” At present, these tweets have not yet been deleted, though it has been reported that several others have.

Last week, the Chair of the Education Select Committee, Robert Halfon MP, excoriated NUS for failing to send a representative to attend his recent hearing, particularly given that the hearing took place just days after a scandal involving the rapper Kareem Dennis, known as Lowkey, who was due to headline the union’s centenary conference. After initially dismissing the concerns of Jewish students, who pointed out the rapper’s inflammatory record, the union came under media scrutiny and eventually Mr Dennis withdraw from the event.

In an attempt at an apology, NUS grotesquely alleged that “Whilst we welcome genuine political debate, we’ve been sad to see the use of harassment and misinformation against Lowkey.” Swiping at Mr Halfon, NUS has asserted that “MPs and education leaders are accountable to us not the other way round,” declared that “Old school bullying culture is never acceptable including at Government committees [sic],” and that “Elected student leaders aren’t required to take endless levels of abuse in their roles.”

Concerns were also raised about the outgoing President of NUS and one of her Vice Presidents.

NUS’s handling of Jewish concerns over the booking of Lowkey was discussed on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism.

Binyomin Gilbert, Programme Manager at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Shaima Dallali’s election as NUS President only a week after the Lowkey scandal is just the latest indication that this union does not even aspire to represent Jewish students. She has not even taken office and has already had to apologise for one historic antisemitic tweet while rapidly deleting many other inflammatory social media posts. If she wishes to show that she personally has learned a lesson and seeks to lead a truly inclusive union, she should commit to meeting with Jewish students and educate herself on their concerns and also announce that NUS under her leadership will recommit to the International Definition of Antisemitism. If she cannot bring herself to do that in short order, the Government should end its enormous grant to NUS.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors the adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism by universities.

If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].

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Labour Party antisemitism training uses mural defended by Jeremy Corbyn as example

It has been reported that a mandatory two-hour antisemitism training course delivered to Labour Party MPs and officials depicts the notorious mural that was defended by Jeremy Corbyn, the antisemitic former leader of the Party, as an example of antisemitism.

In October 2012, Los Angeles-based street artist Mear One, painted a wall in London’s East End which featured apparently-Jewish bankers beneath a pyramid often used by conspiracy theorists playing Monopoly on a board carried by straining, oppressed workers.

Following complaints, the mural was due to be removed, prompting Mear One to post on Facebook: “Tomorrow they want to buff my mural. Freedom of Expression. London Calling, Public art.” Mr Corbyn commented: “Why? You are in good company. Rockerfeller [sic] destroyed Diego Viera’s [sic] mural because it includes a picture of Lenin.”

One Labour source reportedly said of the inclusion of the mural in the training: “Whereas Corbyn defended this image, course facilitators are using it as a potent illustration of antisemitism.”

Other examples used in the 44-slide PowerPoint, which was announced last year and initially met with a revolt and antisemitic conspiracy theories by antisemitism-deniers in the Party, include the blood libel, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Nazi-era drawings, and popular internet memes. The training is required under the Action Plan agreed between the Party and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

The course also teaches the International Definition of Antisemitism, which was adopted by the Party, under pressure, during Mr Corbyn’ tenure as leader.

The Jewish former Labour MP, Ruth Smeeth, said: “We’re under no illusions. Rooting out the toxic culture will not be a quick job. We know it will take time. But by using education, a proper disciplinary process and leadership from Keir Starmer, progress is being made.”

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Sir Keir Starmer shows pragmatism over principle in revealing interview with Channel 4 News

In a Channel 4 News interview broadcast on 15th February, Sir Keir Starmer declined to express remorse for serving alongside and backing the antisemite Jeremy Corbyn, and said that whether Mr Corbyn returned to the Parliamentary Labour Party, from which he is currently suspended, is “a matter for him and the Chief Whip”.

In comments that are unlikely to satisfy those who question how Sir Keir could have served in Mr Corbyn’s Shadow Cabinet through the years of the Labour Party’s antisemitism crisis, only to begin to speak out against it when he ran for leader of the Party, Sir Keir nevertheless did go on speculate that Mr Corbyn is unlikely to be a Labour candidate in the next General Election.

Asked by presenter Cathy Newman, “Do you regret serving alongside Jeremy Corbyn?” Sir Keir responded: “No. I think it’s very important for people to make the arguments wherever they can, and that gave me the ability to make the argument about NATO in the Shadow Cabinet.”

Ms Newman pressed the Labour leader, asking: “Would you and are you looking to deselect Jeremy Corbyn now so that he can’t stand again as a Labour MP?”

Sir Keir replied: “Well Jeremy Corbyn’s position at the moment is that he’s not got the Labour whip for reasons that everybody understands in relation to his response to the antisemitism report. That remains the situation, and will remain the situation until something’s done about it.”

Ms Newman further asked: “But are you going to show leadership on this and deselect him?” Sir Keir responded, “Well look, the whip has been removed from Jeremy and that’s the same position it’s been for…” but was interrupted by the presented, who observed: “But that’s different from deselecting him for the next election.” Sir Keir reiterated: “Well, he’s not a Labour MPa t the moment.”

Finally, Ms Newman asked: “Can you see any scenario that he will stand under the Labour banner at the next election?”

He replied: Well, at the moment he’s not a Labour MP and so I don’t see how that’s possible, but you know that’s a matter for him and the Chief Whip, but, you know, we’ve been in this position for over a year now.”

Meanwhile, Labour has reportedly dropped an investigation into Diana Neslen, a member of the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, Jewish Voice for Labour. Ms Neslen apparently threatened to sue the Labour Party for discrimination based on her anti-Zionist beliefs and her position, expressed in a 2017 tweet that was reportedly the subject of Labour’s investigation, that the Jewish state is a “racist endeavour”. According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” is an example of antisemitism.

This matter was also the cause of one of the BBC’s numerous recent controversies in relation to antisemitism, as the broadcaster invited Ms Neslen to a panel to discuss whether anti-Zionism should be a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, only to invite someone else instead, record the segment but then not air it after pressure from an outraged Jewish community.

In the past, Ms Neslen has reportedly denied that the Jewish former Labour MPs Luciana Berger and Dame Louise Ellman were “hounded out” of the party under Mr Corbyn, and has apparently posted: “Zionism is not Judaism. It is blasphemy.”

Also in the past week, Mr Corbyn withdrew from what news reports described as a “Hamas-linked rally”.

Joe Gasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “This interview is revealing. Once again, Sir Keir Starmer has not apologised for standing by Jeremy Corbyn through the years of Labour’s antisemitism crisis, and he has declined to show leadership by actively deselecting the former leader, relying instead on Mr Corbyn being automatically replaced by virtue of his ongoing suspension from the Parliamentary Labour Party. Even with regard to the future of that suspension, Sir Keir avoided taking responsibility, asserting that it was not a matter for him but for the Chief Whip. The only bright spot was that he could not foresee Mr Corbyn having the endorsement of the Labour Party in the next General Election.

“This is illustrative of how Sir Keir is addressing antisemitism in the Labour Party: passively letting things happen in the hope that the antisemites will go away without showing real leadership by calling out racism against Jews for what it is and actively expelling it. This is about pushing the problem away rather than seeking justice; it is pragmatism over principle.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Laura Pidcock quits Labour’s ruling NEC after motion to restore whip to antisemite Jeremy Corbyn fails

Laura Pidcock, the former Labour MP, has resigned from the Labour Party’s ruling National Executive Committee after a motion calling for the restoration of the whip to the antisemite Jeremy Corbyn failed to pass.

Ms Pidcock, a staunch ally of Mr Corbyn’s who sat on his front bench, previously voted last year against the NEC’s proscription of the antisemitism-denial group, Labour Against the Witchhunt, and later challenged the practice of expelling Party members based on apparent involvement with the group.

The motion to restore the whip to Mr Corbyn – which, even if passed, would not have effected a restoration in itself – was defeated by 23 votes to fourteen, with one abstention. The margin reflects the divide on the NEC between pro-Corbyn elements and those less sympathetic to the former leader.

Mr Corbyn reacted to the vote by tweeting: “Today’s NEC vote and Keir Starmer’s ongoing decision to bar me from sitting as a Labour MP is disappointing. I am grateful for and humbled by the support I’ve received, especially from my Islington North constituents. The struggle for peace, justice and sustainability goes on.”

In her resignation statement, Ms Pidcock said that “I am resigning because of what I see as an irreconcilable difference between the actions of the Labour Party as it stands and the principles that underpin the way I have been taught to treat people and my idea of what a political organisation should be for.” She described Sir Keir Starmer’s tenure as leader so far as leading to “a barrage of top-down changes which is making it hostile territory for socialists, from those of us on the NEC, to those in CLPs [Constituency Labour Parties] across the country.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We welcome the NEC’s decision not to call for a restoration of the whip to the antisemite Jeremy Corbyn. The next step for the Party is to investigate our complaints against him and expel him from the Labour Party, to which he was disgracefully readmitted after an embarrassingly short suspension. The NEC vote reflects a Party that remains divided over what kind of party it wishes to be. It is yet further evidence that the fight to make Labour a safe place for Jews still has a long way to go.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Jeremy Corbyn reportedly considering launching new party while allies seek to restore Labour whip to him

Jeremy Corbyn, the antisemitic former leader of the Labour Party, is reportedly considering launching a new political party.

Mr Corbyn is apparently being urged by his allies to register his organisation, the Peace and Justice Project, as a political party. Mr Corbyn set up the Project following his suspension from the Labour Party in order to coordinate his activism.

However, Mr Corbyn has also recently observed that he could stand as an independent at the next election. He reportedly said: “Let’s not go into too much speculation about this…my wish is to stand as a Labour candidate…I do feel I’ve been very badly treated, but let’s take it one step at a time.”

Although Mr Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party, he was rapidly and disgracefully readmitted. However, the whip has not been restored to him, so he is in the absurd position of being a member of the Labour Party who sits as an independent MP.

Now, Nadia Jama and Ian Murray, both allies of Mr Corbyn on Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), have submitted a motion to the NEC calling for the whip to be restored to the former leader. Even if successful, the motion cannot require the whip to be restored to Mr Corbyn.

Late last year, Ms Jama seconded a motion challenging the practice of expelling Party members based on apparent involvement with groups that were proscribed after the time of alleged involvement, and earlier last year Ms Jama voted against the proscription of Labour Against the Witchhunt by the NEC.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Scottish Labour leader under pressure to discipline Mercedes Villalba MSP who called for Party whip to be returned to antisemitic former leader Jeremy Corbyn

The Leader of Scottish Labour is under pressure to discipline one of his MSPs who called for the Labour Party whip to be returned to the antisemitic former leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

North East Scotland MSP Mercedes Villalba tweeted last week: “Jeremy Corbyn is a Labour Party member and should have the whip restored to him immediately.”

Mr Corbyn was suspended by the Labour Party but shambolically readmitted, but the whip was not restored to him, leaving him in the absurd position of being a member of the Labour Party but an independent MP.

Ms Mercedes has previously spoken out in the support of the disgraced former leader.

Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour Leader, tried to distance himself from the Ms Villalba’s remarks but fell short of disciplining her. Asked if Mr Corbyn should apologise for his role in the Party’s antisemitism scandal, Mr Sarwar said: “Yes, I think that’s the least that anyone who has caused pain or hurt should do in that situation. The reality is that that is an internal disciplinary process and we have got to reflect on the impact that the antisemitism row – it was more than a row – had on communities across the country. I have been spending a lot of time speaking to the Jewish community here in Scotland and I have heard directly about the pain and the anguish that that whole episode caused and I am working to rebuild our relationship with all our communities across Scotland, including the Jewish community.

“As someone who has campaigned on Islamophobia and antisemitism and other forms of prejudice and hate, I know we can’t afford to be complacent. I would much prefer that those responsible for the pain apologised directly, reflected on their position. But I want us to focus on the future, not the past. I am not interested in past leaders or past problems or past issues. I am interested in the future and I expect every Labour MP, MSP and councillor to be focused on the future as well.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Jeremy Corbyn’s absurd status as a Labour member who sits as an independent MP, when in fact he should not be in the Party at all, has left Labour and the public in confusion over Labour\s position on racism against Jews. If Anas Sarwar is serious when he says that the Party cannot be complacent in fighting antisemitism, then he must discipline Mercedes Villalba MSP for supporting the restoration of the whip to Mr Corbyn. Scottish Labour must decide whether it is a party of people who support the antisemite Jeremy Corbyn or not.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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CAA to write to BBC after Rachel Burden insists on BBC 5 Live there is “absolutely no evidence” that Jeremy Corbyn is antisemitic

Campaign Against Antisemitism shall be writing to the BBC after a presenter claimed on BBC 5 Live Breakfast this morning that there is “absolutely no evidence” that Jeremy Corbyn is antisemitic.

Rachel Burden said towards the end of the programme, referring to her interview earlier with the businessman John Caudwell, who described the former Labour Party leader as “a Marxist and antisemite”, that she redirected him back to the topic under discussion but “I should have challenged him on the particular allegation of antisemite [sic] because there is absolutely no evidence that the leader of the Labour Party at that time, Jeremy Corbyn, was or is antisemitic. He had to deal with allegations of that within his party but there is nothing to suggest that he himself as an individual was. So I apologise for not challenging more directly, I should have done, and I want to emphasise there is no evidence for that at all.”

It would be understandable for Ms Burden to say that Mr Corbyn would dispute the characterisation, but it is unacceptable for her to editorialise and dismiss publicly-available evidence that has been reported in the national media for years.

Over two years ago, for example, Campaign Against Antisemitism published data, using a peer-reviewed research method, showing that Mr Corbyn was personally responsible for 24 incidents relating to antisemitism, which was equal to fifteen percent of all recorded incidents involving parliamentary candidates and party leaders in the lead-up to the 2019 General Election. That meant that, if Jeremy Corbyn were a political party, the ‘Jeremy Corbyn party’ would be responsible for almost four times more incidents than all the other major parties combined.

For Ms Burden to dismiss this evidence without basis represents both offence and inaccuracy under the BBC’s code.

Moreover, it is remarkable that Ms Burden would refer to the antisemitism in the Labour Party as mere “allegation” even though the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reported that the allegations of racism against Jews in the Party were not only made out but were so bad as to have broken the law. Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant in the EHRC’s investigation.

The BBC is currently mired in scandal in connection with having referred to evident antisemitism in an antisemitic incident on Oxford Street also as mere “allegation”. The Culture Secretary has written to the Director General of the BBC over its coverage of the incident and the ensuing controversy, which remains live. Ms Dorries’ intervention came after Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote to her and the BBC over the Corporation’s coverage, in which the BBC also baselessly defamed the Jewish victims and suggested that they may have brought the attack upon themselves. The coverage prompted condemnation from Campaign Against Antisemitism and other communal groups, a rally outside Broadcasting House held by Campaign Against Antisemitism and attended by hundreds, and the resignation of a rabbi and long-time BBC broadcaster.

Just in the past week, the BBC has also become embroiled in two further controversies relating to antisemitism. In one case, BBC Radio 4 was forced to pull a debate on whether anti-Zionism should be a protected characteristic, which was due to feature a member of the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, Jewish Voice for Labour.

Meanwhile, on its website, the BBC reported that a Labour Party councillor had been “suspended from the party over an offensive tweet about leader Keir Starmer” but studiously avoided mentioning that the tweet in question claimed that Sir Keir was following “commands from Israel”. After outrage, the BBC article was updated to incorporate the inflammatory language.

These are just the latest scandals relating to antisemitism in which the BBC has become embroiled in just the past few weeks, and follow years of eroding confidence in the BBC on the part of the Jewish community.

Our Antisemitism Barometer last year revealed that two thirds of British Jews are deeply concerned by the BBC’s coverage of matters of Jewish concern, and 55% by its handling of antisemitism complaints.

The BBC’s coverage of the Oxford Street incident and our rally, which was endorsed by former BBC Chairman Lord Grade and actress Dame Maureen Lipman, has been discussed on previous episodes of our weekly podcast, Podcast Against Antisemitism. Episodes are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Over two years ago, we published data, using a peer-reviewed research method, showing that Jeremy Corbyn was personally responsible for 24 incidents relating to antisemitism. For Rachel Burden to editorialise and dismiss this evidence without basis represents both offence and inaccuracy under the BBC’s code. Moreover, it is obscene for her to belittle Labour’s antisemitism as mere ‘allegation’, even though the EHRC, following an investigation in which we were the complainant, found those allegations to be made out to such an extent that the Party was deemed to have broken the law. This is not the first time in the past few weeks that the BBC has reduced evident antisemitism to mere ‘allegation’, as it has done with the Oxford Street incident. As these controversies relating to antisemitism and the BBC grow in number, it is no wonder that the Jewish community has lost confidence in our public broadcaster.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors traditional media and regularly holds outlets to account. If members of the public are concerned about reportage in the media, they should contact us at [email protected].

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Today, as Labour Party is mandated by law to introduce semi-independent disciplinary process, CAA resubmits complaints against fifteen sitting Labour MPs including Angela Rayner

Today is a key monitoring date and sign-off point in the Labour Party’s Action Plan agreed with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The Action Plan came in the wake of the EHRC’s finding that Labour had unlawfully discriminated against Jewish people following an investigation in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant.

Under the Action Plan, it is required today that “An independent process is up and running and will be used to determine 100% of applicable antisemitism complaints,” save for cases already at the adjudication stage under the existing system.

Last year, on the day that the EHRC published its report, Campaign Against Antisemitism submitted complaints against fifteen sitting MPs, including former Leader Jeremy Corbyn and current Deputy Leader Angela Rayner, as well as Diane Abbott, Tahir Ali, Mike Amesbury, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Barry Gardiner, Kate Hollern, Afzal Khan, Rebecca Long Bailey, Steve Reed, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Barry Sheerman and Zarah Sultana, as well as other officeholders and candidates.

