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Jeremy Corbyn concedes Labour has failed to address antisemitism problem Jeremy Corbyn concedes Labour has failed to address antisemitism problem
(about 2 hours later)
Jeremy Corbyn has conceded that there is a problem with antisemitism in the Labour party that the party has failed to address. Jeremy Corbyn has issued his strongest condemnation of antisemitism so far as he came under intense pressure from his own backbenchers and the wider Jewish community over his failure to tackle anti-semitism in the party.
Responding to Sunday night’s forceful attack from the two leading Jewish organisations, which accused him of being a figurehead for antisemitism in the party, he apologised to the leader of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Jonathan Arkush, and to Jonathan Goldstein, leader of the Jewish Leadership Council. He was forced to step up his response during the day after an extraordinary open letter was published on Sunday night by the two leading Jewish organisations, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC), accusing him of “siding with antisemites” and calling for supporters to stage a show of solidarity outside parliament as the parliamentary Labour party held its weekly meeting on Monday evening.
His letter to the leaders of the two organisations says: “I recognise that antisemitism has surfaced within the Labour party, and has too often been dismissed as simply a matter of a few bad apples. This has caused pain and hurt to Jewish members of our party and to the wider Jewish community in Britain. I am sincerely sorry for the pain which has been caused, and pledge to redouble my efforts to bring this anxiety to an end.” At the PLP meeting, backbenchers denied there was any kind of coup attempt. Wes Streeting MP, often a critic of Corbyn’s, said: “No one’s calling for a leadership election. We just want leadership.”
Corbyn’s marked shift in tone followed Goldstein’s rejection of his previous statement that apologised for “pockets of antisemitism” in Labour. Goldstein said that was not enough. The letter goes beyond any previous apology. As hundreds gathered at Westminster, including dozens of Labour MPs and peers, and a small group of rival demonstrators from Jewish Votes for Labour, Corbyn issued a “sincere apology” that acknowledged that his previous responses had been inadequate.
Corbyn has expressly apologised for failing to study the content of an antisemitic mural in the East End of London that has been at the centre of the latest controversy. “I recognise that antisemitism has surfaced within the Labour party, and has too often been dismissed as simply a matter of a few bad apples,” he said on Twitter.
Jewish leaders claimed in their letter, released on Sunday night, that the mural row was just the latest evidence that the Labour leader “cannot seriously contemplate antisemitism, because he is so ideologically fixed within a far-left worldview that is instinctively hostile to mainstream Jewish communities”. “This has caused pain and hurt to Jewish members of our party and to the wider Jewish community in Britain. I am sincerely sorry for the pain which has been caused, and pledge to redouble my efforts to bring this anxiety to an end.”
I have written to the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council. I will never be anything other than a militant opponent of antisemitism. In this fight, I am an ally and always will be. pic.twitter.com/QhQnFEpplU
Corbyn’s previous apology merely recognised that there were “pockets” of antisemitism in the party. That was rejected as inadequate by Jonathan Goldstein of the JLC, who said the Labour leader had become a figurehead for antisemitism.
Speaking at the solidarity protest outside parliament, the former Labour MP Gillian Merron, who is now chief executive of the Board of Deputies, said Corbyn had only made concessions because he had been forced into it by their actions.
“That letter arose because of the point we brought it to,” she said. “And people here are angry and sad. Nobody dreamt they would be in this position. The Jewish community has had enough and we are joined in that feeling by many many people inside and out of the Labour party.”
Also at the protest, the Labour peer Jeff Rooker said the letter was too late. “We’ve never had a leader who has brought the party into such disrepute,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”
In the second letter, Corbyn expressly apologised for failing to study the content of an antisemitic mural in the East End of London before posting supportive comments to its artist, which triggered the latest controversy.
Jewish leaders claimed in their letter, released on Sunday night, that this proved the Labour leader “cannot seriously contemplate antisemitism, because he is so ideologically fixed within a far-left worldview that is instinctively hostile to mainstream Jewish communities”.
