The Labour Party and Anti-Semitism

[Varky]

There have been many accusations bandied about that the Labour Party is a hot-bed of antisemitism. However I have never seen those accusations coupled with actual examples of antisemitism but only the generalisation. I am not saying that antisemitism in the Labour Party doesn't exist, nor that it does, I would just like to have a better understanding of the actual situation with details.

[Jimgward]

I think that Israel bandies the term anti-semitic if you support Palestine, oppose settlements etc. So since labour are the only ones prepared to oppose these things, then they get easily accused by a regime and it’s supporters.
I’m not advocating one way or the other that supporting Palestine means any form of support for Hamas or others, simply that even to just oppose the oppression fo peoples in Gaza can have you branded as being anti-Semitic.

[Dominic]

I think Ken Livingstone got the boot for saying that Hitler originally wanted the Jews to have a homeland, before he went mad and rolled out the holocaust.

I recall there was some historical merit to his claim though it was a bit over-simplistic. That's what Wikipedia said, anyway.

I am a fan of Roger Waters, of Pink Floyd fame. I saw him do The Wall in Wembley Stadium a few years ago. During the performance, a huuuuge pig floats over the audience. It was painted with lots of modern day symbols, including the dollar sign, crosses, the pound sign, euro sign and stars of David. Basically, symbols of modern life. He was inevitably criticised for having an anti-semitic pig.

[Varky]

So, nothing definite so far.

[Dominic]

If you care, perhaps you should do some research of your own?

[Varky]

If you care, perhaps you should do some research of your own?

I thought this was a forum where such matters could be aired for everyone's benefit, information-wise, apparently not. If someone has information where I could research then I would gladly follow it up, but all I am getting so far is generalisations.

[Dominic]

It is, but given the lack of responses to your question, it would suggest that you would find a more definitive answer elsewhere. Perhaps in the archives of the Guardian of the Independent?

By all means, continue asking here, but if you want actual answers, you might have to do some digging yourself.

If you do carry on your research and come up with some concrete answers I would most certainly welcome you sharing them here. Likewise, if you did an extensive search but found nothing substantial, that would also be worth reporting. From the brief research I did, I too found it all a bit wishy washy.

[Jimgward]

This is from the Independent - https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/je ... 30891.html

I've copied it all over, as I think this is an important discussion....

As a Jewish Labour member, I'm sick of anti-Semitism being used as a political weapon against Jeremy Corbyn
For years now I’ve travelled across the UK to report from far-right, fascist and neo-Nazi rallies. I’ve seen the real threat that faces Jews in the country, those who wear swastikas as badges of honour. Where was your concern for my community then?

It’s become an all too regular occurrence, waking up to headlines reporting that anti-Semitism in the Labour party is now an endemic problem, and that bad feeling against Jewish people in the party is on an upward trajectory.

As a Jewish Labour Party member, they are stories that should have me alarmed. I know from experience just how dangerous anti-Semitism can really be: vast swathes of my ancestors were lost to the murderous hands of the Nazis, and observant Jewish friends of mine have been harassed and attacked on British streets. I’ve read the slurs, faced the trolls, had neo-Nazis shout abuse in my face.

And yet it’s not just anger against bigots that hits as I scan story after story, but frustration towards those trying to use an all too real threat facing my community for their own political gain. Since Corbyn’s election as Labour leader, unsupportive MPs, campaigning groups and journalists have been desperate to paint him and the movement who support him as anti-Semitic fanatics, despite knowing it’s really not the case.

I could tell you about my own experiences, how I’ve never experienced or witnessed anti-Semitism inside the party – but that’s just what I’ve seen, non-Jewish defenders of my religion will claim. My experiences, and those of countless other Corbyn-supporting Jewish members who I’ve spoken to, aren’t reflective of what’s really going on, apparently.

Just a few months ago, I found myself sat in the Channel 4 News studio, tasked with discussing anti-Semitism under Corbyn. Sat opposite me was John Woodcock MP, desperate to tell me it’s the “hard-left” who are “associated [with] Soviet Russia” with anti-Semitic views infiltrating the party who were responsible for stirring up hatred.

Now, we only need look at the most high-profile of cases to see that anti-Semitism is by no means a product of Corbyn’s supporters. Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West, was rightly suspended for sharing anti-Semitic posts on Facebook, not a Corbynite but a backer of Yvette Cooper in the last leadership election. Ken Livingstone, similarly sanctioned for his remarks about Hitler, has been a party grandee for decades. An insurgent? I think not.

Woodcock pointed me towards “a rise in anti-Semitic incidents” within the party, without having a single statistic or figure to back it up. It’s an answer I hear time and time again, and for those of us – Jewish or otherwise – committed to fighting anti-Semitism, enough is enough.

It’s tiring and it’s frustrating, but moreover it’s frankly dangerous.

For years now I’ve travelled across the UK to report from far-right, fascist and neo-Nazi rallies, and the counter-demonstrations that take place alongside. I’ve seen the real threat that faces Jews in the country, those who profess hatred for Jews and our religion, who wear swastikas as badges of honour, who’ll salute like a Nazi in front of your face. Where was your concern for my community then?

It’s not just the distinct absence of those MPs in Labour who now claim to be at the forefront of the fight against anti-Jewish prejudice that’s striking, but the presence of those they now claim to be British Jewry’s biggest threat.

It’s the left, and Corbyn’s supporters, who’ve put their bodies on the line time and time again to protect us from these racist organisations.

That’s why these cries of anti-Semitism make a mockery of a real and present danger. Corbyn’s commitment to fighting discrimination and prejudice has been well documented for decades. His supporters are those who’ve stood alongside him. Accusing these people now of peddling prejudice is nothing but political point-scoring at its worst. It undermines real hatred, and waters down the impact of calling out anti-Semitism when it rears its ugly head.

I’m not saying Labour members haven’t experienced anti-Semitism inside the Labour Party, and of course, a progressive movement like Labour should hold itself to higher standards than other organisations. Those few who blindly label all incidents of anti-Semitism as anti-Corbyn slander and restrictions on critiquing Israel need to listen to the voices of victims and let conversations about Judaism and Israel be led by Jewish members: we are here and we know how to speak.

[Varky]

Dominic,

Wishy-washy also describes my understanding of the accusations. Perhaps jimgward's posting from the Independent reinforces this position.

[Jimgward]

Israel, at the same time as declaring themselves an apartheid state, also declared that ANY criticism of Israel is now anti-Semitic......