Although Mr Corbyn sits as an independent MP, he nevertheless absurdly remains a member of the Labour Party – after he was rapidly readmitted following his brief suspension – and therefore subject to its disciplinary processes. On 18th November 2020, we submitted a further complaint about Mr Corbyn over his personal responsibility for the Party being found guilty of unlawful acts of antisemitism, for which he must be held to account.

We asked that our complaints not be investigated until an independent process is introduced. At Party conference in September of this year, Labour endorsed a proposed semi-independent disciplinary process, and today the Party is required to have it up and running.

In the year since they were submitted, none of our complaints have been acknowledged, let alone investigated, therefore we resubmit them today with the expectation that a timeframe for their investigation be provided and that an efficient, fair and transparent investigation be conducted.

Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Addressing antisemitism in the Labour Party and making it safe for Jews depends on delivering justice for the years of discrimination and pain that the Party continues to cause for the Jewish community in Britain. That must include investigating those MPs who have been culpable in promoting or excusing racism towards Jews or belittling allegations of antisemitism as ‘smears’, which the EHRC recognised was central to the unlawful victimisation of Jews by the Party.

“The Party has not even acknowledged our complaints of one year ago, let alone investigated them. As of today, the Party is required to have introduced a semi-independent disciplinary process to handle antisemitism complaints. We have therefore resubmitted our complaints against fifteen sitting MPs and expect them to be investigated efficiently, fairly and transparently.”

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Four Scottish Labour MSPs pictured with antisemite Jeremy Corbyn over past week

Four Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) have reportedly been pictured with the antisemitic former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

According to journalist Stephen Daisley, in one photograph, Mercedes Villalba, Carol Mochan and Katy Clark were pictured smiling with Mr Corbyn and Alex Rowley is pictured with Mr Corbyn’s arm around his shoulder in another.

All four are Labour MSPs.

Ms Villalba, Scottish Labour’s environment spokesperson, described Mr Corbyn as “Still the kindest man in politics,” while Mr Rowley wrote that he was “Delighted to meet with my good friend.”

Mr Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party before disgracefully being readmitted, but he remains suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party, leaving him – and the Labour Party – in the absurd position of being a member of the Labour Party but an independent MP.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Piers Corbyn says antisemitism allegations against him and his brother are a “pack of lies”  

A video has emerged of Piers Corbyn claiming that allegations of antisemitism against him and his brother Jeremy Corbyn, the antisemitic former Labour Party Leader, are a “pack of lies”.

Speaking outside of the Conservative Party Conference, Mr Corbyn was asked if anyone at the conference had raised concerns of antisemitism to him, to which the controversial lockdown-sceptic replied that “nobody has said anything about that at all”, before adding: “It’s all a pack of lies and people know that.”

When asked what he meant by the phrase “pack of lies”, Mr Corbyn said: “The idea that me and my brother are antisemitic…he’s not antisemitic and neither am I.”

In August, Mr Corbyn suggested that “troublemakers” in Jewish areas posted leaflets created and distributed by Mr Corbyn, which compared the COVID-19 vaccines to the Auschwitz death camp, through their own doors in a “plot” to portray him as antisemitic.

When asked “Why was it leafleted in Jewish areas?”, Mr Corbyn replied: “It wasn’t specifically leafleted in any particular areas. That is a lie made up by the media. Or, some troublemakers leafleted it through their own doors, I suspect, and then came forward.”

“To try and portray you as antisemitic?”, Mr Riach asked, to which Mr Corbyn responded “Yes, yes.” When Mr Riach asked whether it was a conspiracy or not, Mr Corbyn replied: “Well, certainly a plot.”

Recent footage showed Mr Corbyn comparing vaccinations to Nazi policy outside the Houses of Parliament. The video showed Mr Corbyn and another man standing in front of a sign which reads “No Nazi forced jab” and yelling “arrest Matt Hancock” through a megaphone. 

On 20th July, Mr Corbyn, alongside other anti-vaccination protesters, showed their support at a far-left demonstration that was held outside of Labour Party headquarters. Speaking about the COVID-19 vaccination and the lockdown, Mr Corbyn said: “You know what happened in Germany. The left there, they were begging Hitler to support them. They believed in Hitler. You know what happened. The rest is history…the Jews were labelled as a danger and were locked up.” Mr Corbyn also gave an interview at the demonstration in which he denied that he, or his brother Jeremy Corbyn, were antisemites.

Anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination networks have become known as hotbeds of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes.

Mr Corbyn has a history of controversy in relation to antisemitic conspiracy theories. He has previously retweeted @whiteknight0011, a notorious neo-Nazi who declared that “They will force Trump in to war What do you think happened to Hitler? Bilderberg CIA IMF Banker Gangsters They are the problem” along with four images. The @whiteknight0011 account has since been suspended. One image showed Lord Jacob Rothschild, the Jewish banker and philanthropist, against the background of a Nazi flag, claiming that he controls the world. A second showed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a puppeteer controlling ISIS through Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, orchestrating the war in Syria and Paris attacks as Lord Rothschild and the Queen look on approvingly. A third image showed the faces of supposed Jewish conspirators who run the world to society’s detriment, proclaiming: “Know your enemy”. The last image showed a family photo of the Royal Family, claiming that they are in cahoots with these Jewish conspirators in committing “the worst genocides, invasions and theft in all history.”

Mr Corbyn has also claimed that “Zionists” were conspiring against his brother: when Jewish then-MP Louise Ellman complained of antisemitic attacks against her, Piers accused her of using it as a cover for political attack, tweeting: “ABSURD! JC+ All #Corbyns are committed #AntiNazi. #Zionists can’t cope with anyone supporting rights for #Palestine”.

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Antisemite Jeremy Corbyn insultingly appropriates memory of Cable Street as he shares stage with suspended Labour member accused of bullying Jewish MP

The antisemitic former Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn shared a stage at yesterday’s rally, which marked the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, with a suspended Labour member accused of bullying Luciana Berger, the former MP for Liverpool Wavertree.

Hazuan Hashim stood next to Mr Corbyn during his speech, seemingly recording it on video throughout. Mr Hashim, along with three other members of the executive of the Constituency Labour Party (CLP) in Wavertree, was reportedly suspended from the Party last year when the group criticised their local MP for expressing regret that her predecessor, Ms Berger, felt that she had to leave the Party.

Paula Barker, the Labour MP for Wavertree, wrote in the Jewish Telegraph that “Luciana leaving the Labour Party was a shock to many and I find it deeply regrettable that she felt she could no longer stay.” Ms Berger was hounded out of the Labour Party in early 2019 after years of antisemitism and threats of deselection.

However, four members of the executive committee of Ms Barker’s Constituency Labour Party (including its chair and secretary) issued a statement in the branch’s Member’s Bulletin accusing Ms Barker of presenting an “inaccurate and factionally-motivated position on antisemitism” that only “reflected the influence of a partial view that claims to speak for all Jewish people.” They further insisted that “our political disagreement with [Ms Berger] was cynically attributed to bullying, harassment and antisemitism on our part” and that “the suggestion that the Constituency Labour Party Executive is in any way a party to bullying and antisemitism is a false and slanderous accusation.”

Expressing outrage at the appearance of both Mr Corbyn and Mr Hashim at the rally, a Liverpool Labour activist said: “It makes my blood boil seeing Jeremy Corbyn give a speech at an event, that is meant to show solidarity with British Jews, alongside someone who has actively tried to harm relations with the local Jewish community in Liverpool. Hazuan Hashim should be nowhere near this event, and neither should Corbyn.”

Another speaker at the rally was Poplar and Limehouse MP Apsana Begum, who has previously been investigated for alleged antisemitism after accusing Tony Blair of spreading “Zionist propaganda”, claiming the leaders of Saudi Arabia were “inspired by Zionist masters” and sharing material by a political activist accused of antisemitism and 9/11 conspiracy theories. Members from Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, also spoke.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is the height of chutzpah for the antisemite Jeremy Corbyn to appropriate the site and memory of a famous battle against racists who held the same prejudices against Jews as he does. That he shared the platform with someone suspended from the Labour Party for allegedly harbouring similar views is par for course for the former Labour leader. On this occasion, it appears to be Mr Corbyn who has shown that he does not understand English irony.”

Mr Corbyn has often been mocked for his denials of anti-Jewish racism despite his long record of appearing alongside extremely dubious figures, with the former Labour leader sometimes being dubbed the ‘unluckiest anti-racist’ for so often finding himself in the company of these people while insisting on his own blamelessness.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Roundup of antisemitism news from Labour Conference as Sir Keir Starmer defends backing antisemite Jeremy Corbyn “100%”, saying any Labour government is better than the alternative

On antisemitism, this year’s Labour Party conference has exemplified the tension between public relations and substance and continues to raise questions about how and why the Party’s leadership is tackling the issue. Sir Keir Starmer’s follow-up comment this morning defending his backing of the antisemite Jeremy Corbyn by arguing that a Labour government is better than the alternative is a case in point.

Asked about his effort to de-Corbynise the Labour Party, Nick Robinson asked Sir Keir on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning about a comment that he made during the 2019 General Election backing Mr Corbyn “100%”. Mr Robinson observed to Sir Keir that “you presented to the country with something that was not a plan for serious government…and not a man who was a serious candidate to be Prime Minister.”

Sir Keir responded, saying: “I am a member of the Labour Party and a Labour MP and like every member of the Labour Party and every MP we support a Labour Government. A Labour Government is always better than the alternative. And all of us supported a Labour Government at the last election, and quite right too.”

Sir Keir conveniently omitted that numerous Labour politicians of principle had by that point left the Party in disgust at its institutional racism and in solidarity with their Jewish peers who had been hounded out of the Party under Mr Corbyn’s leadership. Although Mr Robinson’s question was not specifically about antisemitism, Sir Keir mentioned earlier in the interview that antisemitism was one of the reasons that the electorate did not consider Labour under Mr Corbyn fit for government, and Sir Keir’s infamous “100%” backing for Mr Corbyn was never diluted by Mr Corbyn’s or Labour’s racism.

Sir Keir has now explained why he backed a Corbyn government while others left: because loyalty to party trumps fighting racism.

The comment comes the morning after the conclusion of Labour’s annual conference, in which Sir Keir claimed repeatedly to have “closed the door” on antisemites in the Party and on Labour’s “shameful chapter”, even though there was plenty of evidence that this was not remotely the case, with fears for the safety of Jewish attendees and Jewish former Labour MP Ruth Smeeth stating that “this is my 22nd Labour conference, and yet I feel sick about the idea of being in Brighton, knowing I will be a target for yet more racist abuse”; reports of expelled members permitted access to the conference; a speaker who has allegedly promoted Rothschild conspiracy theories invited to address the main conference hall; another outrageous fringe event hosted by the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, Jewish Voice for Labour; and Labour backbencher and one-time member of Sir Keir’s Shadow Cabinet, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, apparently complaining that Labour members were being “purged or set up with false allegations”.

In addition, illustrating the persistence of a particular mindset that continues to strain the Party’s relations with the Jewish community, delegates approved a provocative motion using extremely inflammatory language about the Jewish state that was proposed by the controversial faction Young Labour. Sir Keir and Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy tried to distance themselves from the motion.

Then there was Mr Corbyn himself, who reportedly still refused at the conference to apologise for the comments that got him briefly suspended from the Labour Party and indefinitely suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), while apparently continuing to bring other MPs down with him, with longtime ally, Andy McDonald MP  coming under fire for appearing alongside him at a conference event. Mr McDonald subsequently quit the Shadow Cabinet, ostensibly over a policy issue.

Sir Keir apparently reiterated that Mr Corbyn needs to apologise to be permitted to rejoin the PLP (and new rules may mean that Mr Corbyn may never otherwise become a Labour MP again), but the charade of his concurrent membership of the Labour Party and exclusion from the PLP is a constant reminder of how broken Labour’s disciplinary process is. Is it tenable to argue that Mr Corbyn’s offenses are at once so great as to exclude him from the PLP but not so great as to prevent his membership of the Party? Is Labour’s message to be that racists are welcome in the Party but simply not as its public face?

It is that tension between public relations and substance that has become a theme of this year’s Labour Party conference.

Certainly, there were some welcome steps, such as the introduction of a semi-independent disciplinary process, as mandated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) after it found Labour to be institutionally racist toward Jewish people following an investigation in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant. Yet although this change was legally required, over a quarter of those attending the Labour conference voted against it (as did eight members of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee in the days preceding the conference) and some affiliated groups (such as the second-largest union, Unite) abstained. Evidently, for them loyalty to their version of Labour trumps not only fighting racism but also the law.

But Sir Keir’s claim to have “closed the door” on antisemitism in the Labour Party is not only absurd but a worrying insight into how he views the problem. At the beginning of the conference, Sir Keir heralded the new disciplinary process as “a major step forward in our efforts to face the public and win the next general election” (because he recognises, as he told BBC Four’s Today programme this morning, that antisemitism was one of the reasons Labour lost the election in 2019), rather than as a sadly necessary means of delivering justice for Britain’s Jews because his Party was found to have been so grotesquely racist as to have broken the law.

Later, at the end of the conference, he delighted in Dame Louise Ellman’s return to the Party — announcing at the beginning of his keynote speech, “welcome home Louise” to an ovation (and some hissing) — but that was the only nod to antisemitism in his entire address. 

Sir Keir will have to show that he sees fighting Labour antisemitism as more than just a public relations stunt necessary to win elections.

Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Sir Keir Starmer believes that he has closed the door on the shameful chapter of Labour antisemitism, but he is worryingly mistaken. Far from being the end of the matter, approving a semi-independent disciplinary process, as required by law, is merely the beginning of the real challenge of purging racists and their enablers from his Party and delivering justice for the Jewish community. That means implementing that new process, investigating our complaints against Jeremy Corbyn, Angela Rayner and others, and encouraging a major culture change in a Party that, as this conference has shown once again, remains obsessed with Jews and the Jewish state.

“It also means Sir Keir himself admitting that the period of Mr Corbyn’s leadership, which he actively supported, were inimical to his Party’s ideals. In this respect, his claim on Today that a Labour government led by an antisemite is ‘better than the alternative’ is not encouraging.

“Just as Dame Louise Ellman left the Party years after its antisemitism had taken institutional root, so the remedial process, if undertaken in good faith, will take years after her return to run its course, as she herself acknowledges.

“Above all, waging a public relations campaign and actually fighting antisemitism are two different things. Sir Keir has spent the last several days showcasing his ability to do the former, but he cannot pull the wool over the eyes of Britain’s Jews. He will be judged over whether he really reforms the Labour Party and delivers justice for the Jewish community.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs, including Angela Rayner. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Dame Louise Ellman is first Labour exile to rejoin Labour but warns “there remains a great deal more to do to tackle antisemitism” in the Party

Dame Louise Ellman, the last Jewish MP to have quit the Labour Party over antisemitism, has today announced that she is the first to rejoin.

Dame Louise resigned from Labour in October 2019, shortly before the General Election, after 55 years of membership, asserting that “Jeremy Corbyn is not fit to be Prime Minister” because he “spent three decades on the backbenches consorting with, and never confronting antisemites, Holocaust deniers and terrorists”, saying that he has “attracted the support of too many antisemites”.

She said that she made her “agonising” decision because “The Labour Party is no longer a safe place for Jews and Jeremy Corbyn must bear responsibility for this.” She warned: “We cannot allow him to do to the country what he has done to the Labour Party.”

Dame Louise was the last of several courageous MPs to be hounded out of the Party or leave the Party in disgust at its institutional racism, which was later affirmed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), following an investigation in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant.

In a statement today, Dame Louise said that she is returning to her “political home” because she is “confident that, under the leadership of Keir Starmer, the Party is once again led by a man of principle” who has “shown a willingness to confront both the anti-Jewish racists and the toxic culture which allowed antisemitism to flourish.”

However, Dame Louise warned that “there remains a great deal more to do to tackle antisemitism in the Party,” and said that she recognises that many others will not feel ready or willing to rejoin.

Yesterday, Labour’s annual conference approved the introduction of a semi-independent disciplinary process, as mandated by the EHRC, but with less than 75% support, showing that there is still considerable resistance within the Party’s membership to addressing its racism.

Indeed, only recently Dame Louise’s successor as MP for Liverpool Riverside, Kim Johnson, denied that Dame Louise had been hounded out of the Party at all, seemingly still denying the scale of the problem.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Jewish delegates warned they may face heckling at Labour Party conference as antisemitism-deniers out in force

Jewish delegates have reportedly been warned that they may face heckling at this year’s Labour Party conference, which begins this weekend.

The reports are particularly concerning given what has transpired at recent Labour conferences, for example in 2017 the historicity of the Holocaust appeared to be up for debate, in 2018 a Jewish Labour MP needed police protection, and in 2019 antisemitic posters and pamphlets were displayed and distributed. There was no physical conference in 2020 due to the pandemic.

It is understood that veteran Jewish Labour MP Margaret Hodge has also been offered security advice by the Party, and additional protection has been offered to those who may need it.

Tension is building around a vote to approve a new semi-independent disciplinary process, which Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee recently endorsed (albeit with eight members voting against and eighteen in favour). The pro-Corbyn Momentum faction has apparently instructed its delegates to vote against the changes, even though they are legally mandatory as part of the Labour’s Action Plan agreed with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which found the Party to be institutionally racist toward Jewish people following an investigation in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant.

There are also reports that some attendees have been distributing leaflets about the “exaggerated claims on antisemitism” at entrances to the Brighton Centre, where the conference is taking place. Sir Keir Starmer has previously said that those who deny the scope of antisemitism in the Labour Party are part of the problem, and Jeremy Corbyn was briefly suspended from the Party for making similar claims.

