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| Peter Willsman’s rant points to a Labour party still blind to antisemitism | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| There’s none so blind as those who will not see. | There’s none so blind as those who will not see. |
| That’s probably the least depressing explanation for a recording of Peter Willsman, the veteran hard-left activist and (in deputy leader Tom Watson’s words) “loud-mouthed bully”, dismissing Jews expressing fears about antisemitism on the left as “Trump fanatics” just “making up information without any evidence at all”. | That’s probably the least depressing explanation for a recording of Peter Willsman, the veteran hard-left activist and (in deputy leader Tom Watson’s words) “loud-mouthed bully”, dismissing Jews expressing fears about antisemitism on the left as “Trump fanatics” just “making up information without any evidence at all”. |
| As the Labour MP Luciana Berger pointed out, the evidence is literally right there in front of him. The rant was taped at a meeting of the NEC, Labour’s ruling body, which is regularly updated on the progress of disciplinary investigations: the party is struggling to process hundreds of allegations of antisemitic outbursts from members, ranging from outright Holocaust denial and crazed nonsense about Jews drinking babies’ blood to stupid memes about hook-nosed bankers secretly running the world. (Those still insisting this is about being free to criticise Israel, despite being repeatedly told they’re free to do exactly that so long as they criticise Israel in the way they’d criticise anyone guilty of human rights abuses, must explain why so often the prejudice expressed has nothing to do with Israel.) | As the Labour MP Luciana Berger pointed out, the evidence is literally right there in front of him. The rant was taped at a meeting of the NEC, Labour’s ruling body, which is regularly updated on the progress of disciplinary investigations: the party is struggling to process hundreds of allegations of antisemitic outbursts from members, ranging from outright Holocaust denial and crazed nonsense about Jews drinking babies’ blood to stupid memes about hook-nosed bankers secretly running the world. (Those still insisting this is about being free to criticise Israel, despite being repeatedly told they’re free to do exactly that so long as they criticise Israel in the way they’d criticise anyone guilty of human rights abuses, must explain why so often the prejudice expressed has nothing to do with Israel.) |
| But the evidence was right there in the room, too. On tape, Willsman is heard demanding to know how many of his NEC compadres have experienced antisemitism within Labour. Hands evidently go up, judging by his reaction, which is to mutter that he’s “certainly never seen any” in the manner of a man who doesn’t believe in sexism because it’s never happened to him. | But the evidence was right there in the room, too. On tape, Willsman is heard demanding to know how many of his NEC compadres have experienced antisemitism within Labour. Hands evidently go up, judging by his reaction, which is to mutter that he’s “certainly never seen any” in the manner of a man who doesn’t believe in sexism because it’s never happened to him. |
| Yet still the apologists cry that he was taken out of context – what context would make this all right, exactly? – or that because antisemitism exists elsewhere, a progressive party should just give up trying to tackle it. It’s as if they’d learned nothing from the damage done by years of making excuses for Ken Livingstone. | Yet still the apologists cry that he was taken out of context – what context would make this all right, exactly? – or that because antisemitism exists elsewhere, a progressive party should just give up trying to tackle it. It’s as if they’d learned nothing from the damage done by years of making excuses for Ken Livingstone. |
| For there comes a point where protecting the ideological mission at all costs, defending the indefensible so long as it’s coming from the “right” faction, only destroys what you were trying to save. | For there comes a point where protecting the ideological mission at all costs, defending the indefensible so long as it’s coming from the “right” faction, only destroys what you were trying to save. |
| The Willsman tape now damages the credibility of everyone who sat through the meeting but still urged ordinary Labour members to vote for him in Jeremy Corbyn’s name, as part of the so-called #JC9 slate of reliably pro-Corbyn candidates expected to vote for reforms consolidating the leader’s position in the party. When complaints were lodged shortly after the meeting, Labour’s general secretary, Jennie Formby, wrote to the Jewish Labour Movement explaining that Willsman had apologised and thus would face no formal investigation. But did anyone demand an apology at the time? If not, how can we be sure the party recognises the seriousness of this matter now? | The Willsman tape now damages the credibility of everyone who sat through the meeting but still urged ordinary Labour members to vote for him in Jeremy Corbyn’s name, as part of the so-called #JC9 slate of reliably pro-Corbyn candidates expected to vote for reforms consolidating the leader’s position in the party. When complaints were lodged shortly after the meeting, Labour’s general secretary, Jennie Formby, wrote to the Jewish Labour Movement explaining that Willsman had apologised and thus would face no formal investigation. But did anyone demand an apology at the time? If not, how can we be sure the party recognises the seriousness of this matter now? |
| Still the apologists cry that Willsman was taken out of context. But what context would make this all right, exactly? | Still the apologists cry that Willsman was taken out of context. But what context would make this all right, exactly? |
| Belatedly, more pragmatic Corbynites do seem to be grasping just how toxic this issue has become. Officially, reports that John McDonnell privately confronted Corbyn over his handling of antisemitism generally, and Margaret Hodge’s case in particular, are denied. But they are a suspiciously good fit with the emollient line McDonnell and some close to him have taken publicly. When he told Radio 4’s Today programme last week that he got why Hodge was angry, you felt some brief glimmer of understanding of just how awful this looks from the outside, even if he did go on to suggest she must have simply “misunderstood”. | Belatedly, more pragmatic Corbynites do seem to be grasping just how toxic this issue has become. Officially, reports that John McDonnell privately confronted Corbyn over his handling of antisemitism generally, and Margaret Hodge’s case in particular, are denied. But they are a suspiciously good fit with the emollient line McDonnell and some close to him have taken publicly. When he told Radio 4’s Today programme last week that he got why Hodge was angry, you felt some brief glimmer of understanding of just how awful this looks from the outside, even if he did go on to suggest she must have simply “misunderstood”. |
| For you don’t have to endorse everything Hodge or Ian Austin have ever said to feel Labour has consistently got this sensitive issue wrong. You just have to be human, and capable of seeing the bleeding obvious; that those lucky enough not to have had family members murdered in concentration camps should check their damn privilege before accusing others of overreacting to what genuinely feels like a threat. | For you don’t have to endorse everything Hodge or Ian Austin have ever said to feel Labour has consistently got this sensitive issue wrong. You just have to be human, and capable of seeing the bleeding obvious; that those lucky enough not to have had family members murdered in concentration camps should check their damn privilege before accusing others of overreacting to what genuinely feels like a threat. |
| We are all alarmed by the rise of the far right at home and abroad, and minority communities have greater historical reason to fear it than most. But Jews are almost unique in worrying that they can no longer rely on the protection of the left, either. Decent Labour members should be, and in so many cases are, ashamed of having even inadvertently made a vulnerable community feel more isolated – and for that reason even now, I still don’t believe either Willsman or the demented rabble defending him to their last breath represent the Labour mainstream view. | We are all alarmed by the rise of the far right at home and abroad, and minority communities have greater historical reason to fear it than most. But Jews are almost unique in worrying that they can no longer rely on the protection of the left, either. Decent Labour members should be, and in so many cases are, ashamed of having even inadvertently made a vulnerable community feel more isolated – and for that reason even now, I still don’t believe either Willsman or the demented rabble defending him to their last breath represent the Labour mainstream view. |
| But so long as he sits on the NEC, he literally does represent Labour members everywhere. He should go, and be sacked rather than be allowed to resign. And those who still can’t see the problem should open their eyes before it’s too late. | But so long as he sits on the NEC, he literally does represent Labour members everywhere. He should go, and be sacked rather than be allowed to resign. And those who still can’t see the problem should open their eyes before it’s too late. |
| • Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist | • Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist |
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