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Board of Deputies calls for Labour to expel Pete Willsman after 'Jewish Trump fanatics' rant
Questions mount as to why Jeremy Corbyn, who witnessed it, did nothing
July 31, 2018 10:52
Questions mount as to why Jeremy Corbyn, who witnessed it, did nothing
July 31, 2018 10:52The Board of Deputies president has called for one of Jeremy Corbyn’s allies on Labour’s ruling national executive committee to be “expelled” after the JC revealed he said “Jewish Trump fanatics” were making false claims of antisemitism in the party.
Marie van der Zyl also questioned why the Labour leader and the party’s General Secretary voiced no objection at the meeting where national executive committee (NEC) member Peter Willsman made the claim, which has since been condemned as “slur against the Jewish community.”
The Board President tweeted: “Now Peter Willsman’s disgusting rant against Jewish community & rabbis has been made public... he should be summarily expelled.”
Now Peter Willsman’s disgusting rant against Jewish community & rabbis has been made public by @JewishChron, & what seems to be lying exposed about what he did & didn’t say, he should be summarily expelled. https://t.co/7ahCCWrv4x . But I have some more questions in this thread:
Pressure mounted on Mr Willsman to stand down from Labour’s NEC after leading MPs including Deputy Leader Tom Watson, MPs Luciana Berger and Gloria Del Piero all launched scathing attacks on his remarks – made at the July 17 meeting of the Party’s ruling body which approved a controversial new antisemitism code of conduct, instead of the internationally recognised definition of Jew-hate.
Both Mr Corbyn and party General Secretary Jennie Formby have claimed to be “militant opponents” of antisemitism, though they said nothing as he spoke.
Ilford North MP Wes Streeting tweeted: "Glad to see prominent figures from the Labour left disowning Willsman, but what about those in the room?
"They saw it and did nothing. Maybe now understand why many of us speak out publicly. The party’s leadership have only ever been shamed into action on antisemitism. Depressing.”
Glad to see prominent figures from the Labour left disowning Willsman, but what about those in the room? They saw it and did nothing. Maybe now understand why many of us speak out publicly. The Party’s leadership have only ever been shamed into action on antisemitism. Depressing.
— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) July 31, 2018
Appearing on Sky News on Tuesday, Ms Berger, the parliamentary chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, said: "I was appalled when I heard that audio.
“The question has to be asked – this was said in the presence of the leader of the Labour Party. Where is the action?
“If you replace the words ‘Jewish’ or ‘rabbis’ with any other community it wouldn’t be acceptable. Why is it acceptable to treat the Jewish community in this way?”
Ms Berger had earlier called for an investigation into Mr Willsman and called for him to be suspended while the probe was launched.
On Monday, the JC exclusively revealed Mr Willsman told the July 17 meeting: “Some of these people in the Jewish community support Trump – they are Trump fanatics and all the rest of it.
“So I am not going to be lectured to by Trump fanatics making up information without any evidence at all.
“So I think we should ask the 70 rabbis, ‘Where is your evidence of severe and widespread anti-Semitism in this party?'”
Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson called Mr Willsman a “loud mouthed bully” who "disgusts me".
For the avoidance of doubt: Peter Willsman is and always has been a loud mouthed bully. He disgusts me. https://t.co/FwyMZYsaMq
— Tom Watson (@tom_watson) July 30, 2018
MP Ms De Piero also wrote: "I feel sick listening to this. Imagine accusing our Black, Pakistani or Indian members who complained about racism of inventing it? Racism is racism and like the vast majority of labour members, part of the reason we joined this movement was to defeat it.”
On Tuesday, several former left-wing supporters of Mr Willsman on the so-called Momentum slate of candidates currently standing for election to Labour’s next NEC openly disowned him.
Columnist Owen Jones, who has been a staunch advocate of Mr Corbyn, wrote: "After his comments, there's no way I'll vote for Pete Willsman for Labour's NEC.
“I'll proudly vote for the other eight excellent Labour left candidates. I won't vote for someone who undermines the struggle against the disgusting disease of antisemitism.”
The singer and activist Billy Bragg who has a big following in the Labour party and who was recently criticised for comments siding with Mr Corbyn on the antisemitism issue said Mr Willsman should stand down from the NEC.
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said Mr Willsman's rant was "horrifying – not only for its content, but by the fact that the Labour leader and general secretary sat by, witnessed these disgusting, indefensible comments and said nothing".
"This tirade did not happen in some stuffy room of a fringe gathering in the back of beyond; this happened at a meeting of the ruling body of a mainstream political party with its leader present," she added.
“It is impossible not to recognise Willsman’s contempt for the Jewish community, but even when it is staring him in the face, Corbyn seems unfazed. Our political leaders should be leading the charge against racism. To remain silent is complicit. This is unacceptable and terrifying."
The Guardian quoteda Labour source who said Ms Formby had challenged Willsman during the meeting and told him that she had personally seen “sickening and disgusting” evidence of antisemitism within the party.
On Tuesday, the JLM resubmitted an complaint about Mr Willsman’s remarks to Labour’s legal and governance department.
The group said it believed there was a prima facie case to bring disciplinary charges against him because audio of his comments did not match the apology he previously made for his remarks.
Ms Formby had made the apology Mr Willsman had made to her for his comments available to the JLM in a letter she had sent last week.