There are also more positive reports emerging from the conference, however, confirming the internal divisions in the Party membership which have grown increasingly evident in recent months. One example came this weekend when Labour’s General Secretary, David Evans, a close ally of Sir Keir, asked delegates why they joined the Labour Party, only to be heckled with chants of “Oh Jeremy Corbyn”. He was nevertheless confirmed to his role in a vote of 59 percent to 41 percent.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The only thing more outrageous than the prospect of Jewish delegates facing heckles and possibly requiring security at Labour’s annual conference is that there is not more outrage about it. If any other ethnic or religious minority faced such treatment by the membership of a major political party in Britain, the media and police would give it the utmost attention. It is a testament to how far we have sunk as a nation that we have become so de-sensitised to antisemitism in the Labour Party that this news barely registers.”

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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‘Unluckiest anti-racist’ Jeremy Corbyn happens to find himself due to share platform with actor who tweeted about Jewish toddlers having their “cute little horns filed off”

The antisemitic former leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, is scheduled to appear at an event with an actor who tweeted about Jewish toddlers having their “cute little horns filed off”.

Numerous past comments by Rob Delaney have surfaced in advance of his event on 4th October with Mr Corbyn, organised by the People’s Assembly to protest the Conservative Party’s annual conference.

Mr Delaney wrote in 2009: “When I think of adorable Jewish baby boys getting circumcised AND having their cute little horns filed off, I get so sad!”

In 2011, he tweeted: “Somebody probably has the phone number 1-800-JEW-FART.” Jews are often subjected to crude flatulence references to the gas chambers, where many of the six million victims of the Holocaust were murdered. 

In 2012, he joked about wishing to atone on Yom Kippur, the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar, “for the weeks I’ve wasted on chubby naked Jewish girls on bikes dot com”, and described a song by Van Halen as being “worse than 3 holocausts”.

Some social media users defended the tweets as satire, and Mr Delaney, a Catholic who reportedly attended a Jewish nursery school, has previously that he “wouldn’t even think of living somewhere that wasn’t swarming with Jews.”

Mr Corbyn has often been mocked for his denials of anti-Jewish racism despite his long record of appearing alongside extremely dubious figures, with the former Labour leader sometimes being dubbed the ‘unluckiest anti-racist’ for so often finding himself in the company of these people while insisting on his own blamelessness.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Jeremy Corbyn’s controversial liaison to Jewish community under investigation by Labour over alleged antisemitism denial, while JVL plans fringe event after spate of expulsion threats

Jeremy Corbyn’s controversial liaison to the Jewish community is under investigation by the Labour Party in connection with alleged antisemitism-denial.

Heather Mendick’s appointment to the role by Mr Corbyn in 2019 was criticised by Jewish groups due to her views, which included that antisemitism claims had been “weaponised” and opposition to Labour’s adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism. She also joined disgraced MP Chris Williamson on his “Democracy Roadshow” and expressed “solidarity” for Jenny Manson, a Chair of Jewish Voice For Labour (JVL), an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation. Ms Mendick even signed a letter in The Guardian claiming that Mr Corbyn was a “formidable” opponent of antisemitism after Luciana Berger resigned from Labour over its institutional antisemitism.

Ms Mendick was a member of Momentum, the pro-Corbyn campaign group, and worked as a research consultant and Secretary of Hackney South Labour Party. Despite her unfitness, Mr Corbyn appointed her to the role, which reportedly involved working in his office one day a week.

She now faces scrutiny by the Labour Party over a litany of claims that she has made in relation to antisemitism, which have been set out in a letter to her. According to the letter, she is alleged to have described antisemitism allegations as a “smear” and a “false narrative”, among other outrageous claims.

The letter to Ms Mendick is part of a wider crackdown by the Labour Party on members who have affiliated to proscribed factions or expressed views that are either antisemitic or deny the Party’s institutional antisemitism problem. This crackdown has affected members of various factions, including JVL and Labour Against the Witchhunt, the latter of which has been proscribed.

JVL is reportedly planning a fringe event at Labour’s conference later this month called “Labour in Crisis – Tackling Racism in the Party”. Previous JVL fringe events have been forums of controversy. This latest planned event comes after numerous JVL members have found themselves threatened with expulsion from the Party.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford to join Jeremy Corbyn and Ken Loach at The World Transformed event, while #ItWasAScam meme migrates from Twitter to Labour conference

The Welsh First Minister is under fire for agreeing to appear at an event with the suspended Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn and the outspoken filmmaker Ken Loach, who was recently expelled from the Labour Party.

Mark Drakeford is among the speakers at The World Transformed event in Brighton next month, timed to coincide with the Labour Party conference being held in the city.

The ticketed event is billed as a “welcoming space for a new generation of young activists who supported Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership” but feel “increasingly alienated” by the Party under current leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Mr Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party after downplaying the Party’s antisemitism crisis after the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) report. Campaign Against Antisemitism has two outstanding complaints with Labour against Mr Corbyn, who was permitted back into the Party but remains suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Mr Loach was recently expelled for his association with the newly-proscribed Labour Against the Witchhunt. The proscribed group intends to stage its own parallel events in Brighton as well. 

The World Transformed event is also due to feature John McDonnell MP, the controversial former Shadow Chancellor who is also President of the Labour Representation Committee, as well as Zarah Sultana MP, who has a long record of inflammatory comments relating to the Jewish community and against whom Campaign Against Antisemitism has an outstanding complaint with the Party, and Jon Trickett MP, a close ally of Mr Corbyn’s.

Sir Keir has previously pledged to sanction Labour politicians and members who appeared on platforms with former members expelled in relation to antisemitism.

Meanwhile, at the conference itself, a number of activists have announced their intention to distribute pamphlets describing Labour’s antisemitism scandal as a “scam”. The suggestion that Jews concoct allegations of antisemitism for ulterior purposes is itself antisemitic and was recognised by the EHRC as an example of unlawful victimisation of Jewish people.

After the meme “#ItWasAScam” trended on Twitter – with the social media company predictably failing to do anything about it – the activists have produced a hard copy pamphlet that claims that “Antisemitism accusations have been used as a weapon against the Left” and declares that “the antisemitism smearing industry must now be held to account for its fraudulent accusations.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is extraordinary that the First Minister of one of the nations of this union could believe it appropriate to share a platform with figures like Jeremy Corbyn and Ken Loach. This year’s Labour Party conference will be one of the most important moments yet in Labour’s struggle against its own institutional antisemitism, with evidence mounting of how far antisemitism-deniers are prepared to go to prevent the Party making progress. Mark Drakeford’s decision will do nothing but undermine those in Labour trying to steer the Party back to its anti-racist roots.”

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Pro-Corbyn faction plans motion at Labour conference to reinstate whip to former leader

A Pro-Corbyn faction within the Labour Party is reportedly planning to present a motion at the Party’s conference in September to reinstate the whip to Jeremy Corbyn.

The proposal, drafted by the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, would hand power over Labour’s disciplinary process as it affects MPs to members, enabling them to restore Mr Corbyn to the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), from which he is indefinitely suspended.

The move is seen as a challenge by the far-left within the Party against Sir Keir Starmer, but Party sources have apparently dismissed the threat, insisting that Mr Corbyn has the power to return to the PLP himself by apologising. Motions that are legally impracticable can be prevented from coming forward at conference.

Last month, Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) resolved, in line with Labour’s Action Plan agreed with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), to put forward a semi-independent disciplinary system for a vote at this year’s Party conference. The proposal is still subject to approval at conference, and it remains to be seen whether Labour’s leadership is capable of implementing it in practice.

The NEC also voted to proscribe Labour Against the Witchhunt – an antisemitism-denial group – and the disgraced former Labour MP Chris Williamson’s Resist group, as well as two further far-left groups, paving the way for automatic expulsion of their members. It is believed that Labour Against the Witchhunt will be holding events in Brighton during Labour’s conference in the city.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is regrettable that pro-Corbyn factions in Labour are looking to use the Party’s conference to sabotage the Action Plan agreed between Labour and the EHRC, which calls for an independent disciplinary process. Far from having the whip restored, Jeremy Corbyn should be expelled from the Party. Antisemitism-denial groups also intend to hold parallel events alongside the conference, which is part of the same enterprise to continue denying the scale of anti-Jewish racism in the Labour Party and stymie any progress in reversing the trend. This autumn will see a fight for Labour’s soul, and all eyes will be on the Party’s leadership to see whether it has the courage to win it.”

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Labour review panel into Party operations in Liverpool “presented with evidence of a history of antisemitism” and recommends compulsory antisemitism training for all elected representatives

A Labour Party panel conducting an internal review into the Party’s local operations in Liverpool was reportedly “presented with evidence of a history of antisemitism that already has led to expulsions and suspensions.”

The review was launched after allegations arose of “bullying”, “misogyny” and a “toxic culture” in the Labour Party in the city. The panel received 77 written submissions and conducted 53 interviews with 60 individuals, concluding that “Nothing less than a full reset of the Labour Party in Liverpool is needed.”

Included amongst the various problems were allegations of antisemitism, with the panel recommending compulsory antisemitism training for all elected officeholders, from MPs to branch officers. The panel has also recommended that such training should be mandatory for all candidates as well, a policy that Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) endorsed this week.

During the period of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party, two Jewish women MPs from Liverpool – Luciana Berger and Dame Louise Ellman – were hounded from the Party, amid other local controversies relating to antisemitism.

The revelation came in the week of a major meeting of Labour’s NEC, in which it take numerous significant steps in the fight against antisemitism in the Party.

Those steps, however, come following weeks of support by Labour MPs and officeholders of anti-Israel rallies that featured antisemitic chanting and placards and strained relations with the Jewish community yet further. Just this week, another such rally, in Newcastle, was exposed, in which one NEC member and former Labour MP, Laura Pidcock, Cllr Ann Schofield and Daniel Kebede, the Senior Vice President of the the controversial National Education Union, spoke. At the rally, the chant “Khaybar, oh Jews” was heard, a reference to the antisemitic “Jews, remember Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning” chant. The “Khaybar” chant is a classic Arabic battle cry referencing the massacre and expulsion of the Jews of the town of Khaybar in northwestern Arabia, now Saudi Arabia, in the year 628 CE. The chant has been heard in numerous anti-Israel rallies in Britain and abroad.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Labour Party members Richard Burgon and Salma Yaqoob set to share platform with antisemitic suspended former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tonight

Labour Party MP Richard Burgon and prominent member and former candidate Salma Yaqoob are set to share a platform with the antisemitic former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn at a demonstration in Bradford this evening.

Mr Burgon, the former Shadow Justice Secretary and MP for Leeds East, is best known for having stated that “Zionism is the enemy of peace” and then lied about having done so. He has also participated in rallies with suspended Labour activists without sanction. Mr Burgon is the subject of a complaint to the Labour Party by Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Ms Yaqoob, the former Respect Party leader, is a relatively recent member of the Labour Party who unsuccessfully ran for Mayor of the West Midlands this year, and has her own deeply troubling record in relation to the Jewish community. In a 2013 tweet that she has since deleted, Ms Yaqoob stated: “Iceland arrests 10 Rothschild bankers…wow”, and linked to an article making this false claim and featuring a prominent image of the banker and philanthropist Lord Jacob Rothschild. The article linked in turn to a longer piece on the “Political Vel Craft” website, which is known for disseminating extreme conspiracy theories.

Also scheduled to appear at the event is the former Liberal Democrat MP David Ward, who has had a number of antisemitism-related incidents, one of which involved him tweeting: “#Auschwitz happened and never can be compared but would be betrayal of its victims to use it to protect #Israel Govt from condemnation”. Mr Ward lost his council seat in this year’s local elections, running as an Independent after being expelled by the Liberal Democrats in 2017 for standing against the Party in an election, having previously been disciplined for comments about Jews, the Holocaust and Israel. He recently appeared at another anti-Israel rally in Bradford, along with the disgraced Labour MP Naz Shah, where calls were made to “lift the curse of the Jews off the Muslims in Palestine!”

Lindsey German, also billed to speak, is a controversial activist who has a history of denying antisemitism in the Labour Party and who backed the disgraced former Labour MP, Chris Williamson. She is a convener of the dubious group, Stop The War Coalition, which has appeared in the past to advocate war against Israel and whose marches routinely feature antisemitic tropes.

Mr Corbyn was suspended by the Labour Party following his disgraceful comments on the publication of the report into Labour antisemitism by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and a complaint by Campaign Against Antisemitism. He was then rapidly and controversially readmitted to the Party but the whip has not been restored to him, leaving him as an Independent MP outside of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Robert Rinder believes there is an existential threat to Jews in Britain, but has “an enduring belief in the British public”

In a recent interview, Robert Rinder has said that there is an existential threat to Jews in Britain.

Discussing his nephews’ Jewish school in North London, the barrister and television personality spoke of how their school hires private security guards and is surrounded by barbed wire. “So anybody who is sceptical about the idea that there is an existential threat [to Jews] needs to know that,” Mr Rinder said.

He also described former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s defending of the antisemitic mural in East London in 2018 as “a moment of real tragedy and crisis.” 

However, Mr Rinder was adamant that he still has hope for the future of British Jewry, stating: “It’s important to be mindful that there is still something in the British culture that eschews hate. 

“I have an enduring belief in the British public. That ultimately, for every one loud antisemite, there are hundreds, no, thousands of people that have the courage to stand up to it. I really do believe that.”

Mr Rinder is very active in the field of Holocaust education and recently received an MBE, along with his mother, for services to Holocaust Education.

In 2019, Mr Rinder spoke at the #TogetherAgainstAntisemitism rally in Parliament Square.

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Jeremy Corbyn under investigation by Parliamentary Watchdog over alleged improper declaration of legal support for antisemitism-related claims

Jeremy Corbyn is under investigation by Parliament’s watchdog over allegations that he did not properly declare financial support given to him to pay for the legal fees behind antisemitism-related claims. 

The former leader of the Labour Party is being investigated over the “registration of an interest under the Guide to the Rules” by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

This comes after Labour MP Neil Coyle wrote a letter to the Commissioner, alledging that Mr Corbyn may have broken the code of conduct for MPs in regard to support for his legal disputes.

Mr Coyle said that Mr Corbyn had “received financial support for legal cases involving him in various legal disputes, principally surrounding antisemitism” which had not been properly declared. 

Mr Corbyn stated that he would be “liaising with the Commissioner in response to Neil Coyle’s correspondence.” 

Last year, a crowdfunder which raised hundreds of thousands for Mr Corbyn’s legal expenses drew attention after it was reported that the woman behind the initiative was involved with a company that aims to “end the politicisation of Jewish suffering,” and that donations had been received from donors calling themselves “Adolf Hitler” and “B*stard Son of Netanyahu and Starmer”.

Following claims of antisemitism, Mr Corbyn had the whip removed last year. However, according to a newly published YouGov poll, 60% of Labour members think that the antisemitic former leader should have the whip restored.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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New poll shows 60% of Labour members think antisemitic former leader Jeremy Corbyn should have the whip restored

According to a newly published YouGov poll, 60% of Labour members think that the antisemitic former leader Jeremy Corbyn should have the whip restored.

This worrying result from the poll, which was conducted among a sample size of 871 Labour members in Britain and ran for a total of five days, comes nearly one year after he was initially suspended from the Party, and though he was readmitted only weeks later, the whip has still not been restored to him.

It is clear that Mr Corbyn has still not recognised the antisemitism problem that was prevalent within the Labour Party during his tenure. Last month, in an interview at the Cambridge Union, when asked about Luciana Berger being “hounded out” of the Labour Party due to antisemitism, Mr Corbyn insisted that “Luciana was not hounded out of the Party; she unfortunately decided to resign from the Party”. Ms Berger was among a number of MPs who quit the Labour Party in protest at its institutional antisemitism.

In another recent poll of Labour members, conducted in late March by YouGov, it was revealed that over two thirds believe that the problem of antisemitism in the Party has been “exaggerated” or that there is not a serious problem. Given that a separate poll by Lord Ashcroft shortly after the 2019 General Election found that nearly three quarters of Labour members believed that the issue of antisemitism in the Party was “invented or wildly exaggerated by the right-wing media and opponents of Jeremy Corbyn”, it is difficult to see how progress has been made in changing the culture of the Party over the past year.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s latest Antisemitism Barometer, published at the start of the year (with polling conducted well over six months into Sir Keir’s tenure as leader), showed that British Jews feel that the Labour Party is more than twice as tolerant of antisemitism than any other political party. Remarkably, compared to the previous year’s figures (polled while Mr Corbyn was still leader of the Party), Labour performed worse, with 88 percent of respondents considering that the Party was too tolerant of antisemitism under Sir Keir compared with 86 percent the year before under Mr Corbyn. At times, this sentiment has spilled into the open.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Jeremy Corbyn allies and Momentum supporters ousted at Hendon Constituency Labour Party executive committee elections

A Jewish woman has been elected as the Chair of Hendon Constituency Labour Party’s (CLP) executive committee, with supporters of both Jeremy Corbyn and Momentum being ousted from their positions.

The shake-up that occurred resulted from Hendon CLP’s AGM this past Sunday.

Hendon CLP’s leadership was previously a stronghold for Momentum, the grassroots organisation that supported Mr Corbyn and his wing of the Labour Party. Numerous controversial individuals have been associated with it, including Jackie Walker, a former Vice Chair who rejected the International Definition of Antisemitism before eventually being expelled from the Labour Party.

Last November, committee members of Hendon CLP even passed a motion in order to express solidarity with Mr Corbyn after his suspension from the Party due to allegations of antisemitism, which they said was “dramatically overstated for political reasons.”

A spokesperson from Hendon CLP said: “The last two years in the local Labour Party in Hendon have been incredibly challenging. But after the election of a new executive committee over the weekend, we have turned a page and now head into a new era of sensible and moderate leadership.

“We’re delighted to have a top team, with a Jewish woman as chair, who will have zero tolerance for antisemitism, work hard to continue to root it out from the local party, and will increase our engagement with Jewish residents.”

