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Board and JLC slam Corbyn's 'ill-timed and ill-conceived' antisemitism message
Labour's Luciana Berger calls for 'action' not just 'words' from the Labour leader
August 5, 2018 11:18
Labour's Luciana Berger calls for 'action' not just 'words' from the Labour leader
August 5, 2018 11:18The Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council have attacked Jeremy Corbyn's "ill-timed and ill-conceived" attempt to intervene in his Party's antisemitism crisis with an article that first appeared on a newspaper website late on Friday afternoon.
In their first opportunity to respond to the Guardian article after Shabbat, the joint statement by communal leaders said:"Once again Mr Corbyn, of all people, has chosen to lecture Jews on antisemitism."
Labour MP Luciana Berger also said she was "very, very saddened" by Mr Corbyn's article which was "just more words and no action" and would not stem the "crisis" that now gripped her Party.
On Sunday, Labour appeared to have ignored widespread criticism and dismay at Mr Corbyn's article by releasing a video of him repeating a substantially similar message to Friday's piece.
One senior Labour figure told the JC the decision by Mr Corbyn's advisers to release the video was "like enjoying watching a repeat perfromance of your favourite football team getting thrashed."
Noting the similarity between the latest article and parts of a previous one for the Evening Standard, the statement from thr Board and JLC said:"Sadly, since then, the vilification of our community and its representatives has worsened significantly, both in meetings and throughout Corbynite social media.
"Whether you call this antisemitic or not, the end result is the same: Jews and those who support them are being purged out of the Party.
"This is happening from Members of Parliament to local activists.
"Without seeking to rebut every point of Jeremy Corbyn’s article, we note his misleading claims regarding consultation with Jewish groups and how his past behaviour utterly belies what he suddenly now says about Zionism not being racism.
"His words regarding the Holocaust beg the question as to why he has previously sought to relativise it on so many past occasions. "
The statement also accuses Mr Corbyn and his closest adviser Seumas Milne of "ideological hostility to the IHRA definition of antisemitism" which "epitomises the enduring problem."
Ms Berger, parliamentary chair for the Jewish Labour Movement added:"Do not under estimate how critical a situation we now find ourselves in.
"This situation is not sustainable - it is not acceptable.
"I hold my Party to a higher bar because anti-racism and equality is supposed to be one of our central values.
"I want to ensure everything is done to fix this situation. I am focussing on action."
During his latest video message Mr Corbyn said: “I am sorry for the hurt that has been caused to many Jewish people. We have been too slow in processing disciplinary cases of, mostly, online antisemitic abuse by party members. We are acting to speed this process up.
He added: “Our party must never be a home for such people and never will be. People who use antisemitic poison need to understand: you do not do it in my name or the name of my party. You are not our supporters. And anyone who denies that this has surfaced within our party is clearly actually wrong and contributing to the problem.”