Countering the charge, Corbyn says in his letter: “While the forms of antisemitism expressed on the far right of politics are easily detectable, such as Holocaust denial, there needs to be a deeper understanding of what constitutes antisemitism in the labour movement. Sometimes this evil takes familiar forms – the east London mural which has caused such understandable controversy is an example.Countering the charge, Corbyn says in his letter: “While the forms of antisemitism expressed on the far right of politics are easily detectable, such as Holocaust denial, there needs to be a deeper understanding of what constitutes antisemitism in the labour movement. Sometimes this evil takes familiar forms – the east London mural which has caused such understandable controversy is an example.
“The idea of Jewish bankers and capitalists exploiting the workers of the world is an old antisemitic conspiracy theory. This was long ago, and rightly, described as ‘the socialism of fools’. I am sorry for not having studied the content of the mural more closely before wrongly questioning its removal in 2012.” “The idea of Jewish bankers and capitalists exploiting the workers of the world is an old antisemitic conspiracy theory … I am sorry for not having studied the content of the mural more closely before wrongly questioning its removal in 2012.”
In a much more nuanced recognition of the forms that antisemitism can take, the letter also accepts that criticism of Israel can be antisemitic. In a much more nuanced recognition of the forms that antisemitism can take, the letter also accepts that anti-Zionism and antisemitism have become conflated.
“Newer forms of antisemitism have been woven into criticism of Israeli government,” he acknowledges. “Criticism of Israel, particularly in relation to the continuing dispossession of the Palestinian people, cannot be avoided. Nevertheless, comparing Israel or the actions of Israeli governments to the Nazis… and using abusive phraseology about supporters of Israel such as ‘Zio’ all constitute aspects of contemporary antisemitism.”
“Criticism of Israel, particularly in relation to the continuing dispossession of the Palestinian people, cannot be avoided. Nevertheless, comparing Israel or the actions of Israeli governments to the Nazis, attributing criticisms of Israel to Jewish characteristics or to Jewish people in general and using abusive phraseology about supporters of Israel such as ‘Zio’ all constitute aspects of contemporary antisemitism. And Jewish people must not be held responsible or accountable for the actions of the Israeli government.” He also promises that the party will implement in full the “overdue” recommendations of the Chakrabarti report,which was published nearly two years ago.
Insisting that he is committed to eliminating antisemitism “wherever it exists”, he also promises that the party will implement in full the “overdue” recommendations of the Chakrabarti report which was published nearly two years ago. His critics say his words must be backed by actions. They say the party must expel Ken Livingstone, the former London mayor, and deal with other pending antisemitism cases, as well as condemn the Unite leader Len McCluskey – who described the criticism of Corbyn as “mood music”.
He says: “The battle against antisemitism should never become a party political issue. It must unite all of us if we are both to honour the memory of the victims of the bestial crimes of the 20th century and build a future of equality and justice for all.
“In that spirit, I must make it clear that I will never be anything other than a militant opponent of antisemitism. In this fight, I am your ally and always will be.”
There are rival demonstrations taking place outside parliament on Monday night, timed to coincide with the weekly meeting of the PLP. Corbyn was not planning to attend.
Goldstein said, prior to Corbyn’s letter: “This is the first time in my life time that the Jewish community has felt the need to take to the streets to campaign against the leader of a major political party. Rightly or wrongly, Jeremy Corbyn is now the figurehead for an antisemitic political culture based upon obsessive hatred of Israel, conspiracy theories and fake news and that is doing great harm not just to the Labour party but to Britain in a wider sense.
“We have no issue with people expressing criticisms of Israel … but to deny the right of a Jewish state to exist within the Middle East crosses a line into anti-Zionism.”
Jewish Voice for Labour, on the other hand, had accused the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council of playing party politics in the run-up to the local elections in May. In a statement, it said both groups had been silent on antisemitism from the right.
It said: “The BoD and the JLC and those supporting them must be aware that this is an attempt to influence local elections and has nothing to do with the real and necessary task of challenging racism and antisemitism at all levels of political life. We call on them to stop playing party politics and start representing what our community needs.”
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