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Angela Rayner appears in smiling photograph with prominent Labour member previously suspended over remarks about antisemitism

Angela Rayner has appeared smiling in a photograph with Jeremy Corbyn, who was previously suspended from the Labour Party over remarks about antisemitism and remains suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Ms Rayner, the Deputy Leader of the Party, smiles in the photograph with her colleague Barry Gardiner, who also served in Mr Corbyn’s Shadow Cabinet with her.

The promotional photograph was taken at an event organised by Unite in connection with a private members’ bill brought by Mr Gardiner.

Sources close to Ms Rayner are reportedly claiming that she was ‘photobombed’ and that the intention had been only to take a photograph with Mr Gardiner, but that Mr Corbyn had also been invited to the event without her knowledge and simply inserted himself into the photograph. As observers have noted, this is unlikely given that he handed her the microphone to speak.

The photograph comes in the same week as Ms Rayner launched antisemitism training in the Labour Party. It is understood that the training session was well attended, although there were also antisemitic reactions among some Party members to its initial announcement.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has outstanding complaints with the Labour Party against Ms Rayner, Mr Gardiner and Mr Corbyn. 

Earlier this year, there were reports that the Labour Party has dismissed our complaint against Ms Rayner without so much as an acknowledgement. However, given that the Party has yet to introduce an independent disciplinary process, we consider our complaint to remain live.

Since then, Ms Rayner has continued to court controversy in relation to the Jewish community.

Campaign Against Antisemitism recently reiterated our call for Mr Corbyn to be expelled from the Labour Party after he again played down antisemitism in the Party, and his own antisemitism. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism has previously lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

Mr Corbyn was suspended by the Labour Party following his disgraceful comments on the publication of the report into Labour antisemitism by the EHRC and a complaint by Campaign Against Antisemitism. He was then rapidly and controversially readmitted to the Party but the whip has not been restored to him, leaving him as an Independent MP outside of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Jeremy Corbyn addresses another antisemitism-infested rally, organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, as second ‘Free Palestine’ convoy passes without incident thanks to heavy policing

Yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn addressed another antisemitism-infested demonstration in central London.

An evidence gathering team from Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit was present at the rally in Whitehall and observed countless antisemitic placards, especially ones equating Israel with Nazism, in breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Pamphlets were also distributed at the demonstration explaining, in breach of the Definition, why Israel and the Nazis are indeed supposedly comparable, bizarrely and baselessly accusing the Jewish state of implementing policies of extermination and antisemitism.

There were also signs claiming that the Jewish state abducts and murders children, reminiscent of the antisemitic blood libel.

Mr Corbyn was a keynote speaker at yesterday’s rally, which came just days after he appeared at the Cambridge Union and yet again play down the institutional antisemitism in the Labour Party during his leadership and his own antisemitism, including insisting that one Jewish Labour MP had not been “hounded out” of the Party but had simply “unfortunately decided to resign from the Party”. Following the interview, Campaign Against Antisemitism reiterated our call for Mr Corbyn to be expelled from Labour. It is being reported that the Party is “looking into” his remarks.

Yesterday’s rally was reportedly organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). This is not the first time in recent weeks that a PSC rally has been riddled with antisemitism. An investigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism in 2017 exposed extensive antisemitic bigotry amongst supporters of the PSC.

Yesterday’s protestors were joined by participants in a second ‘Free Palestine’ convoy that drove down to London from cities in the North and Midlands. The returning convoy included some 35 cars (a considerably smaller number than the previous convoy). At one point, police pulled over two cars to prevent them from entering Jewish neighbourhoods in the north of London.

On Friday, the Metropolitan Police Service declined a request by Campaign Against Antisemitism, supported by legal representations from our lawyers, to prohibit the convoy, particularly after the previous ‘Free Palestine’ convoy drove through a Jewish neighbourhood shouting “F*** the Jews…rape their daughters” through megaphones, and a vehicle, believed to be from the convoy, chased a Jewish mother down a London street and rammed her car whilst she was driving her four-year-old child. Four men were arrested and bailed over the former incident and an alleged antisemitic incident committed in Manchester before the convoy arrived in London.

In the event, the Metropolitan Police Service is understood to have placed conditions on the returning convoy and monitored its progress, leading to its intervention to prevent the two cars diverging.

A protest was also held yesterday in Manchester, bringing the city centre to a standstill.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Another weekend, another antisemitism-infested demonstration on the streets of Britain’s capital. Heavy policing ensured the safety of the Jewish community as another convoy was permitted to pass through London. Nevertheless, it is extraordinary that, unlike with any other minority, week after week open displays of anti-Jewish racism in the nation’s capital are deemed acceptable. If the authorities will not bring antisemitic criminals to justice, we intend to use all legal and regulatory avenues to defend our community and force the authorities to act.

“Less remarkable is the ubiquity of Jeremy Corbyn at these rallies. Coming after his remarks earlier this week playing down Labour antisemitism yet again, the Party has ever fewer excuses not to expel him, as we have demanded for several months now.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.

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CAA reiterates call to expel Jeremy Corbyn after he again plays down antisemitism in the Labour Party and remains unrepentant

Jeremy Corbyn has again played down antisemitism during his tenure as Leader of the Labour Party.

In an interview at the Cambridge Union, when asked about Luciana Berger being “hounded out” of the Labour Party due to antisemitism, he insisted that “Luciana was not hounded out of the Party; she unfortunately decided to resign from the Party”. Ms Berger was among a number of MPs who quit the Labour Party in protest at its institutional antisemitism.

Private WhatsApp messages have previously been reported on indicating that Ms Berger and others may have even been deliberately hounded out of the Party by senior officials.

Though pushed on how he could reconcile his call for a “kindler, gentler politics” with the report of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) finding that the Labour Party had committed unlawful acts of victimisation of Jewish people, Mr Corbyn reverted to his familiar claims that he improved the processes in the Party and condemned antisemitism as well as “any racism, Islamophobia, far-right racism”. His comments appeared to confirm that he continues not to grasp the phenomenon of far-left antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant in the EHRC’s investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party.

Mr Corbyn had little of comfort to say even to his interviewer, the President of the Cambridge Union, who recounted his own experiences as a Jewish Labour member since 2016.

Mr Corbyn disclosed that he speaks to a range of Jewish people in his constituency, including “both those that would be followers of roughly the position of the Board of Deputies, those that would be followers of the Jewish Socialist group, Jewish Voice for Labour” and the Haredi community. Jewish Voice for Labour is an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation whose chair has admitted was founded in order “to tackle allegations of antisemitism in the Labour Party”. To suggest that this fringe group is on a par with mainstream Jewish communal organisations – a view that Mr Corbyn held throughout his term as leader – is part of the problem.

Mr Corbyn also noted that he commissioned the Pears Institute for Antisemitism at Birkbeck to prepare resources for antisemitism training in the Labour Party, which was an attempt to displace the training offered by Labour’s Jewish affiliate in favour of an institute directed by an academic opposed, like Mr Corbyn, to the International Definition of Antisemitism. Labour’s Jewish affiliate refused Labour’s request to adapt their sessions to fit with this new course, suggesting that it would make them little more than “useful idiots.” The Pears Foundation recently withdrew its name from the Institute.

Mr Corbyn also defended his association with the disgraced Rev. Stephen Sizer, on the basis that Rev. Sizer’s various inflammatory comments views were expressed later on, as well as his invitation to the controversial Sheikh Raed Salah.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has previously lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

Mr Corbyn was suspended by the Labour Party following his disgraceful comments on the publication of the report into Labour antisemitism by the EHRC and a complaint by Campaign Against Antisemitism. He was then rapidly and controversially readmitted to the Party but the whip has not been restored to him, leaving him as an Independent MP outside of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Now that Mr Corbyn has again downplayed antisemitism in the Party, he must be expelled, as per Sir Keir Starmer’s declaration that anyone who thinks that accusations of antisemitism in the Labour Party are “exaggerated or a factional attack…are part of the problem” and “should be nowhere near the Labour Party”.

Joe Glasman, Head of Political Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Jeremy Corbyn remains defiant and unrepentant when it comes to the institutional antisemitism of the Labour Party under his watch and his own antisemitism. Despite the findings of the EHRC, and despite the complaints made by us against him, and despite his brief suspension from the Party and ongoing suspension from the Parliamentary Labour Party, he continues to refuse to accept the scale of the problem or his responsibility for it. Mr Corbyn has not learned a thing.

“Given that Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that anyone who holds views such as these ‘should be nowhere near the Labour Party’, it is time for Mr Corbyn to go. We have previously called for Mr Corbyn to be expelled by the Labour Party. We reiterate that call today.”

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Suspended Labour members, Twitter trolls and controversial parliamentarians to celebrate Jeremy Corbyn’s birthday tonight and discuss how to restore the whip to the antisemitic former Party leader

A who’s who of suspended Labour Party members, Twitter trolls and controversial parliamentarians will reportedly be gathering online this evening to celebrate the birthday of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and discuss how to restore the Party whip to him.

Tonight’s speakers include:

  • John McDonnell: the former Shadow Chancellor recently tweeted a photo of an antisemitic sign which was featured at a rally that he himself attended and, notwithstanding the antisemitic slogans, chants and banners, said that he was “proud” to attend the rally. Disturbingly, Mr McDonnell also specifically encouraged his Muslim constituents to join the protests, seemingly stoking religious and communal divisions in the UK at a particularly vulnerable time for the Jewish community. Last year, Mc McDonnell was accused of sharing a platform with expelled Labour members at the Labour Representation Committee’s Annual General Meeting, namely Jackie Walker and Tony Greenstein, but he claimed that it was “ridiculous” to suggest that as it was an open meeting and that he could not control who spoke. He remains the Honorary President of the controversial group.
  • Richard Burgon: the former Shadow Justice Secretary is best known for having stated that “Zionism is the enemy of peace” and then lied about having done so. He has also participated in rallies with suspended Labour activists without sanction. Mr Burgon is the subject of a complaint to the Labour Party by Campaign Against Antisemitism.
  • Shami Chakrabarti: the disgraced peer authored the whitewash report into antisemitism in the Labour Party and shortly thereafter was awarded a peerage by Mr Corbyn, who had previously pledged never to nominate anyone to the House of Lords. She recently and unironically told school pupils not to leave victims of discrimination to “stand up for themselves”.
  • Zarah Sultana: the controversial new Labour MP has expressed her solidarity with antisemitic terrorist murderers, on the back of a surprisingly long history of unseemly comments about Jews, including telling a Jewish student that it was “privilege” that allowed them to argue for peace in the Middle East; saying that students who “go to Zionist conferences and trips should be ashamed of themselves” because they were advocating a “racist ideology”; describing Israel as a “state created through ethnic cleansing”; saying that “those who lobby for Israel” would “in the near future feel the same shame and regret as South African Apartheid supporters”; advocating for “violent resistance” against Israelis; saying that she would celebrate the deaths of Tony Blair and other past and present world leaders (for which she was forced to apologise and was defended by Labour then-frontbencher John McDonnell); writing that “the Labour Right are scum and genuinely make me sick. Is there any form of discrimination that they won’t weaponise to politically point score like they’ve done in the past with antisemitism and now with homophobia?”; and accusing Jewish students on social media of being on the payroll of Israel’s Prime Minister. Ms Sultana is the subject of a complaint to the Labour Party by Campaign Against Antisemitism.
  • Jo Bird: the local councillor who joined the Party in 2015 when Mr Corbyn was running for the Party’s leadership has a long history of controversy relating to Jews, including renaming ‘due process’ in the Labour Party as “Jew process”, for which she was suspended; supporting the expelled Labour activist and friend of Mr Corbyn, Marc Wadsworth, who was thrown out of the Party after a confrontation with Jewish then-MP Ruth Smeeth; and worrying about the “privileging of racism against Jews, over and above — as more worthy of resources than other forms of racism.” Cllr Bird is a member of Jewish Voice for Labour, the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, and she has described Labour’s institutional antisemitism as based on mere “accusations, witch-huntery and allegations without evidence”. She failed in her bid for election to Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee and has been investigated by Labour at least three times, latterly after reportedly suggesting that antisemitism is being privileged over other forms of racism.
  • Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi: the Media Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, and Vice-Chair of Chingford and Woodford Green Labour Party, has recently been suspended from the Labour Party after talking about the “weaponisation” of antisemitism and calling for Labour members to “resist” Sir Keir Starmer’s efforts to address antisemitism in the Party.
  • Karie Murphy: Mr Corbyn’s former Chief of Staff was deemed “completely unfit” for a peerage by the House of Lords Appointments Commission after being nominated by the outgoing Party leader, although this was due to serious allegations of bullying (which she denies) rather than the institutional antisemitism of the Labour Party that developed under her boss’ watch.
  • Kerry-Anne Mendoza: the disgraced editor of the far-left blog, The Canary, has repeatedly compared Israel to the Nazis, in a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism. She has also used violent language in protest at what she calls the “antisemitism witch hunt”.
  • Maria Carroll: the failed Labour parliamentary candidate is the subject of a complaint to the Labour Party by Campaign Against Antisemitism.
  • Alexei Sayle: the activist comedian has previously claimed that allegations of antisemitism “amongst supporters of Jeremy Corbyn are a complete fabrication.” He is also a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Research conducted by Campaign Against Antisemitism revealed widespread antisemitism amongst supporters of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Last week, Matthew Offord MP wrote to the BBC urging the Corporation not to broadcast the episode of Desert Island Discs featuring Mr Sayle.

According to the invitation, “as well as celebrating his birthday, we will be discussing the importance of the whip being restored to Jeremy”.

Mr Corbyn was suspended by the Labour Party following his disgraceful comments on the publication of the report into Labour antisemitism by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and a complaint by Campaign Against Antisemitism. He was then rapidly and controversially readmitted to the Party but the whip has not been restored to him, leaving him as an Independent MP outside of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Not only should the whip not be restored to Mr Corbyn, but Campaign Against Antisemitism’s two recent complaints to the Labour Party against Mr Corbyn should be investigated – only once an independent disciplinary system is established in the Party later this year – and he should be expelled.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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CAA lawyers reviewing evidence as far-right, Islamists and far-left unite to march through London with protesters chanting battle cry: “Jews…the army of Muhammad is returning” and flaunting terrorist emblems

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit has documented far-right, Islamist and far-left extremists uniting to march through London today.

Antisemitic placards, terrorist emblems and genocidal anti-Jewish battle cries went completely unchallenged by the crowd, whose leaders claimed to be avowed anti-racists.

One group of protesters wearing t-shirts showing Saddam Hussein chanted: “Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud” translated in English as “Jews, remember the battle of Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning”. The “Khaybar” chant is a classic Arabic battle cry referencing the massacre and expulsion of the Jews of the town of Khaybar in northwestern Arabia, now Saudi Arabia, in the year 628 CE.

Other protesters were seen flaunting terrorist emblems, including a Hamas scarf with the terrorist group’s logo and the message: “we remain steadfast.” The Hamas charter calls for the genocide of all Jews worldwide. We have issued an appeal for witnesses. Volunteers from our Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit also photographed a flag of the “Popular Mobilisation Forces” which is an ally of the proscribed genocidal antisemitic terrorist group Hizballah.

Central London was brought to a standstill as demonstrators marched from Marble Arch to the Israeli Embassy under antisemitic placards comparing Israelis to the Nazis. One sign bearing the Palestinian Forum in Britain logo read: “History seems to be repeating itself” with a swastika superimposed over a Star of David.

Another sign had photographs of Israeli Prime Minister and Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler side by side and read: “Same mindset different eras.” Other signs read: “End the Palestinian Holocaust”, and “Zionists equal Nazists [sic]”.

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.

We also photographed signs that invoked the blood libel, including: “Netanyahu murders babies for political gain” and “Israel murders babies, UK says ok.” According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g. claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterise Israel or Israelis” is another example of antisemitism.

Diane Abbott joined former Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, in addressing the march. He failed to condemn Hamas in his remarks, having previously described them as his “friends”.

In addition to far-left and Islamist extremists, far-right antisemites were also in attendance, such as Lady Michèle Renouf, who was filmed by a member of the public telling fellow protesters to read up about Jews on an antisemitic website.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Those marching through London today claimed to be there to champion justice, but clearly they had no qualms marching alongside far-right, Islamist and far-left extremists who were openly calling for the massacre of Jews, waving antisemitic placards and flaunting terrorist emblems. We have been contacted by British Jews who were terrified by today’s events. We are reviewing the evidence with our lawyers and will be speaking with the police where appropriate.”

The “March for Palestine” demonstration was organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Friends of al-Aqsa, Palestinian Forum in Britain, Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim Association of Britain. Organisers claimed that 150,000 people attended.

It followed the “Emergency Rally for Palestine – Save Sheikh Jarrah” outside Downing Street on Tuesday where protesters compared Israel to Nazis.

Volunteers from our Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit gathered evidence which we are now reviewing for possible legal action.

If you witnessed antisemitic acts or have evidence to share with us, please contact [email protected].

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Protesters compare Israel to Nazis in breach of International Definition of Antisemitism at rally outside Downing Street

A rally was held outside Downing Street yesterday that protested the ongoing events in the Middle East and featured several antisemitic themes.

Around 1,500 people attended Tuesday’s “Emergency Rally for Palestine – Save Sheikh Jarrah.” Volunteers from our Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit gathered material which we are now reviewing for possible legal action.

We photographed several disturbing banners comparing Israel to the Nazis. One disturbing sign (pictured) read: “Holocaust 1941 (with a swastika), Holocaust 2021 (with a Star of David).”

Another antisemitic sign, referencing both the Holocaust and South African apartheid, read: “It wasn’t ok in South Africa. It wasn’t ok in Nazi Germany. So why is it ok in Palestine (It’s not!)”.

