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Rabbi steps into Tory EU ally row Miliband must apologise - Cameron
(about 4 hours later)
One of the Tories' main allies in Europe is "today, against anti-Semitism", Poland's chief rabbi Michael Schudrich has told the BBC. David Cameron has called on Foreign Secretary David Miliband apologise for comments about a Tory ally in Europe.
David Miliband had quoted the rabbi to attack Polish MEP Michal Kaminski for having "an anti-Semitic neo-Nazi past". The Tory leader said a BBC interview showed Poland's Chief Rabbi did not believe Polish MEP Michal Kaminski was anti-Semitic.
Mr Kaminski leads the Tories' new group of MEPs in the European Parliament. Mr Miliband had quoted the rabbi to attack Mr Kaminski for having "an anti-Semitic neo-Nazi past".
Mr Schudrich said he was "complicated person" who as a teenager belonged to a far-right group but recently had been a "serious ally to the state of Israel". He said that quote stood and accused the Tories of a "divorce from the mainstream" of Europe.
The interview on the BBC's Today programme came after a political row in the UK about the Conservatives' new grouping in the European Parliament, headed by Mr Kaminski. The row dates back to Mr Miliband's speech to the Labour Party conference in September, in which he attacked the Conservatives' new grouping in the European Parliament, headed by Mr Kaminski.
Apology demands 'Complicated person'
In a speech in September to Labour's annual conference, Mr Miliband said the Tories' new allies made him "sick" and said Mr Kaminski had been "denounced by the Chief Rabbi of Poland for an anti-semitic, neo-Nazi past". He said the Tories' new allies made him "sick" and said Mr Kaminski had been "denounced by the Chief Rabbi of Poland for an anti-semitic, neo-Nazi past".
The Conservatives said the Chief Rabbi had said the remarks had been misrepresented and demanded Mr Miliband apologise. Since then there has been a political row about what the chief rabbi had actually said and demands from the Tories that Mr Miliband apologise.
In an interview with the BBC, Rabbi Schudrich said Mr Kaminski had been a member of the "openly anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi" National Revival of Poland (NOP) organisation - Mr Kaminksi argues he quit as a teenager and it was not an extreme group when he joined it.
The words of the Polish chief rabbi about the attitudes of a Polish MEP have become crucial to the debate about the future of Britain, to its relationship with Europe and, perhaps, to the future of the foreign secretary Read Nick Robinson's NewslogThe words of the Polish chief rabbi about the attitudes of a Polish MEP have become crucial to the debate about the future of Britain, to its relationship with Europe and, perhaps, to the future of the foreign secretary Read Nick Robinson's Newslog
Rabbi Schudrich told the BBC he would not defend Mr Kaminski's membership of NOP, which he said he found "problematic", but said he preferred to look at what he had done over a longer period. Asked to clarify his comments Poland's Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich told the BBC he would not defend Mr Kaminski's past membership of the "openly anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi" National Revival of Poland (NOP) organisation, but he should be judged on his record as a whole.
Mr Kaminski left the NOP as a teenager and argues that it was not an extreme group when he joined it.
Rabbi Schudrich told the BBC he found it "problematic" but he preferred to look at what he had done over a longer period.
"Since that time he has become a strong ally of the state of Israel and on other occasions has condemned anti-Semitism," he said."Since that time he has become a strong ally of the state of Israel and on other occasions has condemned anti-Semitism," he said.
"So what we have here is a complicated person, and we need to be able to understand him in a fuller context, not taking one thing he said but taking a look at what he has said over the past 20 years.""So what we have here is a complicated person, and we need to be able to understand him in a fuller context, not taking one thing he said but taking a look at what he has said over the past 20 years."
He said Mr Kaminski's Law and Justice Party was considered a mainstream party adding: He said: "No-one here in Poland would consider the law and justice party as a fringe right party." 'Against anti-Semitism'
He said Mr Kaminski's party was considered mainstream adding: He said: "No-one here in Poland would consider the Law and Justice Party as a fringe right party."
He said he could not "check a person's heart" but from what Mr Kaminski had said publicly and privately "I certainly see him as a man that today, today, is against anti-Semitism".He said he could not "check a person's heart" but from what Mr Kaminski had said publicly and privately "I certainly see him as a man that today, today, is against anti-Semitism".
He said he "completely disagreed" with Mr Kaminski's opposition to a state apology for the massacre of hundreds of Jews in Jedwabne in 1941. Poland's chief rabbi's comments entered a British political row
But he said it was an issue about whether Poland should be held responsible or not, "it was not denial of what happened". Mr Cameron said the rabbi had been "very clear": "He [the Chief Rabbi] said this man is the leader of a mainstream Polish party and is not anti-Semitic," he said.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the Chief Rabbi's comments would fuel the Conservatives' calls for an apology from Foreign Secretary Mr Miliband. Mr Miliband should now withdraw his "very serious accusation" and apologise.
But he said Mr Miliband would refer to other statements of other Jewish groups in Europe and would broaden the attack to include the Tories' other allies in Europe - including a Latvian party accused of homophobia. "Bandying round accusations of anti-Semitism when you are the British foreign secretary about a mainstream party in Europe is quite wrong and David Miliband needs to recognise that as I am sure he will."
On Thursday Mr Miliband refused to retract his statement, after an emailed statement from the Chief Rabbi said it was a "grotesque distortion that people are quoting me to prove that Kaminski is an anti-Semite". 'Not retracted'
Mr Miliband said his main complaint appeared to be about the headline of an article in the New Statesman and he had not "withdrawn the quotation" in the article. But speaking at a summit in Brussels, Mr Miliband said he had been right to "highlight exactly what has been said".
He also said Mr Kaminski had been denounced by one of the Tories' longest-serving MEPs Edward MacMillan Scott. "What I said in my speech to the party conference was that Michael Kaminski had been denounced by the Chief Rabbi for past associations with a neo-Nazi group.
"That quotation is clear on the BBC and other websites and that quotation has not been retracted by the Chief Rabbi of Poland and it is a clear point that he has made," he said.
He accused the Conservatives, who left the main centre-right grouping in the European Parliament over differences on the extent of European integration, of a "divorce from the mainstream" in Europe.
Its new alliance, made up of 55 MEPs from eight member states, represented "the sort of isolation that Britain could face if the Conservatives were to come to power", Mr Miliband said.