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Labour expels Trotskyist activist Gerry Downing Revolutionary socialist Gerry Downing to appeal against Labour expulsion
(about 9 hours later)
Labour has expelled a far left activist whose views on 9/11 and so-called Islamic State have been criticised. Gerry Downing, a revolutionary socialist expelled by Labour after criticism of his views on 9/11, has said he will appeal against the move.
The party's ruling NEC said it had excluded Gerry Downing after "further evidence" had come to light about him. David Cameron called on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to expel him from the party at Prime Minister's Questions.
Jeremy Corbyn had come under pressure to act after David Cameron raised the issue at Prime Minister's Questions. Labour's ruling NEC later said it had excluded him after "further evidence" had come to light about him.
The PM quoted a blog by Mr Downing, which said the 9/11 hijackers "must never be condemned". Mr Downing said he had been quoted out of context. Mr Downing said his views on 9/11 and so-called Islamic State had been quoted out of context.
He insisted he had been explaining the motivation of the 9/11 attackers, "not agreeing with what they were doing", adding: "I don't support the politics of Isis, they are vile barbarians. But I don't support American imperialist bombing either." In the Commons on Wednesday, David Cameron quoted a blog by Mr Downing, which said the 9/11 hijackers "must never be condemned".
Mr Downing, a former bus driver and member of the tiny Socialist Fight group, says on Twitter his ambition is "to end capitalism on the planet by socialist revolution". Mr Downing insisted he had been explaining the motivation of the 9/11 attackers, "not agreeing with what they were doing", adding: "I don't support the politics of Isis, they are vile barbarians. But I don't support American imperialist bombing either."
'Motivation'
Mr Downing, a former bus driver and member of the tiny Socialist Fight group, told the Daily Politics: "The ambition to overthrow capitalism is a very legitimate political ambition."
He was expelled by the Labour Party last August over views expressed on his Twitter feed and blog but was re-instated in November after an appeal.He was expelled by the Labour Party last August over views expressed on his Twitter feed and blog but was re-instated in November after an appeal.
Before his expulsion was announced, he told BBC News he felt there was a place for Trotskyists like himself in the Labour Party and he hoped Mr Corbyn would reject calls by Mr Cameron - during PMQs - and Labour MP John Woodcock to eject him from the party. Mr Downing said he "had been" a Labour member until Wednesday night, "but nobody bothered to inform" him that he'd been excluded.
In an open letter to Mr Corbyn, Mr Woodcock, a longstanding critic of the Labour leader, says Mr Downing and his group's views were "sickening and bring our party into disrepute". He told the Daily Politics the party "should be welcoming" to people with his views and he planned to seek re-admittance.
In a statement of its aims on its website, Socialist Fight says: "We defend the 'Islamic State' in Syria and Iraq against the bombing of US imperialism but do not ally with them against the Kurdish defenders of Kobane and Rojava (Western Kurdistan). We support the Kurdish nation's right to self-determination and to their own nation state, even though they are scattered over four other nations now. "If it allows UKIP councillors who defect and it allows people from the far right, and people of that nature, I cannot see why it should not allow in people like me."
"The Islamic State is a reactionary utopia and has no legitimate right to self-determination. We do not object if the Kurds take advantage of airstrikes against Isis to defend their own territory in a process of nation-building but we reject any strategic alliance with US-friendly forces on the ground, like the Free Syrian Army. The Kurds have every right to accept arms from [Syrian president Bashar] Assad." Asked by presenter Andrew Neil whether he would condemn the 9/11 attackers, Mr Downing said he wouldn't use the word "condemn", saying he would seek to "understand the motivation of the people that did that."
'US Imperialism'
Mr Downing said his group does not support so-called Islamic State "militarily or politically" but he does believe in providing "tactical" support, which he explained as being against US bombing.
He said he was not a "personal friend" of John McDonnell but said the shadow chancellor had "secured some justice for me" in a work dispute, after the two men met on the Labour Representation Committee.
Times journalist Philip Collins, a former speech writer to Tony Blair, said he was "delighted" Mr Downing had been expelled, telling him there was "no place in the Labour Party for your views".
In an open letter to Mr Corbyn, before Mr Downing's latest expulsion, Labour MP John Woodcock, a longstanding critic of the Labour leader, said his group's views were "sickening and bring our party into disrepute".
In a statement of its aims on its website, Socialist Fight says: "We defend the 'Islamic State' in Syria and Iraq against the bombing of US imperialism but do not ally with them against the Kurdish defenders of Kobane and Rojava (Western Kurdistan)."
The post goes on to explain its stance in some detail. saying, among things, that "the Islamic State is a reactionary utopia and has no legitimate right to self-determination".