“Israel have no conscience, no honour, no pride. They curse Hitler day & night but they have surpassed Hitler in Barbarism”, read another.

At one point, protesters jumped on top of a double decker London bus and held aloft a banner equating the Israeli flag with the Nazi swastika. According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.

Other banners – in Arabic – appeared to incite and glorify violence against Israelis in graphic language, while songs were chanted calling for the destruction of the Jewish state.

The rally was addressed by former Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who failed to condemn Hamas in his remarks. The crowd welcomed Mr Corbyn with the familiar refrain of “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn.” In the past, Mr Corbyn has referred to Hamas as his “friends”.

The demonstration was organised by the Friends of Al Aqsa (FOA), Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Stop the War Coalition and Palestine Forum in Britain.

The founder of FOA told a cheering crowd in 2009 during a war between Israel and Hamas: “Hamas is not a terrorist organisation. The reason that they hate Hamas is because they refuse to be subjugated to be occupied by the Israeli state and we salute Hamas for standing up to Israel.”

An investigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism in 2017 exposed extensive antisemitic bigotry amongst supporters of the PSC.

Stop The War Coalition has appeared in the past to advocate war against Israel and its marches routinely feature antisemitic tropes.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s 2020 Antisemitism Barometer revealed that an overwhelming majority of British Jews — 91% — want the British Government to proscribe the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group Hamas in its entirety.

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Jeremy Corbyn loses appeal in first stage of defamation case brought by Jewish activist in relation to infamous “Zionist irony” comments

Jeremy Corbyn has lost an appeal in the first stage of a defamation case brought by a Jewish activist and blogger.

On an unknown date in 2013, Mr Corbyn addressed a meeting convened by the Palestinian Return Centre. Referring to a previous speech given by Manuel Hassassian, the Palestinian Authority’s representative in Britain, Mr Corbyn suggested that “the progressive Jewish element” in Britain at the time of the Balfour Declaration had been against it, and that these same Jewish progressives had been the leaders of the London trade unions and the Labour Party at the time. He continued: “It was Zionism that rose up and Zionism that drove them [Jewish progressive Trades Union and Labour Party leaders] into this sort of ludicrous position they have at the present time.”

He gave as an example of this supposedly “ludicrous position” the meeting in Parliament, at which, he said, the Palestinian envoy’s words had been “dutifully recorded by the thankfully silent Zionists who were in the audience on that occasion and then came up and berated him afterwards for what he’d said. So clearly two problems. One is that they don’t want to study history and secondly, having lived in this country for a very long time, probably all their lives, they don’t understand English irony either. Manuel does understand English irony and uses it very, very effectively so I think they need two lessons which we can help them with.”

A video of Mr Corbyn’s comments was shown on The Andrew Marr Show, and on 13th June 2019 it was reported that one of the activists who had been identified as being the subject of his comments to Andrew Marr, Mr Richard Millett, was seeking libel damages from Mr Corbyn on the basis of his accusation that “Zionists” had “berated” Manuel Hassassian.

Mr Corbyn’s lawyers were said to have argued on the basis that the statement was a ‘statement of opinion’. However, in the ruling, the Judge declared: “In my judgment, it is clear that Mr Corbyn was making factual allegations in the statement as to Mr Millett’s behaviour on more than one occasion.”

Mr Millet is being represented by Mark Lewis, who is also an honorary patron of Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Three judges were reportedly present to review the appeal case, all of whom concurred in its dismissal. This is only the first stage of the defamation case, which continues.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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Progressive think-tank and Canadian Jews condemn political party’s invitation to “toxic” Corbyn

A Progressive think-tank and Canadian Jewish organisations have expressed outrage at an invitation to Jeremy Corbyn to participate in an event organised by Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP).

Now an independent MP following his suspension from the Parliamentary Labour Party, Mr Corbyn – under whose leadership the Party was found to have unlawfully victimised and harassed Jewish members by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) – has been invited to join “a conversation” with an NDP MP.

Rick Smith, the Director of the Broadbent Institute, a think tank with links to the NDP, criticised the invitation. After sharing the EHRC report, he declared: “This is not the sort of person that should headline a Progressive fundraiser or occupy the time of Canadian Progressive leaders.”

Describing Mr Corbyn as “toxic”, a Canadian Jewish leader said that it was “staggering” that, given the “catastrophic” and “consequential” issues currently facing Canada, this was where “some in the NDP want to spend the Party’s capital.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Jeremy Corbyn launches High Court bid to reverse his suspension from the Labour Party, while a separate court challenge against the EHRC’s devastating report goes nowhere

Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the Labour Party, has launched a bid in the High Court to overturn his suspension from Labour over remarks he made following the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) devastating report into antisemitism in the Party.

The first hearing, which took place earlier this week, related to the disclosure of evidence pursuant to Mr Corbyn’s insistence that there was a deal between his representatives and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on which Sir Keir supposedly reneged.

Campaign Against Antisemitism lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

Separately, a case brought against the EHRC in connection with its report by two members of the public has apparently failed to advance because the claimants lacked legal standing. At least one of the claimants, Justin Schlosberg, last year lost a case in the High Court challenging Ofcom’s decision not to sanction the BBC over the Panorama investigation into Labour antisemitism.

Another challenge against the EHRC has reportedly been brought by the disgraced former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Cllr Pam Bromley, who were both singled out for criticism by the EHRC’s report.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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CAA’s latest Antisemitism Barometer study shows Jewish community regaining confidence after the Corbyn era but scars remain, with Labour, CPS and BBC coming in for opprobrium

Today, Campaign Against Antisemitism publishes its latest Antisemitism Barometer, comprising a survey of the British public’s views toward Jews and a poll of the Jewish community.

The Barometer’s poll of the British public’s views towards Jews is the first survey to use the Generalised Antisemitism Scale, devised by Dr Daniel Allington of King’s College, Louise Katz of the University of Derby, and Dr David Hirsh of Goldsmiths, for the purpose of this study. The survey was designed and analysed by Dr Allington, with fieldwork carried out by YouGov.

  • Using the new twelve-question Generalised Antisemitism Scale, the survey shows that 55% of British adults do not harbour any antisemitic views; they did not affirm a single one of the twelve statements.
  • The other side of the coin, however, is that there is deeply troubling normalisation of antisemitism, as 45% of British adults did affirm at least one antisemitic statement, although over half of them only agreed with one or two antisemitic statements.
  • 12% of British adults have entrenched antisemitic views, affirming four or more antisemitic statements. 
  • The most popular antisemitic statement was that “Israel treats the Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews”, with which 23% of British adults agreed. That view is antisemitic under the International Definition of Antisemitism adopted by the Government.

The Barometer also includes a separate survey of British Jews designed and analysed in consultation with Dr Allington and carried out by Campaign Against Antisemitism and Jewish community partners. The survey reveals that:

  • British Jews are showing early signs of recovery from the Corbyn era but have been left scarred. Far more British Jews are optimistic about their future in the UK this year, but the proportion who decline to display visible signs of their Jewish identity due to antisemitism is at a record high.
  • British Jews’ confidence in the criminal justice system is low: a majority believes that the Crown Prosecution Service does not do enough to protect British Jews and the courts were also strongly criticised. Only the police receive more praise than criticism.
  • British Jews reserve the greatest opprobrium for politicians. They believe that almost every political party is more tolerant of antisemitism than it was last year; the Labour Party is viewed as more than twice as tolerant of antisemitism than any other party showing that it still has a great deal of work to do to win the confidence of British Jews.
  • In the first ever poll on the subject, an overwhelming majority of British Jews — 91% — want the Government to proscribe Hamas in its entirety.
  • Two thirds of British Jews are deeply concerned by the BBC’s coverage of matters of Jewish concern, and 55% by its handling of antisemitism complaints, Channel 4 also performs poorly with British Jews. Both broadcasters are state-funded.

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Britain’s Jews are back from the brink. This study starkly shows that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn dealt a crushing blow to Jews’ confidence in their very future in this country, and that our community is now beginning to recover.

“But scars remain. Notwithstanding the relief felt by so many, our data shows that nearly half of those who normally wear outwards symbols of their Judaism now feel they have to hide it, and despite nine months of Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership of Labour, British Jews remain just as sure that the Party harbours antisemites.

“Though Britain remains one of the best countries in the world in which to live as a Jew, almost a fifth still feel unwelcome in this country. The departure of Mr Corbyn is no substitute for the sustained action and leadership to protect the Jews of this country — in politics, universities and social media — for which we have been calling for years.”

The full Barometer is available at antisemitism.org/barometer.

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Labour Party fulfils first task under Action Plan with discrete Antisemitism Complaints holding page on website, but CAA to seek clarification over apparent error

Under the Action Plan published by the Labour Party in December 2020, the Party had pledged that “A new antisemitism complaints handling webpage will be uploaded by 31 December 2020”. The Party has fulfilled this requirement by publishing a discrete Antisemitism Complaints holding page on its website.

The Action Plan was produced in response to the devastating report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) that found that the Labour Party had broken the law in its discrimination against Jewish people.

The new webpage serves two functions. The first is as a holding page, reiterating that “the Labour Party is committed to implementing the recommendations [of the EHRC] as quickly as possible” and explaining that “This webpage will continue to be updated regularly throughout 2021, including for: [a] Further guidance for antisemitism complaints procedures [and b] Code of conduct against Antisemitism.”

The second function is to provide a portal to a “summary of statistics of disciplinary cases determined by the Labour Party’s NEC [National Executive Committee] in 2019,” although the document itself appears to be designed to showcase the disciplinary action that Labour has taken since May 2020, shortly after Sir Keir became leader, and the reference to 2019 in the title is an error. That being said, the document makes reference to case numbers in 2014-2018 but makes no reference to 2019 whatsoever. We are therefore writing to the Labour Party to clarify what this document is showing.

Campaign Against Antisemitism will continue to monitor Labour’s progress in fulfilling its Action Plan, implementing the recommendations of the EHRC and, above all, making the Party safe for Britain’s Jews.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Actor Keith Allen defends Jeremy Corbyn over antisemitism

The actor Keith Allen has defended Jeremy Corbyn over antisemitism, complaining of the “appalling treatment” meted out to the former Labour leader.

Mr Allen said in an interview with the Radio Times that Mr Corbyn had been treated “appallingly” by the media, which was “scared” of him.

Regarding Mr Corbyn’s antisemitism, Mr Allen said: “I don’t think for one moment that he’s an antisemite”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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As EHRC authorises Action Plan for Labour to “drive out antisemitism” CAA warns “Jewish community should be under no illusions” in months ahead

The Labour Party has today published its Action Plan, entitled “Driving out antisemitism from the Labour Party”, as required by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in its devastating report on antisemitism in the Party.

The Action Plan covers numerous areas, including the need for a culture change in the Party and an “Independent Antisemitism Complaints Handling Process”, as well as greater consultation with the Jewish community. Campaign Against Antisemitism has been calling for some of these steps for years and included them in recommendations to the EHRC, which has now mandated that Labour finally take them.

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “The Action Plan authorised by the EHRC shows just how far Labour has fallen. Having found that the Party broke the law, the EHRC has rightly adopted a remarkably firm enforcement approach for two years, made all the more necessary by last month’s disgraceful expedited reinstatement of Jeremy Corbyn to the Party.

“We welcome this Plan, which includes numerous steps that we have demanded of the Party for years but which it is only now promising to implement after being ordered to do so by the EHRC. As the complainant in the EHRC’s investigation, we have been vindicated. We look forward to working with Labour to drive out antisemitism and restore the Party to its fiercely anti-racist past, but there is a long way to go.

“The Jewish community should be under no illusions: the Action Plan does not envisage an independent disciplinary process until a year from now. This extremely long delay is down to the Party’s refusal to hold a special conference of its membership to make the necessary changes to its rulebook sooner. Until then, our complaints against fifteen sitting MPs, including Mr Corbyn, will remain outstanding, and it will be impossible for British Jews to assess whether Labour is addressing antisemitism effectively.

“This document shows just how much Labour still needs to do to transform its culture and processes. The Action Plan provides a roadmap, but it is a very long road indeed.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Sir Keir Starmer under pressure again after Diane Abbott shares platform with suspended JVL member

Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure again after Diane Abbott reportedly shared a platform with a suspended Labour member.

Ms Abbott, the former Shadow Home Secretary under Jeremy Corbyn, shared a platform with Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, the Media Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation. Ms Wimborne-Idrissi was recently suspended from Labour after giving a speech in support of Mr Corbyn and criticising the “weaponisation” of antisemitism in the Party.

The two shared a platform at the a ‘Solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn Sunday Stroll’ in London Fields, Hackney over the weekend.

This is not the first time Ms Abbott has shared a platform with a suspended or expelled Labour member, but, although Sir Keir made a pledge during the leadership election campaign that he would suspend MPs who gave a platform to former Labour members suspended or expelled in the wake of antisemitic incidents, the Labour Party declined to take any action last time. It remains to be seen whether Sir Keir or the Party will take a different course this time.

Ms Abbott is herself the subject of a complaint by Campaign Against Antisemitism, submitted to the Labour Party, which is still pending.

Campaign Against Antisemitism recently lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Supporter of Jeremy Corbyn who called Jewish women MP a “f****** racist Zionist c***” and sent antisemitic abuse to other Labour Parliamentarians avoids jail

A supporter of the former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who sent antisemitic abuse to Labour MPs had avoided jail.

Nicholas Nelson, 31, admitted to three charges of sending communications of an offensive nature in mid-2018. The communications were sent via telephone calls and e-mails to the Jewish women MPs Dame Margaret Hodge and Dame Louise Ellman, as well as Lord Mann, who was then a Labour MP and remains a prominent campaigner against antisemitism. All three Labour MPs were critics of Mr Corbyn.

Mr Nelson, who is from Norfolk, told Dame Margaret: “Margaret should f*** off, you f****** racist Zionist c***. You need to get out of the Party and I hope you die, you Tory c***.” In a telephone call on the same day, Mr Nelson reportedly added: “Margaret Hodge is an apartheid-supporting disgusting scumbag bitch.”

In a victim statement, the MP said: “I considered the emails to be threatening and was left feeling nervous and unsure about my personal safety. For the first time, I now feel under threat because of my Jewish identity.”

Dame Louise was told: “Louise Ellman is a hypocritical Tory c*** who is so thick she is trying to smear Corbyn with an event she herself attended.” Her Parliamentary assistant said that she felt “extremely uncomfortable and distressed” after reading an e-mail from Mr Nelson.

Lord Mann received a telephone message in September 2018 that said: “Kill yourself. When are you going to have a stroke?”

This conviction was not Mr Nelson’s first offence. In 2018, he was sentenced to twenty weeks in jail – suspended for a year – for harassing another two Jewish Labour MPs, Luciana Berger and Ruth Smeeth, both of whom were victims of significant levels of antisemitic abuse while in Parliament.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court’s Deputy Chief Magistrate, Tan Ikran, said: “I’m of the view that these offences are so serious that they cross the custody threshold. People should feel able to come forward and serve as MPs without fear of violence and threat. Certain communities have felt particularly under threat. And these courts will send a clear message to those who threaten members of those communities, who attack them because of their faith.”

However, while Mr Nelson was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison suspended for eighteen months, as well as a 30-day rehabilitation order, 240 hours of unpaid work and £200 in victim surcharge and costs, the magistrate said that if all the convictions had been sentenced at once, he would have sent Mr Nelson to jail, but “I have considered carefully whether I can suspend the sentences and I felt just about able to do so. That doesn’t take away the seriousness of the offences. That simply reflects we are now two years down the road, that there have been no further offences and that I see you are now seeking the assistance of a psychiatrist and dealing with issues you say were a feature of your life then.”

Mr Ikran said of Mr Nelson’s language that it is “the most vulgar, obscene, threatening vocabulary I can think of.” He added: “I took a very serious view in December 2018. I did so then and I do so now because there has been a significant increase in threats made to MPs – threats of violence, threats based on their faith and on race. It’s something I have not encountered previously, but over the last couple of years this has become commonplace.”

Mr Nelson’s counsel said that Mr Nelson is “ashamed of his conduct” and read a letter from the defendant saying: “I want to offer a full apology to Louise Ellman, Margaret Hodge and John Mann for the harm caused by my conduct.”

It is understood that Mr Nelson, who also sent antisemitic abuse to other Labour MPs, is no longer a member of the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.

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Students at University of Sydney pass antisemitic resolution claiming Labour’s suspension of Jeremy Corbyn was bid to “intimidate and silence”

The main student body of the University of Sydney has criticised the Labour Party in the UK for suspending Jeremy Corbyn, alleging that the measures were designed to “intimidate and silence” the political Left and criticism of Israel.

The Students Representative Council (SRC) of the University of Sydney passed a motion on 10th November condemning Labour for its suspension of Mr Corbyn. The resolution stated that through the suspension Labour was promoting a “cynical lie intended to intimidate and silence the Left” and its “criticism of Israel.”

The motion said that accusations against Corbyn represented “an attack upon the anti-racist and anti-imperialist Left.” It also claimed that there was “no evidence that he [Mr Corbyn] has ever done or said anything indicating prejudice against Jewish people.”

Opponents of the resolution described it as “drivel” and as “antisemitic gaslighting at its worst.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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As Labour whip asks Jeremy Corbyn to apologise, CAA is resolute: “An apology is no substitute for justice”

Labour’s Opposition Chief Whip, Nick Brown, has written to Jeremy Corbyn, the former Leader, urging him to apologise in return for a restoration of the whip.

Mr Corbyn was recently suspended for downplaying the extent of antisemitism in the Party but was then rapidly readmitted to the Party in a shambolic process that represented a con of the Jewish community. Under pressure, Sir Keir Starmer declined to restore the whip to Mr Corbyn, however, maintaining the suspension for three months and implying that the suspension would roll over repeatedly.

Now, Mr Brown has written to Mr Corbyn, urging him to “unequivocally, unambiguously and without reservation” apologise for his inflammatory comments and commit to cooperating with the Labour Party in its implementation of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) recommendations.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “An apology is no substitute for justice. If Labour wishes to be taken seriously, it must investigate both of our major complaints against Jeremy Corbyn under an independent disciplinary process, as well as our complaints against other sitting MPs, and take decisive action. If our complaint against Mr Corbyn is upheld, he must be expelled. The Jewish community and the British public deserve justice from Labour, not more excuses. Labour’s offer to Mr Corbyn to apologise in return for a restoration of the whip is decidedly a step in the wrong direction.”

Previous research by Campaign Against Antisemitism has shown that Mr Brown, who also served as Opposition Chief Whip under Mr Corbyn, has had little to say on Labour’s antisemitism crisis over the past several years.

Campaign Against Antisemitism recently lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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With pro-Corbyn members leaving Labour en masse, other parties must stand guard against importation of Labour antisemitism

According to recent reports, the Labour Party has lost tens of thousands of members since Sir Keir Starmer became leader, with the exodus apparently accelerating since the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn.

This is the first time since Mr Corbyn’s election as Leader that the Party’s membership has fallen below half a million, which was itself a staggering achievement for a British political party in the current era.

There was a great deal of concern over entryism during Mr Corbyn’s two leadership primary campaigns and, more generally, over the possibility that many of these new members were tolerant of or held far-left antisemitic views. These concerns appeared to be borne out over the course of Mr Corbyn’s tenure as Leader, and Campaign Against Antisemitism’s 2019 Antisemitism Barometer showed, based on analysis of polling conducted by YouGov, that people holding four or more antisemitic views were particularly attracted to Mr Corbyn.

Since Mr Corbyn’s resignation as Leader and the increasingly heated confrontation between different factions in the Labour Party, it has become evident that some of these pro-Corbyn members – some of whom were returning to Labour after decades outside of the Party and others who had joined the Party for the first time – were becoming disillusioned. Campaign Against Antisemitism has long been concerned about where some of these Labour members might go next.

Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We continue to urge other parties – especially, for obvious reasons, on the political Left – to be vigilant that anyone espousing antisemitic tropes not be made welcome in their parties. Antisemitism has no place in any political party, and the EHRC has rightly addressed the conclusions of its report into Labour to all political parties. It would be a tragedy for Britain if anti-Jewish racism were not only to persist in Labour but to reappear on such a scale in any other Party.”

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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“Sir Keir is offering the Jewish community crumbs” by withholding the whip from Jeremy Corbyn after former leader was readmitted by sham process

Campaign Against Antisemitism has reacted to Sir Keir Starmer’s statement that he is withholding the whip from Jeremy Corbyn, who was yesterday readmitted to the Labour Party by the same processes that the Equality and Human Rights Commission had declared unfit for purpose.

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We have been conned. We did not go to the lengths of asking the EHRC to investigate the Labour Party only to return to the days of opaque, arbitrary decisions by panels that are unfit for purpose.

“Withholding the whip from Jeremy Corbyn is offering the Jewish community crumbs. The EHRC ruled that Labour’s disciplinary processes were unfit but Sir Keir allowed Mr Corbyn to be tried under them. Not only that, but Mr Corbyn should never have been suspended merely for his response to the EHRC’s damning report, but for the responsibility he bears for the Labour Party being found guilty of committing unlawful acts of antisemitism by the EHRC.

“Sir Keir needs to get a grip of his Party and ensure that Mr Corbyn is held to account for what he did to Britain’s Jews. Who is in charge of the Labour Party? Today, we have submitted a second complaint against Mr Corbyn, calling for him to be held to account not by a sham panel but by an independent disciplinary process, as required by the EHRC. Sir Keir must suspend him pending that process, and, if our complaint is upheld, Mr Corbyn must be expelled.”

Earlier today, Campaign Against Antisemitism lodged a further complaint against Mr Corbyn, alleging that he bears personal responsibility for the Party’s institutional antisemitism and must be held to account. We previously submitted a complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs which the Labour Party has yet to acknowledge, let alone investigate, and now we have submitted a further complaint against Mr Corbyn.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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CAA files new complaint seeking expulsion of Jeremy Corbyn over his responsibility for Labour being found guilty by EHRC of unlawful acts of antisemitism

Today, Campaign Against Antisemitism has filed a further complaint against the former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, over his personal responsibility for the Party being found guilty of unlawful acts of antisemitism, for which he must be held to account.

Mr Corbyn was suspended over remarks he made in reaction to the damning report issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), but less than three weeks later he was yesterday readmitted to the Party by the same processes that the EHRC had declared unfit for purpose. Alarmingly, the decision was made by a panel of Labour’s National Executive Committee, its ruling body, on which allies of Sir Keir Starmer have a majority.

We previously submitted a complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs which the Labour Party has yet to acknowledge, let alone investigate, and today’s complaint against Mr Corbyn is additional to that earlier complaint.

In the letter, which had extensive input from expert legal counsel, Chief Executive Gideon Falter and Head of Political and Government Investigations Joe Glasman wrote: “Given the seriousness of the conduct complained of, Campaign Against Antisemitism requests that Mr Corbyn be suspended pending the outcome of an investigation of the complaint under the independent disciplinary and complaints machinery that the EHRC requires must be established. That process is likely to require independent determination of when conduct is ‘prejudicial, or…grossly detrimental to the Party.’ Campaign Against Antisemitism requests that in the event the complaint is upheld, the appropriate sanction should be expulsion from the Labour Party.”

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We have been conned. We did not go to the lengths of asking the EHRC to investigate the Labour Party only to return to the days of opaque, arbitrary decisions by panels that are unfit for purpose.

“Withholding the whip from Jeremy Corbyn is offering the Jewish community crumbs. The EHRC ruled that Labour’s disciplinary processes were unfit but Sir Keir allowed Mr Corbyn to be tried under them. Not only that, but Mr Corbyn should never have been suspended merely for his response to the EHRC’s damning report, but for the responsibility he bears for the Labour Party being found guilty of committing unlawful acts of antisemitism by the EHRC.

“Sir Keir needs to get a grip of his Party and ensure that Mr Corbyn is held to account for what he did to Britain’s Jews. Who is in charge of the Labour Party? Today, we have submitted a second complaint against Mr Corbyn, calling for him to be held to account not by a sham panel but by an independent disciplinary process, as required by the EHRC. Sir Keir must suspend him pending that process, and, if our complaint is upheld, Mr Corbyn must be expelled.”

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Corbyn’s readmission by the Labour Party shows the Jewish community has been conned, and he must be resuspended immediately pending a real investigation into our complaint

In a shambolic development, Jeremy Corbyn has been readmitted to the Labour Party following a decision by a panel of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC).

Labour’s former leader was recently suspended from the Party after making inflammatory remarks about the report into Labour antisemitism by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the submission of a complaint against him, cataloguing his long history of antisemitism, by Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Earlier today, Mr Corbyn issued a statement trying to clarify his recent remarks about the EHRC, doubtless in anticipation of this hearing by the NEC panel.

That panel, a majority of which, reportedly, were pro-Corbyn activists, has now lifted Mr Corbyn’s suspension and readmitted him to the Party. The panel was selected by the NEC, on which allies of Sir Keir Starmer have a majority.

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The shambolic suspension and readmission of Jeremy Corbyn appears to have been nothing more than a media stunt to blunt the blow of the EHRC’s report last month, which forensically analysed the hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument we submitted as complainant. That report condemned Mr Corbyn and his allies for presiding over the institutionalisation of antisemitism in the Labour Party.

“By readmitting Mr Corbyn, the Labour Party has once again excused antisemitism and proved itself unwilling to address it. Mr Corbyn’s suspension should have remained in place until all of our complaints against him were investigated, but no investigation has been undertaken. Once again, we see the impact of Labour’s failure to implement an independent disciplinary process as demanded by the EHRC and Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership pledges that have now gone unfulfilled for almost a year.

“The Jewish community has been conned. Mr Corbyn must be resuspended immediately pending investigation of our complaint against him under the new independent process mandated by the EHRC. Britain is watching.”

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Jeremy Corbyn’s statement today changes nothing and he must remain suspended until CAA’s full complaint against him has been investigated

Jeremy Corbyn, Labour’s former leader who was recently suspended from the Party, has issued a statement “clarifying” his inflammatory remarks about the report into Labour antisemitism by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). However, he has not addressed his own long history of antisemitism, which was recorded in a complaint made by Campaign Against Antisemitism shortly before he was suspended.

Mr Corbyn was suspended two weeks ago after Campaign Against Antisemitism submitted a detailed disciplinary complaint against him and other sitting MPs, and just hours after the publication of the EHRC’s report after he appeared to downplay the extent of antisemitism in the Party. At the time, he said: “One antisemite is one too many, but the scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media. That combination hurt Jewish people and must never be repeated.” This was not the first time that Mr Corbyn (or his allies) had tried to undermine confidence in the EHRC’s report.

Now, Mr Corbyn has issued a new statement, in which he said: “We must never tolerate antisemitism or belittle concerns about it. And that was not my intention in anything I said this week. I regret the pain this issue has caused the Jewish community and would wish to do nothing that would exacerbate or prolong it. To be clear, concerns about antisemitism are neither ‘exaggerated’ nor ‘overstated’. The point I wished to make was that the vast majority of Labour Party members were and remain committed anti-racists deeply opposed to antisemitism. I fully support Keir Starmer’s decision to accept all the EHRC recommendations in full and, in accordance with my own lifelong convictions, will do what I can to help the Party move on, united against antisemitism which has been responsible for so many of history’s greatest crimes against humanity.”

He went on to thank “the many thousands of Labour party members, trade unionists, and supporters in Britain and around the world, who have offered their solidarity.” Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring the solidarity that Mr Corbyn has received, and there are reports now of optimism on Labour’s far-left that Mr Corbyn will be reinstated.

However, in his statement, Mr Corbyn only referred to his remarks about the EHRC, which represented only one of some eighteen incidents of antisemitic discourse in which Mr Corbyn has been involved. The Labour Party must undertake a full investigation of all of these incidents before Mr Corbyn’s suspension can possibly be lifted.

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Mr Corbyn’s statement today seeks to recast his comments gaslighting the Jewish community when the EHRC’s report into Labour antisemitism was released. This is a desperate attempt to have his suspension lifted and reveals that he still believes that suspensions are something that happen on the whim of the Leader as it did during his tenure, and not as a result of any due process. If the Labour Party wants to build on the positive step of suspending Mr Corbyn, it must investigate the entirety of our complaint against him under the independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has mandated, and do so within six months. Reinstating Mr Corbyn now would only show that Labour is not serious about tackling antisemitism, or is incapable of doing so.”

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Corbyn suspension spurs confrontation between local Constituency Labour Parties and central Labour Party

The suspension of Jeremy Corbyn following the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s report into Labour antisemitism and the submission of a complaint against Mr Corbyn and other MPs by Campaign Against Antisemitism appears to have spurred a confrontation within the Party between several Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) and the Labour Party headquarters.

Among the CLPs to express support for or solidarity with Mr Corbyn are Battersea, Bristol North West, Bristol West, Blyth Valley, Camarthen East and Dinefwr, Cardiff North, Carlisle, Hastings and Rye, Islington North (Mr Corbyn’s CLP), Leeds East, Liverpool Walton, Newton Abbott, Pendle, Putney, and South Thanet.

Various other local branches of the Party have also passed motions of solidarity or expressed support for the suspended former leader.

The motions and expressions of support came only a few days after the Party’s General-Secretary, David Evans, warned CLPs not to discuss disciplinary cases. A few months ago he also warned them to avoid discussion of sensitive issues relating to antisemitism.

Apparently as a result of these motions and other inflammatory tweets, the Chair and co-Secretary of Bristol West and other members of that CLP have been suspended from Labour.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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The Guardian criticised for cartoon employing antisemitic and insensitive motifs and portraying Jeremy Corbyn as saintly martyr

The Guardian newspaper has been criticised for publishing a cartoon employing antisemitic and insensitive motifs.

The cartoon features Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer presenting the head of former Leader Jeremy Corbyn on a platter in a pose deliberately reminiscent of the Caravaggio painting “Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist”, a depiction of the New Testament event of King Herod having Jesus’ mentor, John the Baptist, beheaded at the request of his Jewish stepdaughter Salome.

The drawing, dubbed “After Caravaggio”, was intended to represent the suspension of Mr Corbyn by Sir Keir. However, the implication of the cartoon that Sir Keir has done the bidding of the Jews by suspending and martyring a saintly Mr Corbyn is a deliberate provocation. Mr Corbyn is an antisemite whose Party engaged in unlawful harassment and discrimination against Jews, and the notion that Sir Keir is under the thumb of the Jewish community is an antisemitic conspiracy that has become popular in pro-Corbyn social media groups and on the far-left.

The depiction of Mr Corbyn beheaded was also criticised in view of recent events in France.

The cartoon was drawn by Steve Bell, who has a history of drawing offensive and contentious cartoons, some of which The Guardian has reportedly refused to publish in the past. Mr Bell has reportedly denied using antisemitic tropes in his cartoon when accused in the past.

A spokesperson for The Guardian spokesperson reportedly told the JC: “The Steve Bell cartoon published today portrays his observation on the recent events in the Labour Party.” The Readers’ Editor is reportedly reviewing complaints that the newspaper has received.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

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Within minutes of our submission of a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn and fifteen other sitting Labour MPs, Sir Keir Starmer suspends Mr Corbyn pending an investigation

Within minutes of our submission of a complaint against former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and fifteen other sitting Labour MPs in relation to antisemitism, Sir Keir Starmer has suspended Mr Corbyn, pending an investigation.

Our letter to Sir Keir, which followed the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s unprecedented finding that the Labour Party committed unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination against Jewish people, urged him to take action.

The letter read: “That your Party became institutionally racist against Jews, causing more than two in five British Jews to consider leaving the country and necessitating the investigation that has now concluded, is an indelible stain on Labour and on those within your Party who stood by and let antisemitism take hold. The individuals responsible must at last be held to account.”

The letter submitted complaints against Mr Corbyn, Diane Abbott, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Barry Gardiner, Afzal Khan, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Zarah Sultana and others.

The complaint against Mr Corbyn included his statement in reaction to the EHRC’s report, in which he said:“Anyone claiming there is no antisemitism in the Labour Party is wrong. Of course there is, as there is throughout society, and sometimes it is voiced by people who think of themselves as on the left. Jewish members of our party and the wider community were right to expect us to deal with it, and I regret that it took longer to deliver that change than it should. One antisemite is one too many, but the scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media. That combination hurt Jewish people and must never be repeated.”

Within minutes of our letter and complaints being publicised, Mr Corbyn was suspended by the Labour Party, pending an investigation.

Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations, said: “Shortly after submitting our complaint to Sir Keir regarding Jeremy Corbyn’s statement this morning and his past deeds, we have received confirmation that Mr Corbyn has been suspended from the Labour Party and had the whip withdrawn. This is a hugely significant turning point and an indicator of real change and accountability at last.

“We referred Labour to the EHRC precisely because it was not taking out complaints against Mr Corbyn seriously. Four years since our first complaint, Labour has finally begun to take action. Mr Corbyn is part of the problem, and at last our complaints against him and other sitting Labour MPs who seemed untouchable, are now being acted upon.”

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CAA statement on the EHRC’s report on antisemitism in the Labour Party

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s report is a groundbreaking document. It is the first ever finding by the EHRC of unlawful acts. It heavily criticises the Labour Party’s former leadership. It makes clear recommendations to ensure that there is zero tolerance of antisemitism in the Party in the future. It provides a robust framework for ensuring that the Party complies.

“The EHRC’s report utterly vindicates Britain’s Jews who were accused of lying and exaggerating, acting as agents of another country and using their religion to ‘smear’ the Labour Party. In an unprecedented finding, it concludes that those who made such accusations broke the law and were responsible for illegal discrimination and harassment.

“The debate is over. Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, the Labour Party became institutionally antisemitic. It drove almost half of British Jews to consider leaving the country. For five miserable years, every effort to compel Labour to reform failed. We were left with no choice but to refer the Party to the EHRC, which launched an investigation with us as complainant. The EHRC’s findings and recommendations today – that Labour’s leadership and culture created an unlawful environment that discriminated against Jews – closely align with the hundreds of pages of evidence and argument that we submitted to the EHRC over many months.

“Frankly, this report would not be much different had we written it. It is the dispensing of British justice that British Jews have sorely awaited, but has been denied for too long.

“Jeremy Corbyn and those around him who took part in or enabled the gaslighting, harassment and victimisation of Britain’s Jewish minority are shamed for all time. Those who defended and stood by them are shown to have made possible the closest flirtation that mainstream British politics has had with antisemitism in modern history.

“Sir Keir Starmer now has a long list of reforms to make, including establishing an independent disciplinary process so that those who put Britain’s Jews in fear for their future in this country can at last be held to account for their deeds. To that end, we have submitted complaints against Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott and fourteen other sitting MPs and have given Labour six months to conduct transparent investigations and finally deliver justice for the Jewish community.

“We are immensely grateful to everyone who fought alongside us for this day to come. Too many of them have suffered greatly for their principles. They are the best of this country.”

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Background: The EHRC’s full statutory investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party, in which CAA is the complainant

Campaign Against Antisemitism first approached the EHRC at the time of the Labour Party Conference in Brighton in 2017. The conference was so rife with antisemitism that Brighton and Hove City Council’s then Labour leader, Warren Morgan, told his own Party that he would not permit use of Council premises for the conference again. Mr Morgan later resigned from the Labour Party over its failure to address antisemitism. Following Campaign Against Antisemitism’s contact with the EHRC, the Chief Executive of the EHRC issued a statement demanding that the Labour Party prove “that it is not a racist party”.Campaign Against Antisemitism made a number of disciplinary complaints to the Labour Party between 2016 and 2018 about Jeremy Corbyn, including about his defence of the antisemitic Tower Hamlets mural in 2012, his Holocaust Memorial Day event in 2010, and his Press TV interview in 2012 (Press TV is an Iranian state broadcaster which Ofcom banned from broadcasting in Britain).

The Labour Party repeatedly refused to open an investigation into our complaints against Mr Corbyn, and consequently on 31st July 2018, Campaign Against Antisemitism formally referred the Labour Party to the EHRC over its institutional antisemitism.

Subsequently, the Jewish Labour Movement and Labour Against Antisemitism Ltd made further submissions, which supported our referral. 

At the EHRC’s request, Campaign Against Antisemitism submitted detailed legal arguments in November 2018. We continued to provide additional legal arguments to the EHRC in relation to subsequent developments, resulting in the EHRC’s announcement on 7th March 2019 that it was starting pre-enforcement proceedings against the Labour Party.

Pre-enforcement Proceedings

Prior to the EHRC opening a statutory investigation, it entered into a pre-enforcement period of engagement with the Labour Party, allowing it to propose a plan of action and make representations to the EHRC giving reasons why enforcement should not commence, and offering to take action voluntarily, under the EHRC’s supervision.

During the pre-enforcement period, the Labour Party had an opportunity to make representations to the EHRC seeking to agree a plan of action that would remove the need for a statutory investigation by offering to implement certain measures against antisemitism, with the EHRC able to monitor compliance.

The Labour Party failed to satisfy the EHRC that it could be trusted to address the antisemitism issue itself.

Investigation (enforcement) process

Campaign Against Antisemitism asked the EHRC to open a statutory investigation under section 20 of the Equality Act 2006 into antisemitic discrimination and victimisation in the Labour Party.

On 28th May 2019 the EHRC announced a full statutory investigation, which enabled it to use its enforcement powers.

A summary of the terms of reference of the investigation can be found here.

Most significantly, the EHRC suspected that the Labour Party “may have itself, and/or through its employees and/or agents, committed unlawful acts in relation to its members and/or applicants for membership and/or associates.” Therefore “the investigation will consider whether the Party carried out such unlawful acts.”

The purpose of the EHRC’s investigation has been to consider whether the Labour Party carried out unlawful acts.

Once the statutory investigation was launched, the EHRC was able to use its powers to compel the Labour Party to reveal details of its handling of antisemitism in recent years, including internal communications such as text messages and e-mails. It is also within the EHRC’s power to seek court injunctions against the Labour Party to prevent further antisemitic discrimination and victimisation, and it can impose an action plan on the Party and enforce compliance with the plan.

The only previous statutory investigation ever conducted by the EHRC was an investigation into unlawful harassment, discrimination and victimisation within the Metropolitan Police Service.

The only other political party to have been subject to action by the EHRC was the British National Party, but that was not a statutory investigation.

The launch of a full statutory investigation by the EHRC into the Labour Party was an unprecedented development, resulting from the EHRC’s acknowledgement that the legal arguments made by Campaign Against Antisemitism were sufficiently compelling to merit investigating whether the Labour Party committed unlawful acts.

Content of our legal submissions

Campaign Against Antisemitism submitted hundreds of pages of legal submissions to the EHRC between 2018 and 2020 with the assistance of specialist human rights counsel Adam Wagner of Doughty Street Chambers and Derek Spitz of One Essex Court Chambers.

The hundreds of pages of Campaign Against Antisemitism’s submissions provided substantial details of incidents for investigation, including incidents directly involving Mr Corbyn.

In summary, Campaign Against Antisemitism made legal arguments that:

  • An unacceptable number of antisemitic incidents of unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation had occurred in Labour in recent years, at all levels of the Party.
  • Under Mr Corbyn’s leadership, Labour’s disciplinary mechanisms for dealing with antisemitism were significantly weakened, and the machinery of the Party was used to victimise those who stand up against antisemitism. 
  • A culture of denial and victimisation developed in some sections of Labour in relation to antisemitism. For example, antisemitism allegations have often been described as “smears”.
  • The result of the toxic culture which surrounds the issue of antisemitism in Labour was that people who suffer discrimination were subjected to victimisation when they raised complaints or that they were reluctant to bring complaints in the first place.
  • Antisemitism in Labour should be judged according to the International Definition of Antisemitism, which Labour itself adopted in 2018 (under pressure) after its adoption by the Government and other major political parties.
  • Labour failed to put in place a fair and effective complaints and disciplinary process to deal with antisemitism.
  • There was substantial evidence that the problem of antisemitism in Labour became institutional.
  • Labour appeared incapable of resolving this issue of antisemitism itself.
  • There was sufficient evidence to warrant a section 20 statutory investigation by the EHRC into whether systemic unlawful acts occurred in the handling of complaints of antisemitism in relation to Labour officials, members and other representatives.

Labour’s reaction to the investigation

The announcement of the investigation following the referral by Campaign Against Antisemitism was, to date, the single most significant development in the fight against antisemitism in the Labour Party, a point acknowledged by both supporters and opponents of the investigation.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continued to receive strong backing from the mainstream Jewish community and was vilified by far-left factions within and without the Labour Party.

Some senior figures in the Labour Party, such as then-Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry, then-Deputy Leader Tom Watson and Lord Falconer, welcomed the EHRC’s investigation (while admitting that it was shameful for the Labour Party to find itself subjected to such a probe). During the Labour leadership contest, the candidates, including Sir Keir Starmer, pledged to implement the EHRC’s recommendations.

However, some elements within the Labour Party tried to undermine the EHRC’s standing, and cast doubt on its independence and thus on its eventual findings, including the Labour leadership under Mr Corbyn and his allies within the Party, who saw the investigation as a threat.

During the 2019 General Election, Labour’s Race and Faith Manifesto pledged to “Enhance the powers and functions of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, making it truly independent, to ensure it can support people to effectively challenge any discrimination they may face.” The implication was that the EHRC was not an independent body but rather an arm of the Conservative Government and therefore that its investigation and subsequent report could not be trusted. At the time, Campaign Against Antisemitism called Labour’s pledge to reform the independent body conducting an investigation into the Party “sinister in the extreme”.

Similarly, in his first interview (given to a fringe blog) since stepping down as Leader of the Labour Party, Mr Corbyn said that the EHRC was made “part of the government machine” by the Conservative Party.

Other far-left Labour activists have claimed that the EHRC itself is racist, specifically against BAME people, or at least that it has prioritised addressing antisemitism over other forms of racism, and that this prioritisation is racist.

With the removal of Mr Corbyn as Leader, his allies turned their ire on the Labour Party as well, accusing it of institutional racism against BAME people rather than Jews. As proof, they cited a leaked internal report titled ‘The work of the Labour Party’s Governance and Legal Unit in relation to antisemitism, 2014 – 2019’, which conceded the scale of the antisemitism problem in Labour but purported to show that some staffers – particularly those allegedly antagonistic to Mr Corbyn’s leadership – had deliberately frustrated the Party’s efforts to address the antisemitism crisis and had made racist or misogynistic remarks toward BAME and women MPs. At the time, Campaign Against Antisemitism described the report as a “desperate last-ditch attempt to deflect and discredit allegations of antisemitism” and a “disgrace”.

The report is subject to an investigation by the Labour Party and its leak has reportedly led to libel and data protection complaints, not to mention threatsagainst Jewish complainants mentioned in the report. It was apparently intended that the report would be submitted to the EHRC, but it is understood that the Labour Party under Sir Keir’s leadership declined to do so.

Some far-left figures within Labour have tried to make the claim that the Party is indeed institutionally racist, but against BAME people rather than Jews.

When the first signs of this argument arose, Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is offensive to Jews and BAME people to suggest that tackling prejudice against either community is somehow at the cost of discrimination against the other, and it is an appalling sign of the lengths to which this far-left faction will go to try to exonerate itself from its own central role in Labour’s antisemitism scandal.”

Not just Jeremy Corbyn

Although Campaign Against Antisemitism’s referral of Labour to the EHRC was triggered by the Party’s failure to address our complaints regarding Mr Corbyn, those failures were cultural and institutional.

A culture of denial that antisemitism could exist on the ‘anti-racist’ far-left of the Party was institutionally cemented by the whitewash 2016 Chakrabarti Report. The Chakrabarti Report effectively served to protect the reputation of the Party, and therefore, in an affront to natural justice, recommended that Labour’s disciplinary procedures be kept secret. The result was a process that was not independent, transparent, fair, efficient or accountable.

Consequently, Campaign Against Antisemitism has not submitted further complaints to the Labour Party about MPs, councillors, officeholders and other members because the disciplinary process is not fit for purpose, a deficiency exacerbated by the former Shadow Attorney General’s Report. Sir Keir has since promised to introduce an independent disciplinary process but has not yet done so, and has ignored our calls for him to set out a timeline. Once the Labour Party introduces an independent disciplinary process, as Sir Keir has promised, Labour will have a backlog of complaints to address.

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Jeremy Corbyn’s chief of staff sought to force out MPs who protested Labour antisemitism, according to report

Jeremy Corbyn’s Chief of Staff sought to force out Labour MPs who protested antisemitism in the Party, according to a report.

In WhatsApp messages, Karie Murphy expressed disappointment in April 2019 in reaction to seven Labour MPs quitting the Party in February, according the JC. She reportedly wrote: “F**king idiots. All the work I did to trigger them and they leave before I had the pleasure.” It appears that the message as reported is referring to so-called “trigger ballots” by local Labour Party branches to deselect incumbent MPs.

Efforts to deselect MPs who opposed antisemitism in Labour was a major issue during Mr Corbyn’s tenure, with three Jewish women MPs — Luciana Berger, who was among the seven who quit; Dame Louise Ellman, who quit later in the year; and Dame Margaret Hodge, who decided to continue to take the whip from Labour — all repeatedly threatened with deselection by pro-Corbyn elements in the Party and in their local constituency parties.

This report lends credence to the claim that at least some of these deselections were being encouraged by Mr Corbyn’s inner circle.

The messages also apparently show that Ms Murphy was involved in removing Keith Birch of the Unison union from the equality portfolio on the Labour Party’s ruling National Executive Committee. Mr Birch had called for the Party to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism, which was controversial on the pro-Corbyn far-left of the Party. Ms Murphy reportedly wrote: “We took out Keith so Unison are p***ed. He has been a c**t for years.”

Labour has reportedly confirmed that it has opened an investigation into Ms Murphy’s messages.

A spokesperson for the Labour Party reportedly said: “Labour takes all complaints extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.”

Mr Corbyn, despite promising not to nominate peers to the House of Lords, nominated Ms Murphy, among others. The appointment has been blocked, however, due to claims of bullying by Ms Murphy. Mr Corbyn has reportedly appealed the decision.

On 28th May 2019, the EHRC launched a full statutory investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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New book confirms CAA’s claim that Jeremy Corbyn’s allies were worried about Labour adopting the International Definition of Antisemitism because he would be found to have breached it

A new book appears to confirm that Jeremy Corbyn’s allies were worried about the Labour Party adopting the International Definition of Antisemitism in 2018 because Mr Corbyn, then the Leader of the Party, would be found to have breached it, as Campaign Against Antisemitism has long maintained.

The new book, by controversial journalist Owen Jones, claims on behalf of Mr Corbyn’s allies: “If the [International Definition of Antisemitism] was passed in full, Corbyn’s enemies would trawl through the back catalogue of comments made by the Labour leader and [Seamus] Milne himself, then submit official complaints to the Party on the basis that they stood in violation of the Definition. That would trigger a disciplinary procedure, leading to their possible suspension, necessitating Corbyn’s removal as leader.”

This is an incredible admission of what was known to Campaign Against Antisemitism and others: Mr Corbyn had breached the Definition on multiple occasions in the past, and that if he had been treated by the Party as it was meant to treat all of its members, he would have to be disciplined.

Indeed, by the summer of 2018, Campaign Against Antisemitism had submitted over several years three complaints to the Labour Party regarding Mr Corbyn, all of which were ignored or dismissed by the Party without proper consideration, let alone serious investigation, as befitted the matters raised. This failure by the Party’s institutions led to the formal referral of the Labour Party to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) by Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant in the EHRC’s ongoing investigation. Another group – Labour Against Antisemitism Ltd – also reports that it submitted a complaint against Mr Corbyn in August 2018.

Mr Jones’ book, titled This Land: The Story of a Movement, immediately goes on to explain why Labour’s institutions were unfit to deal with our complaints and, in effect, why the EHRC was compelled to intervene: “As Andrew Fisher pointed out, however, this was nonsensical: there was a pro-Corbyn majority on the Party’s National Executive Committee, and the General Secretary, Jennie Formby, was a committed Labour leftist who would never countenance such a move.” In other words, there was no need to be concerned about Mr Corbyn being found to have breached the Definition and being disciplined, because his allies were in control of the Party’s corrupted disciplinary mechanisms and would shield him from the consequences of his record.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “These revelations confirm what we have always known, namely that Jeremy Corbyn had breached the International Definition of Antisemitism but that his allies, who controlled Labour’s corrupted disciplinary mechanisms, would protect him from complaints like ours, thereby shielding him from the consequences of his long record of antisemitism. Here is further corroboration from inside sources that Labour is institutionally antisemitic, and further confirmation that we were right to refer the Party to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.”

On 28th May 2019, the EHRC launched a full statutory investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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As CAA turns six and Rosh Hashanah approaches, whatever next year brings, together we will do whatever it takes to defend against antisemitism

With the Jewish New Year upon us, Campaign Against Antisemitism marks the sixth anniversary of our launch and reflects on some key moments and achievements of the past year.

It seems like an age ago that almost half of Anglo-Jewry was considering leaving the country, with considerable fear that the antisemite, Jeremy Corbyn, could become Prime Minister of Britain.

Our campaign to raise awareness of antisemitism in politics included exposing how Mr Corbyn’s allies were placing a cast of Jew-baiters in dozens of constituencies and culminated with the publication of our Antisemitism Barometer 2019, which showed that voters who held antisemitic views were particularly drawn to Mr Corbyn and that far-left antisemitism had overtaken the antisemitism of the far-right. We also began publishing our case files exposing antisemitism in political parties, which showed that Mr Corbyn was personally responsible for 24 incidents of involvement in antisemitic discourse and that Labour Party candidates for Parliament accounted for a frightening 82% of incidents across all parties.

We gave voice to the concerns of the Jewish community at our star-studded #TogetherAgainstAntisemitism rally in Parliament Square in December 2019, featuring Robert Rinder, Tracy Ann Oberman, Tom Holland, the President of the Hindu Forum of Britain and the founder of Muslims Against Antisemitism. It was the largest Anglo-Jewish demonstration against antisemitism since our rally outside the Royal Courts of Justice six years ago.

We carefully monitored the Labour Party primary, documenting the records of all the candidates so that Party members could make informed choices. Once Sir Keir Starmer was elected, we have held him to his election pledges on antisemitism, praising him for his successes, such as sacking Rebecca Long-Bailey for sharing an antisemitic conspiracy theory, and criticising his failures, such as refraining from taking action against Diane Abbott and Bell Ribeiro-Addy after they shared a platform with expelled Labour members. We also published a first-of-its-kind analysis of the records of every member of the Shadow Cabinet on antisemitism – what they said and did over the past five years and, more revealingly, what they did not.

As the complainant in the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s full statutory investigation into the Labour Party, which was launched following a formal referral by Campaign Against Antisemitism, we continued to make detailed legal submissions to the Commission and defended the integrity of its investigation in the face of repeated attempts to undermine it by Mr Corbyn and his allies, including through a contrived and dangerous leaked internal Labour Party report.

We have also been at the forefront of fighting antisemitism across all political parties, including the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru and the Brexit Party, and in local politics.

We have exposed antisemitic memes relating to COVID-19, and over the summer we shone a spotlight on antisemitism in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and changed the conversation overnight, even in the face of threats to our safety, and highlighted how real Civil Rights heroes like Martin Luther King Jr knew that we must unite to beat hate and declared that we would not let the voices of division within BLM trample their legacy. Meanwhile, we have continued to confront antisemitism on the far-right, with new charges against notorious antisemites.

Our efforts to tackle anti-Jewish racism on social media were perhaps best showcased in our response to grime artist Wiley’s multi-day antisemitic tirade. We immediately called for Wiley to prosecuted, for his MBE to be revoked – and the Cabinet Office has confirmed to us that it has opened a case – and for his 2019 Ivors Inspiration Award to be rescinded. We also joined the #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate 48-hour walkout from social media in protest at inaction by technology companies, whom we continued to call out and with whom we were in constant contact until Wiley was removed from each platform in turn. We even literally shone a light on racism at Twitter’s London headquarters to successfully pressure the company to act. We also launched two Parliamentary petitions: one calling for racists like Wiley to be stripped of their MBEs, which can be signed here, and the other calling for the Government to bring forward Online Harms Bill this year, which can be signed here.

This Rosh Hashanah, we wish all of our supporters, Jewish and non-Jewish, a happy, healthy, safe and successful year ahead, and ask for your help to continue our vital work.

Whatever next year brings, together we will do whatever it takes to defend against antisemitism. Shana tova!

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CAA reveals that BBC journalist Nimesh Thaker, now under investigation by the BBC, shared antisemitic posts and trolled BBC colleagues in his own name

Campaign Against Antisemitism can reveal that the BBC journalist, Nimesh Thaker, who has recently been criticised for antisemitic comments on his anonymous Twitter account, also had another – now-deleted – Twitter account in his own name, which he used to post antisemitic material and criticise other BBC journalists.

Using the handle, @thaker_nimesh, Mr Thaker, who has been a BBC journalist for more than twenty years at BBC World News, posted tweets describing antisemitism accusations against Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party as “smears” and trolled public figures who were campaigning against antisemitism.

He used the account to troll Campaign Against Antisemitism and to harass the editor of the Jewish Chronicle and the actress and writer Tracy-Ann Oberman, tweeting at them dozens of times. He has also retweeted controversial political activists who themselves have come under fire for antisemitism, such as the notorious antisemite Jackie Walker, trolled Labour MPs over antisemitism, and defended Ken Livingstone and supported the disgraced former Labour MP, Chris Williamson.

As with Mr Thaker’s subsequent anonymous Twitter handle, @BotheredThat, Mr Thaker openly used his @thaker_nimesh handle for work purposes, such as booking interviews on the BBC. He also used the handle to criticise the BBC and his colleagues, such as BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg, whose Twitter account he accused of being “officially the Tory fan club message board” and whom he urged to “do some digging…what is the money for journalism please,” among other claims.

Abandoning this personal account in favour, apparently, of pseudo-anonymity, Mr Thaker then adopted the handle @BotheredThat for both work and abusive tweets, accusing antisemitism campaigners of “smears” (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here for examples) and claiming that antisemitism campaigners believe that anyone who criticises Israel is an antisemite, 

According to BBC guidelines for employees, “All BBC activity on social media, whether it is ‘official’ BBC use or the personal use by BBC staff is subject to the Editorial Guidelines and editorial oversight in the same way that our on-platform content is. We should take particular care about maintaining our impartiality on social media, both in our professional and personal activities […] BBC staff should avoid bringing the BBC into disrepute through their actions on social media.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism submitted a complaint to the BBC about Mr Thaker some weeks ago, and the BBC has confirmed that an investigation is underway.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The BBC must swiftly and transparently investigate Nimesh Thaker for his blatant breaches of the Corporation’s social media policy, including posting appalling comments online, using an account in his own name as well as an anonymous account.

“More broadly, this should be a moment of reflection for the BBC, whose relations with the Jewish community have been strained for many years. If licence fee payers are to have confidence in the broadcaster, it must show zero tolerance for antisemitism by its employees – on screen and off.”

Mr Thaker was approached for comment.

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Jeremy Corbyn couldn’t empathise with ‘prosperous’ Jewish community and declined to visit Auschwitz or make other gestures of reconciliation, according to new book

A new book quotes a union official and former senior advisor to Jeremy Corbyn who claimed that Mr Corbyn struggled to empathise with the Jewish community because it is “relatively prosperous”.

Andrew Murray is quoted in a new behind-the-scenes book by journalists Gabriel Pogrund and Patrick McGuire saying about the former Labour leader: “He is very empathetic, Jeremy, but he’s empathetic with the poor, the disadvantaged, the migrant, the marginalised, the people at the bottom of the heap. Happily, that is not the Jewish community in Britain today. He would have had massive empathy with the Jewish community in Britain in the 1930s and he would have been there at Cable Street, there’s no question. But, of course, the Jewish community today is relatively prosperous.”

Some have interpreted Mr Murray’s suggestion that Jews are “relatively prosperous” as reminiscent of the antisemitic trope that Jews are rich, and apparently some Labour MPs have called for him to be disciplined.

Left Out: The Inside Story of Labour under Corbyn also describes how Karie Murphy, Mr Corbyn’s Chief of Staff, suggested some gesture of goodwill by the then-leader towards the Jewish community, including a trip to Auschwitz, a visit to the Jewish Free School in London, an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, or perhaps a mingle at a Progressive synagogue or Jewish old age home. According to The Times, in which the book is being serialised, “all but one of them came to nothing”, the exception being an amendment to Labour’s code of conduct.

The book also reportedly claims that John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor and key Corbyn ally, wanted Mr Corbyn to intervene in a disciplinary case against Dame Margaret Hodge MP, after she called Mr Corbyn and “antisemitic racist”. It is suggested that Mr Corbyn was so offended at being called a racist that he refused to intervene. Consequently, he and Mr McDonnell apparently did not speak to each other “for month”.

On 28th May 2019, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a full statutory investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Hacktivist group Anonymous posts antisemitic mural defended by Jeremy Corbyn on social media and Facebook declines to act

Earlier this week, the hacktivist group known as Anonymous posted a picture of an antisemitic mural on Facebook, but when a member of the public brought it to the attention of the social media company, it declined to take any action.

The mural originated on a wall in London’s East End in October 2012 after the Los Angeles-based street artist Mear One painted the image, which featured apparently-Jewish bankers beneath a pyramid often used by conspiracy theorists playing Monopoly on a board carried by straining, oppressed workers, several of whom had dark or black skin. The mural, called Freedom for Humanity, was widely perceived as antisemitic, and was eventually removed.

Former Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn was heavily criticised when it transpired that he had defended the mural. More recently, the same image was approvingly tweeted by the rapper Ice Cube who refused to remove it, and it was used by the Oxford branch of Black Lives Matter to promote an event, but the group retracted the advertisement and apologised.

A concerned member of the public reported the Anonymous post to Facebook, which apparently replied: “Thanks for your report – you did the right thing by letting us know about this. The post was reviewed, and although it doesn’t go against one of our specific Community Standards, we understand that it may still be offensive to you and others. No one should have to see posts they consider hateful on Facebook, so we want to help you avoid things like this in the future.”

We are grateful to the concerned member of the public for bringing this matter to our attention.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues its robust engagement with social media companies over the content that they enable to be published, and we continue to make representations to the Government in this connection.

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Woman behind Jeremy Corbyn legal fund is involved with a company that aims to “end the politicisation of Jewish suffering”

The JC is reporting that the woman behind a crowdfunder that has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Jeremy Corbyn’s legal expenses is involved with a company that aims to “end the politicisation of Jewish suffering”.

According to Companies House, Carole Morgan, who set up the crowdfunder on Go Fund Me, is one of two persons with significant control over Truth Defence Ltd, a new company incorporated to administer the funds. It is understood that the other person with significant control, Andrew Feinstein, is reportedly a member of the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, Jewish Voice for Labour.

On its Facebook page, Truth Defence describes itself as “We are a collective of Jewish lawyers, creatives, journalists, academics and citizens seeking to correct the historical record on Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party and end the politicisation of Jewish suffering.”

The crowdfunder was not set up with Mr Corbyn’s endorsement, but it is understood that his office is in contact with Ms Morgan.

Mr Corbyn is being sued by the journalist John Ware for defamation. Another defamation case, brought by the Jewish activist Richard Millet, is also underway. The claimants are being represented by Mark Lewis, an esteemed media lawyer who is an honorary patron of Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism previously reported that the crowdfunder received money from donors calling themselves “Adolf Hitler” and “B*stard Son of Netanyahu and Starmer” and that donors posted horrendous comments on the page when making donations.

On 28th May 2019, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a full statutory investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Labour tried to have Party whistleblower prosecuted, and now Jeremy Corbyn’s Islington CLP debates rejection of International Definition of Antisemitism

The Labour Party tried to have one of the Panorama whistleblowers prosecuted, according to The Sunday Times.

Sam Matthews, a former head of governance and legal, was one of a number of former staffers turned courageous whistleblowers who featured on the BBC Panorama expose of antisemitism in the Labour Party and with whom the Party recently settled a defamation case.

It has now emerged, however, that he was also the subject of a criminal investigation instigated by Labour, which had reported him to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for alleged data breaches.

However, the ICO has now dropped the charges, having even interviewed Mr Matthews under caution, reportedly admitting that there was no evidence to substantiate the claims.

Mr Matthews revealed in the Panorama programme that he had contemplated suicide, such was his treatment while working at Labour Party headquarters. It is extraordinary that the Labour Party, of all institutions, could have treated its workers so appallingly and then, despite praising whistleblowers in every other industry, smeared these brave former staffers because they called out Labour’s own racism.

Mr Matthews and the other claimants in the defamation case against Labour were represented by Mark Lewis, an esteemed media lawyer who is also an honorary patron of Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Meanwhile, it has also emerged that Islington North’s Junction Ward branch of the Labour Party, in Jeremy Corbyn’s local constituency, will debate whether to reject the International Definition of Antisemitism.

The motion, brought by a member of the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, Jewish Voice for Labour, also states that “We are deeply committed to opposing all forms of racism, including antisemitism. We are also deeply committed to opposing what we regard as false accusations of antisemitism.”

According to the JC, two years ago the Islington North CLP’s treasurer, Russell Smith-Becker, resigned citing Mr Corbyn’s “often tolerant” attitude toward antisemitism and worried that Labour had become “somewhere where antisemites feel comfortable and many Jews feel uncomfortable.”

On 28th May 2019, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a full statutory investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Donors to unofficial crowd-funder for Jeremy Corbyn’s legal expenses post horrendous comments denying Labour antisemitism and equating Zionism with racism

Donors to an unofficial crowd-funder for Jeremy Corbyn’s legal expenses have posted horrendous comments in support of the beleaguered former Labour leader.

The crowd-funder was launched by a supporter of Mr Corbyn’s and does not appear to have his formal endorsement, however the supporter said: “The funds on this campaign will not be touched and remain on GoFundMe until the details for distribution have been established with Jeremy’s office and I will continue to provide updates as they become available.”

Not only did some donors use names like “Adolf Hitler” and “B*stard Son of Netanyahu and Starmer”, but the online activist Habibi has alerted Campaign Against Antisemitism to some of the horrendous comments that donors – including those using what appear to be their real names – have posted. Many of the comments deny Labour antisemitism under Mr Corbyn, using phrases such as “false antisemitism accusations”, “smears”, “lies”, “false”, “trumped up”, “witch-hunt” and “stitch-up”.

Other comments suggested that such accusations come from “elitist tax dodging leeches that are trying to tarnish [Mr Corbyn’s] name” or “Anglo-American oligarchs”.

There were also concerns that Mr Corbyn was being “crucified”, and equations of Zionism and Israel with racism.

Mr Corbyn will have to decide whether he wishes to accept donations from “Adolf Hitler” and other antisemitism-deniers.

The campaign, called Jeremy’s Legal Fund and hosted by GoFundMe, has so far raised hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Mr Corbyn is being sued by the journalist John Ware for defamation. Another defamation case, brought by the Jewish activist Richard Millet, is also underway.

On 28th May 2019, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a full statutory investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Jeremy Corbyn deletes Wiley tweet without condemning antisemitism

Jeremy Corbyn has deleted a past tweet exchange with the grime artist Wiley, who has become embroiled in controversy over an extended antisemitic rant.

Wiley, whose real name is Richard Kylea Cowie Jr., appears to have shown support for the former Labour leader, who thanked him for his endorsement.

However, with Wiley now at the centre of his own antisemitism scandal, Mr Corbyn, whose tenure as Labour leader was marked by the Party’s institutional antisemitism, has apparently deleted the tweet, but has not issued any statement explaining why or condemning Wiley’s antisemitism.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Jeremy Corbyn has not found time to express a shred of solidarity with the Jewish community even as #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate became Twitter’s top trending hashtag, but he has found time to cover his own tracks. Mr Corbyn’s deletion of his positive Twitter exchange with Wiley without any statement condemning his antisemitism suggests that he is acting purely out of self-interest to try to protect the shards of his shattered reputation as a supposed ‘anti-racist’.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism recently called for Mr Corbyn to be suspended from Labour after he made a conspiratorial statement about a legal settlement reached between Labour and former staffers turned whistleblowers.

Mr Corbyn has a long history of antisemitism controversies implicating him directly, and over 57,000 people signed our petition denouncing him as an antisemite and declaring him “unfit to hold any public office.”

On 28th May 2019, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a full statutory investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Crowdfunder for Jeremy Corbyn’s legal defence gets donations from “Hitler” and “B*stard Son of Netanyahu and Starmer”

A crowdfunder launched to raise money for Jeremy Corbyn’s legal defence has received money from donors calling themselves “Adolf Hitler” and “B*stard Son of Netanyahu and Starmer”.

The crowdfunder was launched by a supporter of Mr Corbyn’s and does not appear to have his formal endorsement, however the supporter said: “The funds on this campaign will not be touched and remain on GoFundMe until the details for distribution have been established with Jeremy’s office and I will continue to provide updates as they become available.”

Other donors also used provocative names or left offensive comments, such as ‘Jack T’, who claimed that Mr Corbyn had been targeted by “people within the Labour Party working on behalf of the racist State of Israel”.

Another complained: “We love Jeremy Corbyn and he is all we got! Him being seen and propagated by reich wing media and portrayed like he can be the next S***ler is absurd beyond belief [sic].”

The campaign, called Jeremy’s Legal Fund and hosted by GoFundMe, has so far raised over £300,000.

Mr Corbyn is being sued by the journalist John Ware for defamation. Another defamation case, brought by the Jewish activist Richard Millet, is also underway.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: ““Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, the Labour Party became institutionally anti-Semitic, driving Labour’s own workers to defy their own Party and blow the whistle on the Jew-hatred within it. It was Mr Corbyn’s senior team that directed a forceful effort to drag the whistleblowers’ names through the mud, in some cases driving them to the point of considering suicide. Instead of apologising inshore for the attempts to bully and silence these principled whistleblowers, Mr Corbyn has now attacked the Labour Party for apologising to them.”

On 28th May 2019, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a full statutory investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Leaked email from Corbyn ally shows he recognised that controversial leaked Labour report was misleading and feared the consequences

A leaked email from a senior Corbyn ally in Labour Party headquarters shows that he recognised that a controversial leaked report about the Party’s handling of antisemitism was misleading and that there may be adverse consequences following its dissemination.

Thomas Gardiner, who resigned a few weeks ago as Labour’s Director of Governance and Legal, is reported to have sent an email on 11th April to the Party’s General-Secretary saying that the report on Labour’s handling of antisemitism ought not to be circulated because emails and WhatsApp messages from Party staffers had been “presented selectively and without their true context in order to give a misleading picture.”

An unredacted version of the 851-page report was nevertheless leaked, giving rise to potential date breach claims that may cost the Labour Party millions of pounds in legal costs.

In his email, Mr Gardiner expressed concern that the report would “lay false blame” on him, that searches of staffers’ email accounts, including his own, were “not authorised” and “improper” and that use of confidential WhatsApp messages represented “a clear and unacceptable breach of confidence,” adding: “Further, these messages are presented selectively and without their true context in order to give a misleading picture.”

Although the report had by then been leaked, Mr Gardiner said “I realise it will not be helpful not to further use the report, given that it has apparently been leaked in a previous version, but I must register this formal objection.”

The report, which Campaign Against Antisemitism described at the time as “a desperate last-ditch attempt to deflect and discredit allegations of antisemitism”, was originally compiled for submission to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). On advice from Labour’s lawyers, the Party has not submitted the report to the EHRC.

The EHRC launched a full statutory investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party in May 2019 following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

Ms Formby has released a statement saying that the searches of staff email and social media accounts were authorised and were carried out in response to requests by the EHRC. Other allies of Mr Corbyn’s have reportedly claimed that Mr Gardiner had supported the compilation and publication of the report but rowed back only after it was leaked.

Labour is currently conducting an internal investigation into the provenance, leaking and content of the report.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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John Ware to sue Jeremy Corbyn for defamation and former Labour General-Secretary Lord McNicol to sue Party for leaked report that tried to blame him for antisemitism crisis

John Ware, the maker of the BBC Panorama documentary “Is Labour Antisemitic”, is reportedly suing former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for repeating libels that saw the Party reach a settlement with Mr Ware and the whistleblowers featured in the programme.

The programme, which was televised in July 2019, showed former Labour Party employees speaking out publicly to reveal Mr Corbyn’s personal meddling in disciplinary cases relating to antisemitism. The programme explained how senior Labour Party staffers, some of whom Campaign Against Antisemitism has known for years, used to run Labour’s disciplinary process independently, but soon after Mr Corbyn’s election as Party leader found themselves contending with his most senior aides, who were brazen in their efforts to subvert due process.

During the programme Labour’s press team made claims that the staffers featured had political axes to grind and lacked credibility, and the whistleblowers and Mr Ware commenced libel proceedings against the Labour Party.

This week, the Party settled the case, issuing an apology and reportedly paying damages and costs worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

However, Mr Corbyn described the settlement as “disappointing”, saying that it “risks giving credibility to misleading and inaccurate allegations about action taken to tackle antisemitism in the Labour Party in recent years.”

It is understood that Mr Ware will now sue Mr Corbyn directly.

Mr Ware explained his motivations in an impassioned article.

Meanwhile, a former Labour General-Secretary is suing the Labour Party over the leaked internal report which he claims tried to blame him for the Party’s antisemitism crisis.

Lord McNicol, a moderate who served in the role under Ed Miliband and in the first years of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, will be joining some fifty other individuals named in the report who have brought legal claims against the Party after their names were circulated on social media and far-right websites.

The report, compiled in the last weeks of Mr Corbyn’s leadership, tried to deflect from his and his allies’ failings and cast blame on staff whom it claimed were ideologically motivated to undermine Mr Corbyn. It is widely believed that the compilation and leak of the report were intended to undermine the investigation into Labour antisemitism by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). A full statutory investigation was launched by the EHRC in May 2019 following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

Mr Ware’s and Lord McNicol’s case, as well as those of the whistleblowers, have been brought by Mark Lewis, a highly esteemed media lawyer who is also an honorary patron of Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has this week called for Mr Corbyn to be suspended from Labour after his conspiratorial statement about the legal settlement.

The damages and legal costs arising from the multiple cases arising from Labour’s antisemitism crisis could amount to millions of pounds.

In the first release of its Antisemitism in Political Parties research, Campaign Against Antisemitism showed that Labour Party candidates for Parliament in the 2019 general election accounted for 82 percent of all incidents of antisemitic discourse by parliamentary candidates.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Campaign Against Antisemitism is a volunteer-led charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the law. Everything that we do is done by people who volunteer their time, using donations contributed by members of the public. Join the fight against antisemitism by subscribing to our updates, volunteering, or donating.